A Broken Pencil Honduras

"A Broken Pencil"
La Esperanza, Honduras
By Curt Iles
www.creekbank.net

From the book The Old House by Curt Iles (2002)

I stood in muddy water in the middle of what was now a raging stream. Only an hour ago this spot was the middle of a dirt road on the side of a hill in northwestern Honduras. We arrived here at the home of a family to set up our video equipment and screen to show The Jesus Film.
Upon arrival a few hours before dark our team, consisting of missionary Billy Capps, Randy Pierce, my son Clay and I, was met by a group of smiling dark Honduran children. Setting up our screen and tarps, we kept an eye on the sky above the surrounding mountains. It was May and that meant the beginning of the rainy season in Central America. So we worked hard on our tarps to have them ready for a storm, should one come.
While we waited for dusk and a crowd to gather, we showed the children witnessing beads and bracelets that explained the plan of salvation. As I tied a bracelet on a dark eyed boy, I laughed as I recalled last night’s service when we ran out of bracelets before the Honduran pastor’s elderly mother received one. The intense Spanish of the pastor to our interpreter, Alexis, didn’t have to be fully understood for us to realize his momma badly wanted a bracelet, too. We dug in our bag in the truck and found the black, red, white, and yellow beads. I was out of leather strips so I improvised one with a rubber band and the old woman gave a contented toothless smile as I placed it on her wrist.
Tonight, we’ve come with plenty of bracelets and leather strips. We are happily handing out the beads and trying to explain their significance. Alexis, a young seminary student and our interpreter for the week, is using the microphone and amplifiers to invite the surrounding settlements to attend and see the video.
If you aren’t familiar with The Jesus Film, let me briefly tell about it. It is a two-hour production, based on the gospel of Luke, that simply shares and shows who Jesus is- from his birth to his resurrection. Produced in 1978, it is extremely well acted and professionally produced. It is widely used the world over and has been viewed by an estimated four billion people. The Jesus Film is available now in over 273 languages.
Tonight’s language, of course, Spanish. Alexis continues his invitation to attend, and to my English ears it is as if a machine gun is shooting out his staccato Spanish. As Randy Pierce sets up the large screen and adjusts the video projector, DVD player, and generator. To test everything, Randy begins the film. He chooses to use Chinese as the language for this test run. Here we are in the mountains of Honduras, watching Jesus speak Chinese, with the subtitles also in the same language.
As dusk approaches, a small crowd of forty or so has gathered. Most perch on benches in the roadway or sit with us along the ditch bank. Off in the surrounding darkness I can make out the forms of people, mostly men, who will not come closer, but sit at a distance under the trees.
As the film begins, every eye is on the screen. We are miles from any electricity and I wonder if any of these folks have ever seen a movie. The quietly humming generator runs the DVD player as the light of the movie reflects off the rapt faces of the Hondurans.
I shift my seat on the bank and pull out my bag of corn nuts. My new friend, Leonel, who has come with us nightly, grins appreciatively as I fill his hand with the delicious salted nuts. Suddenly, on the other side I feel a body snuggling up to me. I turn to see a precious girl, whom I’d met earlier, holding her hand out for corn nuts too. I recall that her name is Denise and gladly pour corn nuts into her little eight-year-old hand.
She munches contentedly and snuggles closer to me. We’ve each found a new friend, and it doesn’t really matter to me that our friendship is based on my corn nuts.
The movie continues. Just about the time that Jesus stills the storm on the Sea of Galilee, the first raindrops fall. Then a clap of thunder introduces the real rain and the bottom drops out. Everyone runs for cover under the two tarps. Within minutes the road is running inches deep in water. The wind blows rain in on the huddled women, boys, and children. Our tarp, though secure, is holding water in a low spot and we work hard periodically dumping the water out before it collapses on the people.
Finally, after about twenty minutes of raining hard, it slackens. By now Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. It’s still raining hard but not nearly as hard as it was earlier. I slip to a drier area under the tarp and sit on a log. Settling down I feel someone snuggle next to me on my right side. I’m not really surprised to see the smiling face of my friend Denise. She nods yes as I extricate the corn nut bag from my rain jacket. She crunches contentedly as our gaze returns to the screen.
Then, on my left side I feel the warmth of another human body. A Honduran woman is sitting beside me. It’s very dark but I can make out her smile and tell her hello, as I return my attention to the film. On the crowded log we are tightly packed and I feel the woman’s body against my shoulder. From her side smacking sounds distract me, and with my eyes now adjusted to the darkness, I see that this Honduran mother is nursing her infant child, oblivious to this embarrassed Yankee seated next to her. My only thought is, “I sure am a long way from home here!”
Finally, through an hour of steady rain, the film ends. The Jesus Film features a wonderful invitation at the end giving each viewer the opportunity to invite Jesus into their life. Alexis stands in the rain and issues a call for all who’ve made this decision to come forward. From back in the crowd a young boy steps forward. Soon there is a small group of teenage boys who came forward one by one. They are being soaked as they stand in the pouring rain, but it doesn’t look as if they really care.
As long as I live I will have the picture in my mind of these seven boys gathered around Alexis as he prays with them. They had made a decision to come to Jesus and were going to do whatever it took to receive him, regardless of the rain or what anyone else thought.
Then I recalled the story of the four men in the second chapter of Mark’s gospel who brought their lame friend to see Jesus. Finding Jesus in a crowded room teaching, they went to the roof and after cutting a hole, lowered their friend to the wonderful Savior. They had a “whatever it takes” attitude to bring their friend to Jesus. Isn’t that exactly what we should have concerning the Savior? There is no distance too great, no weather too bad, no obstacle too large, and no wall too high. Whatever it takes, we need to bring others to Jesus.
This night reminds me of how we in America really don’t know what commitment and sacrifice are about. Here are people who’ve walked miles to see this film. Some of them are willing to stand in the pouring rain to show their desire to follow the amazing Son of God, Jesus. After the film, many will make long walks in the dark and up slippery muddy mountain paths as they trudge homeward. It humbles me as to how I take so many things for granted and often do not really show gratitude for my blessings.

During our time in Honduras an event occurs that leaves a deep impression on me, even to this day. Here is what happened:
At camp in Louisiana we use various objects to communicate the gospel as we share with young people. Mike Paxton, pastor of First Baptist of Kinder, is one of the best at using these objects to illustrate a point.
One of the best illustrations he uses is called “The Sin Trap.” Mike takes a big rat trap and decorates it with glitter and fake jewels. On the bottom of the base he has written “sin trap.” As he is talking to youth, he is holding the baited trap which is also set and ready to snap shut.
A big eight-inch rat trap is powerful and could probably break your finger. Mike deftly handles it. He pulls a pencil out of his pocket and begins to poke the baited area with the pencil. All the while he is telling about how Satan makes sin look so inviting, just like that morsel of cheese looks good to the rat. Mike continues, “Furthermore, Satan will let you play around with sin until you get comfortable and then he’ll get you.” Mike then springs the trap, which loudly snaps the pencil in two.
It is a memorable lesson that gets the attention of youth and communicates the message that there is always a price to pay for sin. As my son Clay and I prepare for our trip to Honduras, I make my own sin trap. I hope that with my limited Spanish, this visual lesson will help them understand. The only difference on my trap is that on the bottom I inscribe: “Pecado trampa,” which means "sin trap" in Spanish. Additionally, I put several pencils in my pack.
While in the mountains of rural Honduras, we stayed in the home of Southern Baptist missionaries Billy and Betty Capps. Each night we would travel to one of the nearby areas to show The Jesus Film. Billy Capps drove a Toyota four-wheel drive truck that could go anywhere. We nicknamed the truck “Lottie Moon,” because the money used to buy this truck came from the annual offering we Baptists take for the needs of our missionaries. The offering, taken at Christmas, is named after one of our earliest and greatest missionaries, Lottie Moon of China.
On our second day in Honduras, I showed Billy Capps my sin trap. At the end, I impressively sprung the trap and the pencil loudly broke in two as one end flew across the room. As Billy nodded at my exhibition, I could tell he wanted to tell me something, but was hesitant. Then he kindly told me, “That is a great lesson. However, if you willingly break a pencil in front of these people, they will be very disturbed. You see, most of them have never had a pencil of their own, and it would really upset them to see something so precious purposely destroyed.”
I was so embarrassed and ashamed… Here I was, having done this little trick over and over with numerous pencils and it never even entered my mind how wasteful I was being. Needless to say, I didn’t use any pencils with my sin trap. It was just as easily done with a small stick. It was very effective as I told them about Satan’s schemes and strategies, the whole time being interpreted by one of the young men with us. The snapping of the trap always elicited an excited response and I believe the lesson was conveyed.
However, the most important lesson was learned by me. Here was something I thought nothing of- a measly pencil, but to these people it was a treasured prize. I thought of how many pencils are probably in my house. I know every time I look under the couch or recliner, there are several. Yet, here I was, so ignorant of these people and their needs.
Since that trip I’ve shown the sin trap many times. Nevertheless, never have I, and never will again, willingly break a pencil.

God, help us in America not tot be so wasteful and thoughtless. We have so much and appreciate it so little. Teach us to have gratitude for all that we have.

“To whom much is given, much is expected.”

I can wholeheartedly recommend Macedonian Missions (now entitled Xtreme Missionary Adventures (XMA) ministries at www.xmaonline.org ) and my friend, Randy Pierce. This ministry serves to link volunteers on work projects and Jesus Film trips with Christian missions throughout the world. If you’d like more information, visit their site.
The yearly Southern Baptist Lottie Moon mission offering takes place each December. All funds given go to directly meet the needs for over 5000 missionaries worldwide. Go to www.imb.org to receive more information on how you can give and pray.
To find out more about The Jesus Film, contact their website at [www.jesusfilm.org.].