Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap
ASJ-US Executive Director
Christmas 2024
December 16, 2024
Something Worth Waiting For
I love Advent.
There's something about the embrace of waiting that feels to my spirit, so often in constant motion, like a relief. Advent tells me to wait. To remember that God is the one bringing his kingdom of justice and peace, and that often--like a tiny baby born into scandal to a no-name girl from backwater Nazareth--it looks nothing like we might expect.
Yet, Advent waiting is a particular kind of waiting. It is not passive. We wait with expectation for what new, shocking, unexpected thing God will do in His world. We expect God to move in powerful ways because that is who God is, and it's how He has always acted. Perhaps most especially, when He freely chose to take on the stuff of his world in order to rescue it all from the grip of sin and death and despair.
We at ASJ are waiting; waiting for the fullness of God's justice and shalom to cover Honduras and the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. Yet, we wait with expectation and hope.
Why?
Because over the past 27 years since the founding of ASJ-Honduras, God has given us more reasons to expect the unexpected than we can count. Because that's just who God is and how God works.
Because Advent reminds us that, though we wait, there is something coming worth waiting for.
As we gather around the table this Christmas, we also want to share with you a few of the traditional foods our Honduran partners and friends will be enjoying with their families.
Earlier this month, The Banner published a story written by Our Shared Ministr y by Karina Guevara and Elmer Salinas . The authors showcase the work that ASJ-Honduras is doing to help and support students in Honduras. Karina and Elmer tell the story of Genesis Garcia, an 8-year-old, whose family struggles to find consistent jobs. "Genesis Garcia Baquedano is 8 years old and lives with her older brother, Anderson, and their parents in Honduras. Her parents work hard to support their family. Genesis’s father is a painter who struggles to find consistent work, and her mother is a street vendor who spends long hours away from home." According to Karina and Elmer, although Genesis is a good student, she was struggling with reading, writing, and math. This is where the ASJ-Hondurans' program, Strong Communities , comes to be a blessing. "Through God’s grace, Genesis and her family were able to join the Strong Communities program facilitated by World Renew’s local partner, Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, because the Spanish translation is Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa). Through the program, Genesis attended academic support sessions, where she impressed her tutors with her perseverance and enthusiasm. Now, Genesis’s teachers praise the program for the significant progress Genesis has been making at school." We are blessed to be able to help kids like Genesis and her family to be able to achieve their dreams and goals. You can read the full story HERE and learn more about the ASJ-Honduras Strong communities program HERE
Highlights from our 25th Anniversary Celebration in Grand Rapids, MI
MY EMPTY VILLAGE / HOW IMMIGRATION AFFECTS A COMMUNITY (by Sara Pineda)
Young Hondurans have stepped up for democracy (by Blanca Stephanie Elvir)
Reflecting on 25 years of seeking justice together (by Jo Ann Van Engen)
From the Executive Director
What does paused international aid mean for ASJ?
Will you walk with us for a more just society?
The beauty of doing justice in community
What I've Been Thinking About the Past Week
