Valentine’s is a season when everyone is talking about love. I’ve been blessed by a great deal of love in my own life– I love my wife, my children, my church family, and my friends. Love is also a central part of ASJ (formerly known as AJS) ’s work in Honduras – one of our favorite verses is 1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.”
It’s easy to talk about love, but harder to talk about the fear that can lurk behind it like a shadow. Because I love my family, I fear for their safety. Because I love my country, I find its troubles and challenges deeply worrying.
I chose a life where fear is a constant reality. Through ASJ’s work reforming weak government systems and fighting against violence in Honduras, we make powerful people very angry. When corrupt politicians we have exposed call me out by name on television, or when an unmarked vehicle trails my car for hours, I fear how my work could affect my family.
Fear is not just something I face in my own life; for millions of Hondurans, fear is a daily reality. Though homicides have dropped in Honduras, thousands of people still suffer losses each year due to violence. People fear being unable to provide for their families or being unable to access the healthcare they need. These real fears have driven many of my fellow Hondurans – who love their country – to seek a life elsewhere; I can imagine, in a different life, making a choice like that myself.
