-~n't know at all what I was going to be doing down there. They gave me no plan. I just showe 108 people ustin 1ms "P . t asslona e, visionary, committed - these words were not generally used to describe a freshman, but they accurately fit Bible and Spanish major Justin Sims. Sims spent four weeks during the summer of 2010teaching English in a boys' home in Honduras, an experience that deeply moved him and shed light on his purpose in life.After that experience, Sims was committed to sharing Christ with Hispanics through teaching English. "The best thing about Honduras was being able to interact with kids from a completely different culture, in a completely different language, and still find that there are so many underlying"¥.,alues, underlyin~ desires, and wishes and dreams th~t_~~ all share, S1ms sa1d. "To talk to k1ds there a~·ut their dreams to become doctors even though-they have lived on the streets for 16 years, and to ta._1k,{e them about their faith ...those were the bestthinl s." Sophomore Alannah Gonda said she was impressed at how Sims was pursuing what God had put before him. "Justin is very involved with Spanish ministries because he has such a strong desire to bring redemption to broken stories,'' Gonda said. "God has blessed him with an incredible ability to speak the language, and I am so encouraged by his passion for the culture." That talent was not always so obvious for Sims, however.The first time Sims went to a Hispanic church, he was the only non-Spanish speaker there, but he continued to attend and to study the language. Eventually, he became fluent, led singing and served as a mediator between the elders and the Spanish church. Later, Sims went to Honduras for the first time on a week-long mission trip and felt compelled to return. "I just had to buy a plane ticket and said, 'Well, I have to go now,"' Sims said. "I didn't know at all what I was going to be doing down there. They gave me no plan. I just showed up and said, 'I am willing to work and I speak Spanish and English."' Among other things, the time spent in Honduras sharpened Sims' Spanish skills. "These kids were from the street and they speak a lot of slang,'' Sims said. "So I learned a lot of slang while hanging out with the guys all day. I spoke Spanish from 5:30 in the morning when the rooster next to my bed would wake me up until1 0:30 at night - all the way through. It was a great way to learn." Sims decided to return to Latin America after he obtained his graduate degree in Bible. He envisioned a new missions paradigm, one which stressed community development and interconnectedness between cultures. "I would love to build schools and establish churches, but to do it in a very connected way,'' Sims said. "I want to build schools and use it to bring the community together to do missions. I want to come live with and partner with the community to build the school and employ an indigenous teacher, who would also teach them the Bible. We would use that as a gateway to preach the gospel. " With his knowledge of both Bible and Spanish, Sims hoped to build bridges between both English and Spanish speakers for the rest of his life. Lauren Bucher
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==