| Faith and Community at a Dumpsite in Honduras |

I recently watched the movie Facing the Giants with a group of men in a new Bible study we started here in the El Buen Samaritano community, located next to the dumpsite in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. At this meeting, we were also joined by two American brothers who were visiting from Ann Arbor’s St. Mary’s Student Parish. 

After the movie, we read the story of David in 1 Samuel 17. We talked about something that struck deep: a faith that prepares the ground. It is not enough to pray for rain; you have to go out into the field and plow the dry earth, even when there is not a single cloud in the sky. We were reminded that David did not defeat Goliath by luck; he had already faced the bear and the lion: His private battles were his training for his public victory.

I realized through this study that sometimes God asks us to walk in faith with others even when our own feet are bleeding.

Giants I Was Facing Alone

Leading up to this study, my heart was heavy. I spent nights praying and crying alone, feeling that the giants in my life — the dream of meeting my mother (who left the country when I was an infant), having a home of my own, and my longing to become a father — were becoming walls too high to climb. But something changed as I led this devotional with the men of the community.

As we discussed the parallels between the film and the story of young David, I asked the men to close their eyes and imagine the giants that torment them. The silence in the room became sacred. When they opened their eyes, I saw two of them with tears rolling down their cheeks — hardworking men, men with strong hands, broken before the presence of God.

What Community Support Unlocked

When we finished, Milton (the father of one of our scholarship students) came up to me. He took my hand and, with a sincerity that disarmed me, said: “Thank you, Francisco. What we just experienced today was not a movie or a simple reading. This was an enormous message that went straight to my heart. I am leaving with the conviction that no matter how great my giant may be, God is infinitely greater, and He will give me the strength to overcome it.”

His words felt like an embrace from God. In that moment, I understood that my pain had a purpose: it allowed me to understand theirs.

Still Wounded, Still Walking

That evening, my phone buzzed with messages that reminded me why I keep going. Carlos, one of our security guards, wrote something that made me cry again — but this time, with gratitude: “Thank you, Francisco, for this teaching that has touched our hearts. My wife and I are watching the movie and reading the story of David again … we have cried together.”

The outcome of our Bible study deeply motivated me. I am still fighting my own battles, but now I do not cry out of despair — I cry out of surrender. God has lifted me from the ground because He knows there are others who need to see that it is possible to keep walking, even when one is wounded.

If today you feel that your giant is winning, remember: prepare your ground, and practice with your “lion” today — because tomorrow, by the grace of God, you will see your Goliath fall.

Francisco Paz, Program Coordinator, Honduras

Francisco loves the countryside and caring for animals. Before joining the International Samaritan team in Honduras, he worked in the fields in a small town where he was born and raised. In his hometown, he directed youth groups and soccer teams. Francisco is very dedicated to his work and concerned about the well-being of those who need it most, especially students in the scholarship program.

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