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One More Step

One More Step

FALL/WINTER 2020    |    3 MINUTE READ 
LARRY OVERHOLT, GLOBAL WORKER IN THE AMERICAS


It seems that God never wastes an opportunity to build on relationships in our lives. We have no control over when or how the seeds of God’s love will germinate and grow in others’ hearts. We simply know that we must be faithful to plant the seeds in the hearts of those He places in our paths. Whether our ministry lasts one week or forty years, we are often never even aware of the impact God has made on people’s lives through us.

Larry Overholt speaking to a group of kids during a sporting event

Larry Overholt speaking during an anniversary celebration

When we left Honduras in March 2020, my wife, Angie, and I were certain of only two things. First, we knew God would use others to continue the ministry He had allowed us to be part of over the past forty years. Second, we knew that we weren’t finished doing His work yet.

Since our journey to Honduras began in 1980, we had been blessed to be involved in a variety of ministries in both El Sembrador and Choluteca. Through Sunday school, discipleship classes, and involvement in school activities, we fell deeper in love with Honduras and with serving there.

We spent a lot of time getting to know our neighbors and the people in the community, which helped us determine what programs and outreach ministries were needed. God opened the door for us to help start a vocational school in Choluteca and to be part of the team that established the first nursing high school in Honduras.

A class photo of the first year of the operation of the nursing school

Larry, Angie, and Maribel with the students and personnel of the first year of the operation of the nursing school (2017)

At times, we felt the need to stop and ask God what it was He wanted us to do next. We quickly learned that we couldn’t know what the next five or ten years of ministry held, but God proved Himself faithful to reveal one more step, then one more. Eventually, God made it clear to us that our time in Honduras had come to an end.

As we settle into our new roles with WGM here in the U.S., several people from our years in Honduras come to mind. First is Addis Gonzales, a young man in the church plant at San Jerónimo when we started working in the community several years ago. I had the honor of baptizing Addis in the river nearby. He then attended our auto mechanics program at the vocational school and graduated in our first class of mechanics in 2008. Rather than accept a prestigious opportunity to work in another part of the country, Addis stayed home and served as co-pastor to the church. He continued pastoral training in our extension Bible Institute in Choluteca. Imagine our excitement when Addis agreed to teach in the vocational school, helping carry on the ministry that we have been so deeply invested in. Like us, Addis also found himself looking to God to reveal each next step ahead of him.

Addis and Larry baptizing a third man

Addis (left) and Larry (right) performing a baptism

Maribel Estrada was another young person God prepared to help expand the ministry in Choluteca. When Maribel was seventeen, we invited her to come live with us so she wouldn’t have to live by herself, and she soon became like a daughter to us. We encouraged her and watched her grow as her interest in science eventually led her to obtain a doctorate in microbiology.

At the same time, we took joy in watching her grow in her faith. Following God’s lead one step at a time, Maribel eventually began to teach science labs in the nursing school and became a counselor for the nursing school students. She also serves as a pastor of Shalom Church along with her husband, David Ortiz.

Maribel and Angie smiling (left) Meribel working in her lab (right)

Left: Maribel and Angie, Right: Maribel in her lab

Now that we have returned to the States, God is slowly making the next step of our future with WGM clear. We will be part of a team of veteran global workers who help support other global workers. While it’s been difficult to leave behind the country that we have called home for the past forty years, it is encouraging to know that God will not leave His work there unfinished. Just as He called us to Honduras, He has now called others to find their place in what He is doing there. And we’re excited to see what they do.

WHAT NOW?

PRAY: Maybe you’re unsure what’s next. Maybe you don’t know where to go from here. Ask God to reveal to you the next step that He has for you, like He did for the Overholts.

GO: If you feel led to serve in a specific country, maybe God is putting that desire on your heart! We would like to help you find your place in God’s story of redemption. Learn more about how you can be involved.


Global Worker Bio: Larry Overholt and his wife, Angie, have served as global workers in Honduras for forty years. They are now transitioning into leadership roles here in the States and are eager to see how the Lord will lead them.

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