Bio-Notes
. . . Pat Enbody:Pat accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior at the age of six. She had attended a revival service in Lawrence, Kansas, with her family, and her dad asked her if she wanted to go forward and make a declaration of her faith, and she did! She attended Friends Academy High School in Haviland, Kansas, completed two years of junior college, was a beauty school instructor, and taught HeadStart. Serving other people is Pat’s favorite use of free time - especially children. "Children have been my life. I adopted eight and had three of my own. I’ve been a guardian and foster parent many times, and have always wanted to do these things. He gives us the desires of our hearts."
Latest reading material: Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola
The House: Our focus for the January newsletter is on "walking out our faith". Pastor Nick wanted to hear more about your trip to Honduras, as it certainly represents this aspect of spiritual discipline.
Pat: I sponsor Jensy, a girl at the Children’s Village, Tegucialpita, Honduras, a part of Worldwide Heart to Heart Ministries. Jensy is fifteen now, but our relationship began two years ago. We write letters to one another faithfully, and I promised her one day I would come to see her.
The House: Many of us sponsor children in other countries. How did you come to the decision to take this trip?
Pat: As I said, I had promised Jensey one day I would visit her. And then, last January a woman who takes teams on trip for WWH2H asked me, "Have you ever thought about going to visit Jansey?"
This was WAY out of my comfort zone! I had never done anything like this. I was shocked. But, I decided this was an invitation I couldn’t pass up. I began getting my shots, getting the paperwork done, and buying my plane ticket.
The House: What kind of impact has this had on you since your return?
Pat: I am so aware of how here at home we think our happiness is in our "stuff". We think we have to be surrounded by our possessions. The children of the Children’s Village are happy to have food and shelter. Two lane roads serve as their "freeways". Mechanics come along to broken-down vehicles on a bicycle, with their tools on their backs. Every day, electricity and water is only available half the time. And yet, these are happy people. No one I met has a car. They walk to church, but the church was full at worship time. We ate with the children every day. They ate beans, rice, soup, chicken and tortillas every day, but it was good!
Mothers who can’t feed their children bring them to the orphanage and beg them to take their children, so they will be fed and clothed. These mothers come after working all day to visit their children at the orphanage, go to church with them, and mother them as best they can even though they can’t afford to keep their children with them. All of this, we take as our privilege, without considering what a privilege it is to be able to do so.
The House: You returned after 10 days there this November. What was Thanksgiving like for you this year?
Pat: This was the most thankful Thanksgiving I’ve ever experienced. When Jansey and I were introduced, she was so amazed that I came to see her that she cried. I had told her I would make the trip, but she was still touched that I was really there.
While I was there, Nora, 13, another of the teenagers there, asked if she could sing for me. She sang, "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord," and she meant it! She has inspired me to see people through the spiritual eyes of my heart, through God’s eyes.
The House: What was the greatest reward to your faith walk from the trip?
Pat: To see the work the Lord is doing. My team had the joy of leading a 13-year-old to know Him while I was there. I got to take part in his Kingdom while here on earth. We should be excited about what we get to do to participate with God in what he is doing while we’re here.
I’m convinced these children who are being saved from starvation and death have been saved for a special purpose the Lord has in mind for them. Their faith will be strong because of their struggle to survive. It’s a privilege to get to be part of ministry at this time in my life.
In two years I lost my mother, my husband, a son, 12, and a step-son, 32. This invitation to go to Honduras and meet Jensy was in God’s timing. I had been through a lot of grief. This was like a gift from Him to bring me out of my grief and give me purpose and direction again.
The House: What would you say to the people of EHA who might be interested in having this kind of experience?
Pat: Get involved in this ministry, or another like it! Contact WWH2H at wwh2h.org to sponsor a child. Support the Byrom family in Sarajevo/Bosnia. Find out how you can help someone locally. Try to give your life away! You can’t out-give God! You will get back more than you can ever give away!
I am so grateful to the people at EHA who prayed for me. I specifically asked for prayers that I would be able to keep up physically with my team, not get sick, and have the energy to do what we went to do. It is a twelve-hour flight to get there. We stayed at the orphanage. We were with the children all day, and had meetings every night, the seven of us, to sort 18 duffel bags of gifts into packages for the children for Christmas. It was hard, but so worth it. ALL those prayers were answered in abundance! Thank you!
The House: And the future?
Pat: I’m already planning my next trip! In November, 2011, I’ll be going back to teach 12 high school girls to sew. This will be a skill they will be able to use well.
I’m so blessed to have this opportunity. God is so good to me. I can see other people as He would want me to, because He has opened the eyes of my heart.
