A Father's Love

He has marked my life and that of many here in Honduras, he is my father Juan Bautista Rodas. He is a pastor of a Presbyterian church in Honduras.

Juan Bautista Rodas (left) with his son Alex Rodas (right), In-Country Technician for Living Waters for the World in Honduras

When you are little it is difficult to understand the blessing you have of being the pastor's son, because you feel that many people want to take away the time that your father should give you or the pressure of the congregation that wants to see you as a mini-pastor. For a long time I did not understand that part of the ministry, we just wanted our father at home.

God helped me understand the enormous work my father has done, from helping others economically to building churches in communities where it was almost impossible to reach.

Many people suggest to me that I am a pastor, but my answer is always no. They ask "why?" My answer is: only the pastor's family knows how the pastor loves his congregation and what he suffers for his church.

For years I accompanied my father to visits to churches across the country to teach theology, leadership, and in many cases to solve problems. There were church visits where you have to walk sometimes for more than 4 hours under the sun or in the rain.

On one occasion he traveled alone to a community to give a seminar about 2 hours from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He was driving his vehicle and somehow a scorpion got into his pants and stung his leg three times. He did not stop driving until he reached his destination. He very quietly called me on the phone and told me to come, because he could not drive. I found him sitting, trembling with a fever and unable to walk, but with a big smile giving the seminar for which he had made the trip. I told him we needed to go, and he told me, "I have to finish what I started. These brothers of this church have been waiting for me, and a scorpion will not stop the mission that God has entrusted to me." I was worried about my father, but at that moment I understood that the commitment my dad has for the church is enormous.

I am 35 years old, I am married and I have three children, and my father still calls me and scolds me if I arrive after 9 p.m. to my house. His love for us is incomparable.