TRANSCRIPT

NATHAN JONES

This month, we get to head to Honduras to meet with Silvia Alvares who serves as the Director of Finances for Urban Promise Honduras.

My name is Nathan Jones and I want to thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Inspiring Stewards podcast.

Well, Silvia, thank you again for your time today. I’ve been looking forward to our conversation. So, let's just start. Tell us about your background, where are you from, your family growing up, that sort of thing.

SILVIA ALVARES

I am from Honduras. My family lived in a department called Comayagua, which is located in West Central Honduras. I was born there. But then, they moved to a city called Copán Ruinas, which is in the Western Honduras, near the Guatemalan border. So, most of my life I've been living here. So, it’s a very charming city.

I really enjoy being here. It's a town with friendly people and it's very small, so you know each other. And I have 69 years old dad. I have three older brothers and I have a lovely nine-year-old daughter. She's called Amaya.

And thank God, I had the opportunity to get on a scholarship many years ago. So, I lived in the U.S. for two years. I got an associate degree. And since my childhood, I've been volunteering and serving.

NATHAN

Perfect! Well, tell us about how you came to personal relationship with Jesus and the impact that had on your life.

SILVIA

Well, I was born in a Christian family. So, I feel blessed for that. And I also studied in a Christian school for my first years of school. And I met Jesus when I was in fourth grade. I remembered there was a devotional at my school and I realized that I needed Jesus and the Holy Spirit moved, and I accepted Jesus and I started serving. I was baptized in my teenager years.

Yeah, most of the time I've been serving. But there was a time where I was just starting like high school that my mom got sick. At that time, we were very happy and my mom was a very strong woman that served church and served others. She was very kind and very generous.

My parents teach me how to be generous and tried to share with others, even though we had low income, but it doesn't matter for them. So, we were a happy family. But my mom started to feel sick, and then she was sick for about 10 years. And that's where I got kind of mad at Jesus because I felt like, “Okay, we are your child, but why is this happening to us?”

So, I kind of disconnected from God at that time. I was young. I was immature. And I thought that God didn't love me and didn't love our family because after many years of service and helping others and trying to do as much good as we were able to, we got this!

Everything at home seemed like falling apart because of my mom’s sickness. And I got just mad. I started to complain and saying, “Okay, Lord, why is this happening to us?” So, I kind of disconnected and I lost my relationship with God, and I started to doing things that I’m not proud of.

I kind of focused on working instead of serving God and I was kind of a workaholic at that time. But there was a point where I already have my daughter, she was around three years or so. And I started to realize that I was doing so wrong in my life. I didn't know what I was doing.

And just God touched to my heart again and I remember one day saying like, “Okay, God, if you exist and if I am your child, do something with me. I don't know what I'm doing, and I don't want to live in this way.”

And at that time, I was working in another place. And I got a message from former coworker and he told me like, “Hey, Silvia, this ministry is looking for an administrator. Maybe you can apply because this job is meant for you.” So, that was God's answer.

And after that, I realized how our God has His ways and sometimes our human mind doesn't understand the things, the path that God puts to us. And I got the answer and I kind of connected again with God. I felt His mercy.

Yeah, it was a very difficult time back then. My mom passed away. After that, I realized that I can’t complain with God. Everything that He does is for a reason. And that's my relationship with God. Now, I feel very connected to Him.

After that, I started to go again to my childhood church. And now, I serve in different ministry. I teach Sunday school for teenagers 15 to 18 years. So sometimes, I think that every experience that we go through in our lives can serve others as an experience, as an example.

And now, I am happy to be a worker and telling other youth that maybe they are going through some struggles in their life, but God is there for them.

And I also serve in different activities at church. Sometimes I help with some events and some small groups. And I am very involved and I am very connected with God again. So, I can feel His mercy, His love.

NATHAN 

That’s great! Thank you for sharing. You’ve started to share a little bit about your ministry today. Tell us about your work and the ways that God has you involved in His kingdom today.

SILVIA

Yeah, as I was mentioning, I got this opportunity with this ministry. It’s called Urban Promise Honduras. I’m in the finance area. And now, I serve through trying to be good steward for the ministry and to the resources that God has given us to serve kids and youth to be very well managed, to be found as an approved worker like the Bible says.

So, I serve here with many other people. I really love this ministry because I found a family. This ministry was a tool for my spiritual life, as I mentioned. When I was lost, God bring me to this ministry. It's a Christian faith-based ministry. So, I try to serve through the finance area. And I try to teach other and to advice other to be good stewards of the resources that God has given us.

We also have a new program. Somehow, we have expanded our ministry to Latin America. We have a one-year fellowship program that is called UPCEL. So, we have some youth and some leaders around Latin America that come to Honduras for one year and they get our model and the way we work with our kids, with our youths, our ministry, our resources. And then after that, they get back to their countries and start something similar for their children, their people.

So, I love being here. And I am very blessed to work in this ministry. And as I said before, I also help a church with the ministry with the Sunday school and I also volunteer at the public library.

I've always loved books and reading. I really love reading. So, I am also involved in the public library trying to help a little bit in reading awareness since our culture, you know, people don't like reading so much.

NATHAN

That’s good! So, two quick questions on your work side. How big of a geographic area do you draw from? Is it Central America, all of South America? And then, what age ranges are typically coming for that a year-long program?

SILVIA

Yeah, for now, we have ministries in Colombia and Mexico and two other affiliates here in Honduras. So, mostly that's what we have now. And the years: it's leaders around 25 years.

NATHAN

Wonderful! Well, this is being the Inspiring Stewards podcast. Tell us, you started to hint a little bit about the role that stewardship plays in your life. But how are you seeing the principles of stewardship play out and how God has you involved in all these different roles?

SILVIA

Well, for me, stewardship is really important. As I said previously, I applied to my job so we can be found as an approved worker as the Bible says, especially in countries like Honduras where corruption is very high.

We as Christians have to model the Bible's principles to teach other how to be stewards in the resources that God has provided us with. And that's why Biblical principles of stewardship are really important. And that's why I try to be teaching others and applying this because it's important. Sometimes, we don't realize and we always say, “They are my resources” or “I got this” but it's not ours. It's our Lord's mercy that provides us.

So, day to today I try to be aware. The resources that we have, it's not just for us but to bless others. And we have Lord that loves order, right? Everything that you find in the Bible shows order: people being organized, following standards. So, there are clear directions in the Bible that you can follow because that's why God wants us to do it.

So, it's important that we realize that. Unfortunately, many ministries don't follow them. And that's why some people don't trust Christians even because the corruption and all that stuff. But as the Bible says, we're the light of the world. So, we should do something to model, to teach, and to shine that light to others.

NATHAN

Wonderful! Well, this next question gives you a chance just to kind of share how you're seeing God at work at the world around you. So, whether that's locally or certainly connected with a few different countries to your work. How are you seeing God at work uniquely in this time in history?

SILVIA

Well, I can see God everywhere. I can see God in our children's smile, in His provision. Because even though sometimes we have hard times, you know, like the pandemic some years ago and we had, you know, many things go on around us. I can see Him in His provision, in His mercy. And sometimes, we don't even deserve everything, every little blessing that God gives us.

But that's the most amazing thing that we can feel His love around us in just every little thing that is around us, like in a smile from other people, in the mountains, in the sky. So, everywhere we can see, we can feel God's love if we pay attention because sometimes that happen that we are so busy in our daily activities that we don't even pay attention what's going on around us. 

Yeah, I can see God everywhere. He makes a connection. It's wonderful how everyone is a small piece. But as I learned in one GTP online course: each one matters, and each one is a piece of the big puzzle that God has.

So, sometimes we don't appreciate just these small things that are around us and it's just because of God's mercy. It's not just because we are important. We are important to God, of course, but it's just for His mercy.

NATHAN

That's wonderful. Amen. Well, any final thoughts you have for those listening today?

SILVIA

Well, I feel very honored. And I just want to encourage everyone just to keep going. Sometimes, life, it’s not easy. Sometimes, life isn't as we expected because sometimes we ask God for an answer, and we get the answer and that's not quite we think was going to be, right?

God has His ways. We need just to trust Him and to understand that everything that He does, it's for a reason, and it's because He loves us.

So, I just want to encourage everyone. Maybe if someone is going through difficult time in any area. It can be for family, for financial things, or for anything. Just remember that God is with you in no matter what is happening.

I just want to encourage everyone just trust Him. Trust God and remember that He is with you, and you don't have to be mad with Him. He's taking care of you.

NATHAN

That's good. Such an encouragement to so many. Silvia, thank you so much for your time today.

SILVIA

You're welcome. Thank you, Nathan