Last night we had our Friday night small group. One of our regulars is a member of the church we attend. His mother and grandfather came to our study. That doesn't seem so strange or unusual to most of you but here in Honduras, it is. My Spanish still leaves a lot to be desired so I'm not positive that I got everything right but if I did I understood the grandfather to say that he hadn't seen his daughter in eleven years. He said he hadn't seen Selvin since he was six. Selvin is now married, has a son three years old and another child on the way. He and Yulie (pronounced Julie) are legally married and attend our Saturday night group of newlyweds.
The reason this is so strange is because it is common as houseflies here. A man starts a family, stays with them for a few years and then finds someone else and starts another - often trading time between them. One family may or may not know about the other until years later. Most worldly men would probably think this is a pretty good deal except for the expense. It isn't God's way. I know a lot of people don't think God knew what he was talking about when He laid down the rules about one man, one woman until death do us part but after seeing the torn up families here in Honduras it is clear that God knows best. (Not that things are much better in the rest of the world).
Our goal as we work on our project Building Strong Families is to change this culture of thinking. It will be better for the couple, the children, the church and the community. May God help us.
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