On the Radar
Wed Dec 23 15:59:28 MST 2009
Who are You?
While I was in Honduras, at a meeting, a lawyer came up to me and began talking to me... I’ve seen him before but wasn't formally introduced to him. He spoke English well and was good friends with a business man I meet with whenever I'm in Honduras. We had a casual conversation; he was friendly and it went well.
Later that same day, I was talking to this business man (who is also a good friend) and he had a very concerned look on his face. I asked him about the look on his face, he told me he had spoken with the lawyer I talked to earlier, and the lawyer told him all the details about a time I was robbed in Honduras. The knowledge of the robbery and the details the lawyer shared were very disturbing information to him.
Specifically, that one of the workers at a hotel had a family member abducted and was forced to mess with the security tape so that it would be too grainy to identify the person who broke into my room. I was taken back ... at the time of the robbery, Interpol handled the situation and I wasn’t aware about any lawyers being involved. I was advised by Interpol (and agreed with Interpol) not to pursue prosecution against the hotel. I made this decision because I was made aware of the abduction. Interpol shared that it was gang related and the gang was letting me know they could "get to me".
You can see how this information would be upsetting to this business man. But what I want to convey to you and what I am wondering is... “how in the world did this lawyer get this detailed information? And why would this lawyer make no mention of his knowledge to me, but fill in this business man? " Towards the end of the evening, he asked me, “Who are you?” Now I am disturbed because this business man who has become my good friend, has known me for years.
The simple answer is that I am a servant. One that God has called to serve Honduras in many different ways. Over the years, I have been involved with good people and very evil people. God has allowed me to be with individuals at some of the highest levels in this country - down to the lowest people and everyone in between. Therefore, when serving in this capacity and people are observing me, it would be easy to come to the conclusion that I’m either not what I said I am, or that I am a lot of different things. But when you push everything aside, I’m just a servant who’s involved in many complicated situations. Situations and things that are very important to Honduras.
Fri Nov 13 17:12:53 MST 2009
Soccer’s big in Honduras. I mean BIG! It was USA vs Honduras and the city was about to explode...
So, here comes the big game. Honduras needs this win even if it’s just for a little relief from the reality they live in. There’s no doubt they love the game but their love for the game is drowned out by the oppression they live under, the violence that is out of control, the corruption in their country and the poverty. They suffer at a level that’s right on the line of intolerable.
"When the excitement of the game, love of a sport, and oppression of a people combine together, it looks like they’re crazy for soccer - but in a crude therapeutic way they’re releasing anger, hopelessness, and fear, but in a dangerous way".
I bought the official Honduran soccer shirt and wore it that day. Several people were very suspicious thinking I was pretending to root for Honduras but really wanting USA to win. (I really didn’t care, I’m not a soccer fan). I was asked several times to lift up my shirt to see if I had a USA shirt underneath. And they were serious when they asked!
At the end of the game, Honduras lost. The game was so out of control and dangerous it was almost like a prison break. People in stands and people on the streets went through a gamut of emotions: excitement, depression, anger, and uncontrollable outbursts of frustration. Disappointment and even depression set in quickly. I found myself surrounded by about 60 people. Before the game started, they were all smiles and shaking my hand. After the game started, I was no longer one of them….
Monday Sept 21st 2009
Jump In - Strap On - and Take Off.
You’ve had time to get to know me and this ministry organization, now it’s time to start taking you further into the sex slave trade and corruption; from top authorities, from some of the richest people in Honduras, all the way down to police officers and the average drug addict. This country is run by corruption which is the biggest contributor to raw violence that exists, whether in the city, mountains, or beaches. There is a saying in Honduras “everybody is corrupt to some degree”. But the flip side of that coin is that people are hungry for truth, hungry for righteousness. (They are in need of something to save them from the hardships of poverty and the money-lined pockets of the corrupt). As you know God has opened many doors for me in Honduras from the poorest of people, to congress, to being involved with the military police. And I can tell you this-its gonna take a lot more than me to last in this ministry. It has a way of sucking me dry of anything good-of any good intentions. Thank God He is the living water that I can drink from by believing in His Son Jesus Christ, by faith! That Water will fill you and me even in the darkest and most corrupt places on earth. If you and I look, the living water can be found.
I have a trip coming up here in the next 2 weeks, On this trip I will be dealing with all 3 of our ministries (TBLM, Phx Ops, and Scales of Justice). I will be working with the police, with kids that are trafficked, and with the top officials in this country. When I get back, the next blog will inform you more deeply. Well, I was told that blogs are supposed to be short. That’s tough for me because I have so much to say about darkness and Light. If you continue to be faithful and follow me to these places I will try in Honduras to be faithful to give you information on the darkness and on the True Light of Christ. You can form your opinions from there. Anyway you look at it, its gonna be a pretty fun ride and have all the twists, turns and drop offs of any good roller coaster. So Jump In – Strap On – and Take Off.
You can reach Pastor Ken Hodgeson at tblministries@aol.com
The hardest part of this blog is the opening statement.
Good afternoon to all those of you that are already familiar with TBLM, our ministry to the country of Honduras, and to Latin America. I’d like to welcome anyone who is reading this and invite you to check out this website. I can almost guarantee that you’re going like what you see. It’s going to move you one way or another, and either way it moves you, you will feel something. In our day and age of rush, with everything plastic and fake, it’s nice to feel something that is straight forward, is really happening and is affecting real lives. Who knows, maybe it will affect your life.
This ministry deals with subjects like sex, corruption, hopelessness, poverty, and a country that is bankrupt. You’ll read about bad people being murdered, you’ll read about good people being murdered. Unfortunately you will hear how little children are murdered, most for sexual reasons, others because they were in the way. You’ll hear things about our everyday lives here in the States. One of the coolest things you’ll hear is how God fits into all of it. I must say I’m just giving you the tip of the iceberg. If you’re wiling to go there, I’m willing.
Presently we have three basic ministries. The first is Thin Blue Line Ministries International. We work with the police and military and government in many different ways. Second is Phoenix Operation. We are opening an orphanage and it will be different in the sense that we are taking children that are rescued from the sex trafficking industry and providing an orphanage. (Just a note: there are 1000’s of kids that are trafficked, enslaved, every element of humanity is stripped from them so that someone can use them as a sex object for their temporary-and I mean very temporary-satisfaction.) The third is Scales of Justice, more on this one later.
Warning: if you get real involved in this blog it will have an affect on your life. It will grab your heart, it’ll change the way you see and hear things. It’ll make you mad, and then it will make you furious. It will take you down low and then, times of great victory! At the point when victory comes, you will be feeling into the life of a real child that has been rescued (and a lot that aren’t being rescued). The victory will be a powerful explosion of emotions surging through your body. Most people never get to experience that kind of emotion, but most people aren’t willing to go through the pain, sorrow, frustration, furiousness and the sickness of mankind to reach a joy and victory that can only be explained in a supernatural way.
This is where it gets real crazy. Jesus Christ who is alive is right in the mix of everything. If you get in the mix, your gonna have to mix it up with Him too. The good news about that is, He’d love to mix it up with you! And so would I. I hope you enjoy this blog and that it will help you grow to a level that surpasses anything you ever thought or felt or seen because you were willing to take the chance to step inside this blog and mix it up.
See you on the flip side.
You can reach Pastor Ken Hodgeson at tblministries@aol.com