Wednesday afternoon and I am nearly finished packing. It is with heavy heart that I pack to leave the wonderful people of Honduras.
I have been given the extraordinary gift of not one but 3 very special going away celebrations! Clearly far more than I deserve, and am most humbled and honored by everyone's special outpouring of love and encouragement. Many Bible verses have been quoted on the value of friendship, many songs have been sung by staff, teachers, and children about love and friendship. Today at El Cordero the tiniest of the nursery folk sang "Jesus Loves Me" mostly in English! Each grade level had a special presentation they had been working on. Then I was presented with two beautifully engraved plaques, one mostly appropriately dedicated to Holy Family, without whose help and support I could never have had the pleasure of serving here for the past three months. It is through their generosity that I have been able to buy and demonstrate many teacher resource materials. The church members and my friends have diligently watched my house, cat, car and property while I have been away. I've had the pleasure of seeing the eyes of both the teachers and the children light up with pleasure and delight when using many of the methods and materials I've introduced. That is my reward. To see their excitement in learning has been my great delight.
The care and love with which they have sent me off deserves a special mention. The teachers and staff made decorations, the children and teachers made hand made thank you cards and much attention was given in saying thank you in song and verse, hugs and cards, and, of course, a few tears along the way. I think we can learn from them not about gratitude, but about giving fully of oneself to someone else. The heart, the dedication, the toil, the time, and the sincerity of saying thank you and please come back is not to be taken lightly. I think we would all be better off by taking some significant time to tell each other just precisely how much we appreciate all the care and love that has gone into the work they do, whether it is family or co workers. I know that being the recipient of so much attention is not easy for me, but the feelings run deep and strong and I am most honored by that all that was said. And what else could I do but promise to return? Next time knowing more Spanish so I could be a bit more productive!
It is with heavy heart that I leave so many friends. The LAMB organization is my extended family now and I will pray for their safety and well being every day. Dilcia, the young woman who translated for me, told me that her brother has been shot at and attempts have been made on his life for his motorcycle. she has been robbed at knife point, and her family have been witnesses to murder in the streets. She lives in the poorest part of Tegucigalpa, and has lived with this violence for all her life. Yet she is intelligent to the point of having a scholarship to go to a college in Wisconsin for two years! She deserves the chance to finish college and make a better life for herself and her family. Maribel, the young woman I wrote about in an earlier blog, is still living in danger and poverty. Her future is very uncertain at this point. She made a surprise visit to Casa LAMB yesterday reselling some shoes she had acquired. At least she is trying to stay away from the drug culture she had once been a part of. The director of the school where I spent most of my time was asking for prayers for her husband. He has an engineering degree and had a job, but was fired 3 months ago and still has no prospects. Two of the teachers there have or will have new babies to try to support on the less than minimum wage they earn there. There are teacher strikes in the public schools that have been going on most of the three months I have been here. No resolution is in sight. Meanwhile, children are not being educated. I do not know what will happen to the family we took food to last weekend. They have enough food for a month or more, but then what? There is still so much to do, and so many people in dire need. Caring, loving, strong and gifted people who deserve more than the scraps they have been thrown.
With so much more to do, and so many opportunities to serve, how can I leave? How can I sleep in my spacious house and have so much and so many privileges? I do know I will be back and will serve again as long as I can. When the world was hurting and in so much pain Jesus came into the world. He didn't eradicate all sickness and poverty. For most of his ministry, he helped, one person at a time. That is my model. and I will serve one at a time for as long as I can.
miércoles, 13 de abril de 2011
domingo, 10 de abril de 2011
God Provides
Are you sure that miracles don't happen any more? I just had a front row seat in experiencing one.
Maria, a part of Suzy's extended family, is a Lencan Honduran. She has a little girl named Evelyn, who will soon be 3 years old. They live with Suzy and her girls. She comes from a tiny village in Lenca territory, called La Paz. A few days ago she was talking with Amanda and told her there was a famine in her family's area and people were starving. She has a 7 month old nephew who was getting weak from lack of food. Amanda was ready to go get food and take it to them. When she asked if I wanted to go along, I was all for that. We went to a super store, similar to a Sam's Club, or Costco, and bought about 250 pounds of staples-corn meal flour, called maseca, rice, red beans, baby formula powder, and several other staples. Saturday morning we loaded up the car and Mari, Maria, little Evelyn, Amanda and I were off.
Maria had told us vaguely that her family lives outside Marcala, in the La Paz Dept. of Honduras. La Paz is where the indigenous Lencas have lived for hundreds of years. We were ready, we thought for anything, but the goal was to deliver the food as quickly as possible. We drove to Marcala without incident. As we were eating lunch we tried to get clearer directions of where to go from there. Maria had been there many times, but only by bus, as she doesn't drive and doesn't have a car. So I can understand why her directions were hazy at best. What we couldn't get clear was how far from town it was and exactly how we would actually get to the house.from the town of Marcala. Well, Amanda went next door, to a gun shop no less, to ask for help to get the food delivered. No less than a Red Cross volunteer was working there and she volunteered another Red Cross volunteer to drive the food there in the Red Cross truck! His name is Israel and he was as helpful and cheerful a young man as you can imagine. He drove us and the food there-a journey we had thought might be a few minutes turned into an hour and a half on dirt roads. Maria suddenly called out stop! and we said where? It was in the middle of nothing visible but trees and hillsides. Israel stopped the truck and we looked for a house. Turns out the house we were looking for was down a steep ravine that dropped precariously in places. Undaunted, Israel put 100 pounds of maseca on his shoulders and scampered down the ravine (off the roadside and into the woods) and made 4 trips while Amanda, Mari, and I took a single tiny load cautiously down the hillside and into the house. Once there we noticed, without looking too carefully, there was not a scrap of anything resembling food to be found in the two room house. It was neat, but barren of anything edible. The journey up into the mountains had been considerably longer than we had anticipated, but the amazing thing is that we had no idea of how to get there, and yet God provided. Israel was exactly what we needed at the exact moment we needed it. He was strong and sure footed and an excellent driver. He was friendly and accommodating and happy to be useful. What a wonderful day it was. The best thing of all is that Maria's family got the food that was so needed. The baby desperately needed the formula we brought, as he was a seven month old the size of a small 3 month old. I don't think he could have weighed 12 pounds.and the others really needed that food. In all it had been about a 6 hour trip, one way, and worth every minute of it. Best of all is how people just came to our aid at the precise minute it was needed. We could never had taken all that food down steep hillside by ourselves. It was not a trip carefully orchestrated in advance down to the last the most minute detail. We just had a general idea of getting food to people in need. God showed the way in the guise of the Red Cross volunteers at the gun shop and Israel and the truck. We didn't and couldn't have planned it that way.
This is not the first time God has provided. I was not always so quick it recognize it as God's work. Many times in my life I could have easily been ineffective or even harmed by being too ignorant or naive in my actions. There have been times I didn't see the miracle of God sending me help when I needed it or that the someone who stepped in or "just happened" to be where I needed someone to be was God's work. I am glad God is teaching me to see with eyes of faith. Thanks be to God! Miracles do happen.. God does provide.
Maria, a part of Suzy's extended family, is a Lencan Honduran. She has a little girl named Evelyn, who will soon be 3 years old. They live with Suzy and her girls. She comes from a tiny village in Lenca territory, called La Paz. A few days ago she was talking with Amanda and told her there was a famine in her family's area and people were starving. She has a 7 month old nephew who was getting weak from lack of food. Amanda was ready to go get food and take it to them. When she asked if I wanted to go along, I was all for that. We went to a super store, similar to a Sam's Club, or Costco, and bought about 250 pounds of staples-corn meal flour, called maseca, rice, red beans, baby formula powder, and several other staples. Saturday morning we loaded up the car and Mari, Maria, little Evelyn, Amanda and I were off.
Maria had told us vaguely that her family lives outside Marcala, in the La Paz Dept. of Honduras. La Paz is where the indigenous Lencas have lived for hundreds of years. We were ready, we thought for anything, but the goal was to deliver the food as quickly as possible. We drove to Marcala without incident. As we were eating lunch we tried to get clearer directions of where to go from there. Maria had been there many times, but only by bus, as she doesn't drive and doesn't have a car. So I can understand why her directions were hazy at best. What we couldn't get clear was how far from town it was and exactly how we would actually get to the house.from the town of Marcala. Well, Amanda went next door, to a gun shop no less, to ask for help to get the food delivered. No less than a Red Cross volunteer was working there and she volunteered another Red Cross volunteer to drive the food there in the Red Cross truck! His name is Israel and he was as helpful and cheerful a young man as you can imagine. He drove us and the food there-a journey we had thought might be a few minutes turned into an hour and a half on dirt roads. Maria suddenly called out stop! and we said where? It was in the middle of nothing visible but trees and hillsides. Israel stopped the truck and we looked for a house. Turns out the house we were looking for was down a steep ravine that dropped precariously in places. Undaunted, Israel put 100 pounds of maseca on his shoulders and scampered down the ravine (off the roadside and into the woods) and made 4 trips while Amanda, Mari, and I took a single tiny load cautiously down the hillside and into the house. Once there we noticed, without looking too carefully, there was not a scrap of anything resembling food to be found in the two room house. It was neat, but barren of anything edible. The journey up into the mountains had been considerably longer than we had anticipated, but the amazing thing is that we had no idea of how to get there, and yet God provided. Israel was exactly what we needed at the exact moment we needed it. He was strong and sure footed and an excellent driver. He was friendly and accommodating and happy to be useful. What a wonderful day it was. The best thing of all is that Maria's family got the food that was so needed. The baby desperately needed the formula we brought, as he was a seven month old the size of a small 3 month old. I don't think he could have weighed 12 pounds.and the others really needed that food. In all it had been about a 6 hour trip, one way, and worth every minute of it. Best of all is how people just came to our aid at the precise minute it was needed. We could never had taken all that food down steep hillside by ourselves. It was not a trip carefully orchestrated in advance down to the last the most minute detail. We just had a general idea of getting food to people in need. God showed the way in the guise of the Red Cross volunteers at the gun shop and Israel and the truck. We didn't and couldn't have planned it that way.
This is not the first time God has provided. I was not always so quick it recognize it as God's work. Many times in my life I could have easily been ineffective or even harmed by being too ignorant or naive in my actions. There have been times I didn't see the miracle of God sending me help when I needed it or that the someone who stepped in or "just happened" to be where I needed someone to be was God's work. I am glad God is teaching me to see with eyes of faith. Thanks be to God! Miracles do happen.. God does provide.
martes, 5 de abril de 2011
Zip Lining
Last week Amanda and I headed off a much needed change of pace and setting. We chose Copan for its history and to see the marvelous ruins still being excavated. We also knew it was beautiful and a major attraction for many tourists. We saw many of those attractions, tropical birds, museums, and ate in fine restaurants. Despite nearly collapsing in the heat and humidity I thoroughly enjoyed our stay and was very glad we had chosen Copan.
One of our options during those few days was to do a "canopy tour." When I think of that term I immediately conjure pictures of a tropical rain forest just inches below the viewing area and a short and breezy flight over the tree tops. If you fall there are trees barely beneath your feet to break your fall, right? Not exactly! This was 14 courses of yards, meters, and miles (REALLY!) of cable stretched tautly between valleys and over a river! This was no granny or sissy site seeing event.
I now know why they call it zip lining. One zips along at break neck speed. To slow down one does the intuitive opposite by pulling down on the cable behind you to break. Before you go up to the top, you get outfitted with harness, cable, pulley, helmet and a very brief sample ride along a ten foot line that is pretty much horizontal. OK. Ready to go! I feel what it is like to be weightless for 2 seconds and think I can do this! After all, I used to enjoy roller coaster rides at Six Flags-even the completely 360 degree ones. Well, the whole trip was breath taking, and I let loose with some squeals and shrieks and enjoyed heart pounding views of the Honduran mountain area around Copan. The city and the ruins lay far beneath us. There was enough air between the cable and us and the trees for a small plane to fly through.
. I thought of my experiences on that zip line wondering what I can learn from them regarding my life. How does it relate or compare to my experiences here in Honduras? How does that inform my Christian life? Suzy has told of swinging out over the precipice for God. When there is a need, she does not first ask, can we do it? How will we pay for it? What will the cost be? What hurdles must be jumped to accomplish it? She says, where you lead, Lord, I will follow, and steps out in faith to do what God is calling her to do. Her work and the LAMB mission is testament to her faith and God's leadership. The lives saved and improved bear witness to God's love.
My own experience here is different, yet very instructive for me. I have been harnessed and helmeted in safety here, with guides to smooth the way through everything I have done or experienced here at Casa LAMB, in the schools, during shopping trips, running errands, even visiting Copan last week and riding that zip line and touring the ancient Mayan ruins. I have never felt threatened or endangered in the least. I knew that my harness was firmly buckled on and I was safe in God's hands. I felt the prayers of my fellow parishioners back home and new friends here and sheltering arms around my shoulders at every turn.
I think of Maribel and Fernando on their own again, trying to make it in a dangerous world, and
Francesca in her fragile home, robbed last week of her few possessions while staying in the hospital with her daughter. I think of the Mayan Chorti children in their village, and the beggars on the streets of Tegucigalpa. I think of the orphans and trafficked young girls locked away in misery and exploitation. Where is their safety harness as they swing through the air with no solid ground under their feet? Where is their shield and their helmet? Where is their support? Do they know there is a loving God who cares and wants them safe in His arms? Where is their guide? We each have a part to play in this work. Knowing that our safety harness is firmly buckled on in the arms of God's love, can we do less than step out in faith?
One of our options during those few days was to do a "canopy tour." When I think of that term I immediately conjure pictures of a tropical rain forest just inches below the viewing area and a short and breezy flight over the tree tops. If you fall there are trees barely beneath your feet to break your fall, right? Not exactly! This was 14 courses of yards, meters, and miles (REALLY!) of cable stretched tautly between valleys and over a river! This was no granny or sissy site seeing event.
I now know why they call it zip lining. One zips along at break neck speed. To slow down one does the intuitive opposite by pulling down on the cable behind you to break. Before you go up to the top, you get outfitted with harness, cable, pulley, helmet and a very brief sample ride along a ten foot line that is pretty much horizontal. OK. Ready to go! I feel what it is like to be weightless for 2 seconds and think I can do this! After all, I used to enjoy roller coaster rides at Six Flags-even the completely 360 degree ones. Well, the whole trip was breath taking, and I let loose with some squeals and shrieks and enjoyed heart pounding views of the Honduran mountain area around Copan. The city and the ruins lay far beneath us. There was enough air between the cable and us and the trees for a small plane to fly through.
. I thought of my experiences on that zip line wondering what I can learn from them regarding my life. How does it relate or compare to my experiences here in Honduras? How does that inform my Christian life? Suzy has told of swinging out over the precipice for God. When there is a need, she does not first ask, can we do it? How will we pay for it? What will the cost be? What hurdles must be jumped to accomplish it? She says, where you lead, Lord, I will follow, and steps out in faith to do what God is calling her to do. Her work and the LAMB mission is testament to her faith and God's leadership. The lives saved and improved bear witness to God's love.
My own experience here is different, yet very instructive for me. I have been harnessed and helmeted in safety here, with guides to smooth the way through everything I have done or experienced here at Casa LAMB, in the schools, during shopping trips, running errands, even visiting Copan last week and riding that zip line and touring the ancient Mayan ruins. I have never felt threatened or endangered in the least. I knew that my harness was firmly buckled on and I was safe in God's hands. I felt the prayers of my fellow parishioners back home and new friends here and sheltering arms around my shoulders at every turn.
I think of Maribel and Fernando on their own again, trying to make it in a dangerous world, and
Francesca in her fragile home, robbed last week of her few possessions while staying in the hospital with her daughter. I think of the Mayan Chorti children in their village, and the beggars on the streets of Tegucigalpa. I think of the orphans and trafficked young girls locked away in misery and exploitation. Where is their safety harness as they swing through the air with no solid ground under their feet? Where is their shield and their helmet? Where is their support? Do they know there is a loving God who cares and wants them safe in His arms? Where is their guide? We each have a part to play in this work. Knowing that our safety harness is firmly buckled on in the arms of God's love, can we do less than step out in faith?
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