Thanksgiving

     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.