Hola amigos! I hope this update finds you well! Our crazy
summer here has come to an end. After 4 missions to the mountains, tons of
visiting missionaries, 2 weddings, and a community retreat, things are
beginning to slow down.
Mentioning visiting missionaries, we had 2 very special ones
come to visit at the end of July…my parents! It was such a joy to have them
here and to show them my life in Honduras. Instead of going the touristy route,
they were able to come to the mountains and help us on a mission!! They were
totally awesome with the kids, playing with them and teaching them English. And
twice they gave a testimony about their marriage and our family, and how God
has blessed it so much since they have always tried to keep Him in the center.
I got to translate their talk, and it was so cool to be part of that and to
work together as a family to be a witness of love to others.
After their 5 days here in Honduras, we packed up and
traveled together to Bogota, Colombia for the wedding of Natalia, a good friend
with whom I studied in Rome. Another crazy adventure (there’s always
something!): As I was in the airport in Honduras, about to leave, a woman
approaches me and says, “Excuse me, are you Mr. Crowley?” “Yes.” “Have you had
your yellow fever vaccine?” “Uhhh…no, I don’t think so.” “I’m very sorry, but
we won’t be able to allow you on this fight.” Whattttttt?!?! She went on to
explain that, in order to enter back in to Honduras from Colombia, one needs to
have had a vaccine for yellow fever. So I asked her if she would let me on the plane
if I promised to get the vaccine right when I got there. She said it was still
impossible, because the incubation period of the vaccine is 10 days, and I was
only going to be spending 5 days in Colombia. “Ok, well if I get the vaccine
when I get there, and then change my flight to come back after 10 days, will
you let me on the plane!?” She agreed, and called through to security to let me
on. Ah!
Long story short, I was able to get the vaccine once I got
to Colombia (after much hassle!), and enjoyed an amazing time with great
friends. We visited a Cathedral made completely out of salt in a mine 1mile
below the earth; spent hours dancing on a party bus that drove throughout the
city; had lunch at Natalia’s uncle’s house on a lake; visited a shrine to the
Virgin Mary in the mountains overlooking the city; and of course there was the
wedding! The wedding was in a tiny and very beautiful chapel. I got to help do
the music, so we were in the balcony in the back; perfect view! It was an honor
to get to help (try to) bring beauty to the Mass through the music. The priest
was hilarious, and was cracking jokes throughout the whole ceremony! And
finally, they were married! We went to an incredibly beautiful place (I think
it was an old monastery) outside the city to celebrate the occasion!! Let’s
just say that Latinos really know how to throw a party! So much dancing and
craziness for hours on end :)
As it all came to an end, I figured that I should try to get
on my flight back to Honduras, even though it had only been 3 days since I had
received my vaccine. So I went with my parents to the airport, and it almost
looked like they were going to let me on without a hassle. But at the last
moment, the lady noticed that I needed a shot. I gave her my paper that proved
I had received it, and was praying so hard that she wouldn’t see the date on
it. But, she did. “I’m sorry, but it’s impossible for us to let you on this
flight, etc etc.” My parents and I were all praying, and then suddenly the
woman randomly asked me if I was a resident of Honduras. Do I look like a
resident of Honduras?? It was so random that she asked that! But in fact, by
God’s Providence, after more than 5 months of application, 8 trips to the
capital city, and a ton of headache, I received my residency 1 DAY before my
parents arrived in Honduras!! So I gave the woman my residency card, not
thinking it would make any difference. Well, she took my residency card, asked
all her little colleagues if it was actually a legit card, then typed some
stuff in the computer and handed me my board pass. What?! I didn’t want to ask
too many questions, but I was like, “Soooo, everything is fine now? I can go?”
I couldn’t believe it was true! It shouldn’t make ANY difference that I’m a
resident…as if that magically makes me immune to bringing yellow fever back in
to Honduras!! But when my parents and I were praying, I could feel God’s
presence so much, and I think He just worked everything out and kind of “broke
the rules” for me. Woo hoo!
So now I’m back in Honduras, hopefully yellow fever free! I
feel pretty good, so I think that’s a good sign. We just finished up our annual
community retreat that the mission does each year after summer craziness. A
generous family donated us their house near the beach, so we went there for our
retreat. The focus of the retreat was on Pope Francis’ new Encyclical (aka like
a “letter” he writes to the whole Church), called Lumen Fidei, The Light of Faith. Here are a few short reflections
from Pope Francis (in quotes), with some of my own personal thoughts after:
-“Those who believe, see.” --- God doesn’t think like we do.
We want to see in order to believe. He wants us to believe in order to see.
That takes a lot of humility and trust…the very virtures that God wants us to
have!
-“Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who
calls us and reveals his love. Transformed by this love, we gain fresh vision,
new eyes to see.” --- Faith is not just something passed down to us by our
parents. It is a real MEETING with God. When we experience this meeting, we see
all things differently. If you’ve never truly experienced God before in your
life, ASK HIM! He wants us to ask Him, and He wants to reveal Himself to us!
-“Faith ‘sees’ to the extent that it journeys.” --- If we
never leave our comfort zone, our faith will never grow. We really need to
stretch it and trust God in the big things in order to see Him more clearly.
-“Life is not the product of non-being or chance, but the
fruit of a personal call and a personal love.” --- You, the person reading this
right now, exist in this moment because God Loves you! If He stopped loving
your or thinking about you for one instant, you would disappear! Our life is
not an accident; we are who we are, in this exact moment in history, in our
exact family…because God knows exactly what we need, and He put us here in
love.
-“Believing means entrusting oneself to a merciful love
which always accepts and pardons, which sustains and directs our lives, and
which shows its power by its ability to make straight the crooked lines of our
history.” --- No explanation needed.
I’m going to continue to include a few reflections from Lumen Fidei in my next few blog posts…so
stay tuned! Or you can read the whole Encyclical for yourself at: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20130629_enciclica-lumen-fidei_en.html
I’ll try to write again soon, hopefully sooner than later!
God bless!
Eric
