Saturday, November 23, 2013

Little Steps


Hola!
          
        This past week, some of the guys and I traveled 4 hours to an area of Honduras called Florida. There, we visited two villages, meeting with the leaders of the communities in order to plan two different missions we will be doing in December. In one of these villages, the people were excited to take us to a “touristic” spot close by. So we went with them on a tiny path through the woods, up and up. Eventually we came to the peak of the mountain, and understood why the people wanted to bring us there…the view was incredible! You could see all the way to the border of El Salvador, marked by a massive volcano and a huge lake surrounded by mountains. Closer in, the mountainous terrain was scattered with bunches of little white adobe houses. Beautiful!

            But I’m not recounting this just to talk about the view. Two things really struck me about this experience. First – the people who brought us up to this spot kept telling us beforehand: “Hay una vista del mar!” (There’s a view of the sea!). I was confused about what they meant, because I knew that we weren’t close to the coast. But when we got there and saw the huge lake in the distance, I realized: these people think that lake is the sea! There was something so beautiful about this mistaken supposition. This lake is very far away, all the way in El Salvador; and these people and their ancestors have probably lived in this same village without electricity for centuries – they probably just always assumed it was the ocean, because they would have no reason to think otherwise! How cool is that?!

            Second – from this vantage point, I could also see another village named Guanacaste that I did a mission in last December, wayyyyy out in the distance. Just one year ago, I was there in Guanacaste, waking up in the early morning and watching the sun rise over the surrounding mountains. Now, one year later, I was standing on one of the very mountains I marveled at last year. It was truly like looking back in time – remembering where I was one year ago, who I was one year ago, as compared to now. It was like I could see everything that has happened in this past year, and all that has brought me to where I am at right now in my life – all in an instant. I was, both literally and figuratively, seeing things “from above.” God loves to bring things full circle!

            Another recent highlight: One of our ministries in the mission is to visit the homes of different families who have handicapped children, doing physical therapy exercises with them in order to strengthen them and help them to learn motor skills. I have the privilege of getting to serve 2 of these kids. One is name Cristian, and he is 18 years old. He was born with problems in both legs and one arm. As a child, he was able to walk a little bit with the help of braces, but as he grew older and the braces no longer fit, he sadly lost the ability to walk. Different missionaries have been doing physical therapy with him off and on over the past several years to help him to be as mobile as possible, but he still is confined to a wheelchair.

Helping Cristian to stand up
            This past week during our physical therapy session, Wendy, one of the Honduran missionaries, was trying to help Cristian stand with the help of a walker. He has been able to do that for some time now. All of a sudden she looked at him at asked: “Cristian, do you think you could take a few steps with the walker?” He seemed really unsure and a bit scared, but he said he would try. He began to slowly move one foot, and then drag the other one behind it, bit by bit……his first step! He then made two more steps, before we helped him back to his chair. He seemed honestly shocked and definitely pleased!! What a cool moment! It was even more amazing than getting to see a babies first steps, because a baby is supposed to take its first steps. You know that eventually, no matter how long it takes, the baby will get the hang of it. But with someone who is handicapped, you don’t always have that certainty. Many of the kids/teens we work with have lost any hope of ever walking again, even if it’s possible – mostly because they don’t have anyone to challenge them and to encourage them that it is possible. So getting to see these miraculous first steps brought hope both to Cristian and to us.

            Cristian was so tired after these 3 steps, he was sweating and had to take a break. Later in the day, after a lot of work and walking around, I almost began to complain about how tired I was --- and then I remembered Cristian, and I realized: how lucky that I even have the ability  to be tired after a long day of work! What a blessing that I have the gift to be able to work and serve and walk around! Sometimes we forget how absolutely incredible and truly miraculous those little gifts are. Just as Cristian’s first 3 steps are a miracle, so are my first 3 steps every morning… 

Pray for Honduras this weekend! Elections are tomorrow, and it's a very important election!
Peace in Christ,
Eric

Friday, November 1, 2013

God in the Little Things


Hello friends! I hope all is well with you! Things are great here in Honduras! Fall is in full swing, but the weather continues to remain quite hot! And as I recently posted on Facebook: “They were playing American Christmas music in the grocery store in Honduras yesterday, and they already had lights and decorations up all over the store. On Halloween. In Honduras. What is happening...”

A few thoughts/experiences from the past few weeks:

We work so hard to accomplish so many things. How often do we truly work hard to love other people? It’s the most important work of all, but we so often neglect it! Let me start today.


Two beautiful events have happened recently in my life.
The first: About 2 weeks ago, some of the missionaries and I picked up Cristian - a 17 year old boy who was born with a disability and is unable to walk – and took him to San Benito (a free clinic/hospital run by the Franciscan Friars). About every 6-8 weeks there is a medical brigade in San Benito, where doctors/nurses from the US come down for a week to do consults, surgeries, etc. Cristian has received at least 5 surgeries in the past, so we were taking him for a check up, and to see if there is anything else that could possibly be done for him.
When we walked in the front doors, it was literally like a neighborhood party in the waiting room! There were probably about 15 people inside, and I knew every single person. There was Noe (who I’ve written about before), a boy who was shot 4 years ago and is paralyzed. There was Reina, a girl who was also shot in a drive-by, and is paralyzed. There was Jenny, a friend of the mission, who needed a knee surgery. Some other people from the neighborhood and some of the friars were there too. It was beautiful! Beautiful to be all together; beautiful to have the hope that the brigades bring; beautiful to have Cristian and Reina and Noe all together – 3 young people in wheelchairs, who understand each other; beautiful to see how I’ve gotten to know people throughout my year down here; beautiful to see how our work, although small, touches lives. There was so much JOY in the hospital – not a place usually associated much with joy. I felt God so much.

The second: Also about 2 weeks ago, Honduras won their spot in next years World Cup. It is only the third time that they’ve qualified, and it is a huge deal here!! The next day, a bunch of schools and businesses were closed, and all the fast-food places were giving away free food! It was a national holiday!!
Every Wednesday I go to the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s sisters) to hang out with the old men (they’ve been abandoned by their families) or to help the kids that live there. When we arrived, one of the sisters informed me that we would be taking all the kids to Burger King to get free burgers! They were beyond excited – all 20 of them dressed up in their Honduras jerseys and jumping for joy to get to go to Burger King. What a joyous walk there; all of these kids – orphans, and infected with HIV – chanting “Honduras! Honduras!”, while the cars going by honked at this crazy crowd.
We got there, and all the kids got crowns and ran to play in the play-place. It was for me like a glimpse of heaven. In that moment, it didn’t matter that those kids lacked parents, or that they have HIV – they were just kids, playing together and full of joy. Kids are all the same, no matter their social status or where they’re from. Us adults are too --- we just forget it sometimes. Isn’t that what Jesus came to remind us of? Our Father….

These two experiences: one, a hospital filled with joy, the other, children playing and filled with joy. God revealing His face to us in the little things. Sometimes we don’t look hard enough for God. He’s here! Other times, we look too hard…He’s not just in huge events or obvious miracles. Where there is peace and true joy, there is God.

One quick prayer intention: 

One of my homeless friends in La Ceiba, Julia, just found out that she is pregnant. Her boyfriend is also homeless, and this is their first child. We are going to try to make sure she gets the care she needs, but still.....life on the streets here is very difficult and dangerous. So if you could pray for Julia and her baby, that would be amazing! Gracias amigos! :)

Finally, continuing the reflections from Pope Francis’ Encyclical Lumen Fidei:

-“Those who have opened their hearts to God’s love, heard his voice and received his light, cannot keep this gift to themselves…The light of Christ shines, as in a mirror, upon the face of Christians. We too can share in that vision and reflect that light to others.” – Let the light of hope shine on your face! What a gift and a responsibility in a world so often robbed of hope!

-“Through love we learn how to see reality through the eyes of others.”

-“Faith teaches us to see that every man and woman represents a blessing for me, that the light of God’s face shines on me through the faces of my brothers and sisters.” – Let’s come to see others not as an obstacle or a problem, but as a gift. Let us try to see God in each one.

-“Let us refuse to be robbed of hope.” – Amen! :D

Peace to you all!
Eric