Im Back!

Hello again!

Well, it sure has been quite awhile since I´ve written anything! But the fact that I´m writing anything at all shows one thing…I decided to come back to continue serving in Honduras! My first 4 months here were kind of an introduction, at the end of which I had to decide if God is calling me to continue to serve here. And well…He made it pretty clear that He wants me here! So, here I am!

I got to spend one beautiful month at home with my family. It was so strange to return back to the States. Landing in the huge Atlanta airport was definitely a change from the airport in the capital city of Honduras, which has one runway. Once on the ground, I sprinted to the nearest cheeseburger I could get my hands on. Then I bought a nutella crepe. Then some chocolate peanut butter fudge. I had lost 12 pounds, and was on a mission to gain it back!

At first it was really hard for me to try to enter back in to my ¨normal life¨ back home. I´m so used to living so simply, and serving people who really don´t have any ¨extras¨ in life. The first time I walked in to my bathroom and felt the plush carpets under my feet, I literally felt like a king. Something so small that I would have taken for granted before. The day after I got home, I went with my mom to Kohl´s to pick up some things. I was SO shocked when I walked in…everything seemed so beautiful and perfect. I was literally overwhelmed. I walked up every aisle, just staring at everything with wide eyes. And it was Kohl´s, it´s not like it was Dolce and Gabana!!

But the thing that surprised me the most was actually how quickly I got used to everything again. After a week or so, I started to take hot showers, my computer, eating out at restaurants, etc, as ¨normal¨ again. I went to Kohl´s again, and didn´t think anything of it…just walked in and got what I needed.

But I did try to live what I had learned in Honduras…taking life more slowly, taking more time in silence to spend time with God, etc. I also got the opportunity to share my experiences with the middle school religious education classes at St. Kilian´s School and at Sts. John and Paul church. It was an awesome privilege to show these kids a different part of the world and to show them how ALL OF US, each and every one, are called to be missionaries, witnesses to God´s Love in the world.

I enjoyed home so much! Christmas and New Year were beautiful, with much family, food, and a 7 hour game of Uno (long story…)! With the help of Mom´s cooking, I gained back my lost weight…such a sacrifice! I was sad to say goodbye, but excited to return to Honduras to continue to serve God. It´s true, life at home is easier and more comfortable, but God wants me here. So in the end, this place, right here in Comayagua,  is where I can become happy – where I can give of myself, help others, learn to love. So it is all worth it!

But before heading back to the mission, I had the amazing blessing to visit my friend Adela in Nicaragua. I studied with her in Rome at the Emmanuel School of Mission for a year, and I hadn´t seen her since! It was a beautiful thing to be reunited once more! We got to climb a volcano, hike through the jungle, and visit a lake with 365 islands. Also, she was in charge of a big retreat for young people, so I got to help her with that for 4 days. As always, I thought I would get to enjoy the retreat and help out with little things…..but God had other plans! I ended up playing piano in the band, helping to MC one night, and I gave my testimony (in Spanish!) to all the young people. In the end of the retreat, a bunch of the young people shared their own stories about the weekend. Many had been involved in drugs, suicide attempts, etc., but they said that they really had a powerful experience of God and His love and mercy, and had the hope of living a new life. They had a new light in their eyes.

And now I´m back! It´s really great to be here again. I return with a new perspective and a new passion. I will miss home, but I am happy to be in the place where I can best meet and serve God. I can´t wait to see what He has in store!

Leaving tomorrow to give a retreat to 170 young people at the beach --- my first time to the ocean here! Please pray for us, and mostly for the teens, that they can have open hearts and meet the living God.

 

Hasta pronto! (See you soon!)

Eric