Friday, January 24, 2014

I'm back!!!


I'm back!! In 2 senses - back in Honduras after going home for Christmas; and back here on my blog after more than 2 months without an update! Yikes!

Before returning to the US for Christmas, we went on a mission to the mountains for a week. I was in a village called Palo Blanco, very small and primitive. I stayed with a beautiful old couple who had been together since they were 16. They had 10 kids, 9 grown up and married, and 1 still in the house. Angela, the mother of the house, would heat up a pot of boiling water for me each morning to go out and shower, because it was freeeezing there!

During a program with the whole community, some of the men were playing music – guitar, violin, drums – it was really beautiful. And one of the older men fell over and fainted. All of a sudden, everything stopped, and everyone around him immediately began to pray intensely: O Jesus, be with him! We trust in you Jesus!! Etc. Their faith struck me so much. If this would have happened in the US, everyone would have been like: What should we do?! Somebody call 911! Etc. Prayer usually isn’t something that even comes to mind. But here, they prayed. What else can they do? They have no resources. Nothing but relying on God; probably a resource we need a little bit more of.
The man did end up recovering, but was very weak and in bed the rest of the mission. We visited him the next day to talk and pray with him, and as we began to pray for him, he got out of his bed, got down on his knees, and began to pray for us and give thanks to God!! We couldn’t convince him to get back in his bed. He just kept saying how grateful he was for our presence. Such humility and faith.

We visited another couple where the man had no arms; both had been amputated. And yet somehow, he could still cut wood, harvest corn, pick berries...I haven't the slightest idea how!! His wife was so proud when she was telling us that he can do it better than her! They weren’t afraid to hide that they struggled, but they were happy. At the end of our visit, I gave the woman a little prayer card that we had made – it was literally a little cartoon of the birth of Jesus that I had colored myself…any 7 year old could have done it – and she cried when she received it. She accepted it with such gratitude and love.

Everybody told us we had to visit Emelia, an old woman who was suffering a great deal. But she lived 30 minutes outside the village, and not just any 30 minutes, but a 30 minute trek up a super steep mountain. Our very last day, we were finishing up visiting houses. There were still about 3 or 4 left in the village, but I just felt that we had to visit Emelia. So we made the hike up to her house. Definitely great exercise! When we got there, she told us that the other group of missionaries (we always break in to 2 groups to visit houses) had just left!! God, You are hilarious! But she really needed the the company and the prayers. It was a really incredible visit.

That same night was our closing party of the mission. It began at 6pm, and ended at 1:30am!!! Even Emelia, who lives so far up the mountain, came for the whole time. We said goodbye to everyone, and as we left I just picture Emelia trekking back up the mountain in the cold and the pitch dark.

After this party, a family invited us to their house for coffee and food! So at 2am we started the “after party.” One of the girls who lived in this very poor and simple house had recently gone to a market in another village and bought some small clay pots. She showed them to us, and without even thinking, she gave one to each of us. She didn’t even need to consider it. Her good and generous heart told her that the obvious thing to do was to share her treasure with others. It was better than receiving an iPad. Like the widow in the Gospel who put her 2 cents in the offering, it was worth more than all the rest.

We got to bed at 3am and got up at 5 to leave. When I walked outside, the stars were spread out all over the sky. The Big Dipper was right above, and I just stood there gazing at it. After a minute, I wanted to go back inside because it was freezing, but something inside me told me to wait a minute. So I stayed, and right in that moment, a shooting star shot across the sky. What a gift from God! I felt Him so close.

I was blessed by the opportunity to go home for 3 weeks over Christmas! It was a really beautiful and relaxing time with family and friends – something I really needed! On the 1st of January, I just kept thinking, I don’t want to get all caught up in the hype of resolutions and stuff. It’s all kind of silly. But then I considered it and thought, this actually could be a new beginning. I don’t want to be the same. I want to love. I want to focus more on people and not on things. I want to give of myself, to be other-focused and not self-focused; to not constantly seek my own well-being and comfort, to live radically, to live joyfully. I want to be different now. I want to live each day, with God. I want to talk to Him, rely on Him, be constantly aware of His presence. I want to smile.

The typical New Years’ resolutions are normally so superficial and self-centered: lose weight, look better, do better in my job, etc etc. What if we focused on others, and on the deep things that really matter, in simple ways: Doing one random act of kindness every day; forgiving someone for past hurts; taking 5 minutes of complete silence each day; being super nice to people working in the store; taking time to pray each day; saying hi to strangers on the street; praying for that person who most annoys you; smiling more. These are the things that will change not our appearance, but our hearts. They will bring us joy.

Gotta go! Hasta luego...hopefully in less than 2 months this time!
Peace,
Eric