Here in Honduras
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| Happy rainy season! Everything is flooded! |
“Are we open to God’s surprises? Or are we closed and fearful before the newness of the Holy Spirit? Do we have the courage to strike out along the new paths which God’s newness sets before us, or do we resist, barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness to what is new?”
-Papa Francisco
These words are extremely applicable to the challenge of life
here so far! I am blessed to be swimming (sometimes feels like drowning) in the
newness of life here. Everything is permeated by the newness of the language.
Conversations with children or tias/houseparents, Doctor Julio or patients at
the clinic, or any native Spanish speaker can feel like decoding in choppy
awkwardness rather than a naturally flowing, normal chat. However, Jesus has brought beautiful
surprises and grace for the language especially through the gift of play.
The kids here love soccer. Any other sport I have
attempted with them often turns into soccer. For example, playing in the waves of the ocean with some of the boys of house four and five turned into soccer practice as one of the boys tried to show me how to juggle the ball with my feet and do headers. Walls come down when someone is able to teach a skill. Another time, a few weeks ago, some of the middle
and older girls went out to play soccer and I was able to see their
personalities and goofiness come out in a way I had not yet witnessed. Finally
a connection – something to build upon! There was
nearly as much kicking as using hands as we played volleyball yesterday afternoon.
But the kids seemed so free and joyful – again becoming silly and so full of
life in the midst of a game.
The volleyball game surprisingly turned into
running around the perimeter of the Finca with the five middle-schoolers and
two other missionaries – Kassidy and Cassie. Some of the girls began to fall
behind so I went back to walk with them. I was a little frustrated because I
actually did want to run, but this change of plan ended up leading to such a
hopeful conversation with the two girls. There was nothing profound spoken
between us, but it felt so normal and natural. Finally, I saw a real spark of a
natural friendship with these girls as we talked about hair and laughed about
the rip in her long, tight jean shorts (such a funny choice for a run, but that's typical). I am so grateful for the way God has
continually remained faithful on these new paths through various surprises in
encountering the kids in sports. I am excited to continue to use my own love of
sports and being on a team as I start up the girls’ soccer team this year.
The clinic has also been full of joy and surprises. I have
been especially so grateful for the current nurse, Allison. She is full of
openness to the newness of the Holy Spirit and what God might be calling us to
do in the clinic. The clinic is currently open two days a week – Monday and
Wednesday. The days at the clinic fly by, as there is always a line of people
outside our door waiting to be seen. I have been amazed by the local villagers’
patience as they wait to be seen and their patience with my broken Spanish. It is also such a gift to
experience Doctor Julio’s openness to showing me unique cases and looking up
things in books – always seeking to learn. I am excited to see if the Lord
maybe has some new work at the clinic this year. For example, there are many
house-bound elderly and infirm in the nearby villages to the Finca, and Allison
and I would love to do home visits with Dr. Julio, as the nurses have done this in the past. We shall see; for now, I just need to get comfortable with our current schedule.
On non-clinic days, Allison and I have busied ourselves with
organization of the clinic and some orientation. This past week we also worked
on some health promotion for the kids – handing out toothbrushes, floss and
anti-parasite medications. It was a fun adventure giving a teeth-brushing lesson to the youngest houses. They are pretty excited about brushing their teeth now!
Overall, these past weeks, I have been strengthened in my
conviction that I have been called to this place. I am excited to have been
given small jobs as well as my large job of nursing – spiritual life committee
(meeting with a Franciscan sister and three other missionaries to discuss the
spiritual activities), girls’ soccer coach, working once a week with a girl in
the clinic who expresses interest in nursing, and coordinator of recreation at
the Finca. I am convicted that Jesus knows my gifts and will be with me in all
of this work.
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| The boys are such great helpers, to no avail this time, but we will figure it out for the future! |
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| Attempting to bake bread in the outdoor oven.. had to finish it in the indoor oven. However, I will not give up yet! |
It is so much easier in the moment to “barricade ourselves in transient structures.” Even here, I can already find ways to hold onto comfort –giving up on trying to understand Spanish when someone is speaking up-front, eating Oreos or peanut butter when the kids do not get these things, or sleeping in until the last moment. However, I believe the only way to be truly free is to burst out of these transient structures I build and dive head-first into this new life. I pray that the Lord would bring you deeper into his surprises, to be seen not as barriers to life but rather opportunities to grow and move forward.
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