Hello All,
Today has been a phenomenal day. I have just had unspeakable joy. I don´t even know if I can find the words to express how good God is to me. Teaching went very well today. It was Lindsay´s last day, and we will miss her and her help in teaching. We got out of teaching early, so we decided to go visit Astrid, the other volunteer who works construction.
To walk to the house where she works, we had to walk around the pond in Chiligatoro. The ground was rather soft, and we had to cross a small ditch where water was running. I could have jumped over it to the other side, but there were some boards spread across it. So, I decided to risk the boards. As soon as I stepped, it fell through, and I went with it. It was hilarious. Only one leg fell in the pond, and for the rest of the morning, I walked around with one dry shoe and dry leg and one wet shoe and wet leg. And, oddly enough, this odd occurrence filled me with a lingering laughter and joy that I can´t explain.
Visiting with the family where Astrid works was so precious. We just walked right onto their land with no prior permission, and the older woman immediately served us coffee. We had never met her before in our lives, but she dropped everything to make us feel at home. This is why I love this country. Everyone treats you as family. It is humbling and such a blessing. That is how I want to live my life. I want my home to be a refuge for anyone. I want to treat everyone who crosses my path as family. There were also two small children at the house, and as I was talking to them, they began to laugh for no explicable reason. I thought perhaps I had said something wrong or just looked funny--I probably did. But, at any rate, I started laughing as well to the point of tearing up, and the children just belly laughed in return. It was a moment of pure, God-given joy and such a God-orchestrated melody.
This morning, I was journaling about part of that Mother Theresa book and what someone said about her:
Whenever I met Mother, all self-consciousness left me. I felt right away at ease: she radiated peace and joy. . .
I just started telling God that that is how I want people to feel around me. I want to radiate a sense of home and acceptance to everyone. I just want to be a beacon of His love and joy.
Anyway, we returned to La Esperanza on the back of a giant truck carrying two pieces of lumber. As I sat, muddy and wet, bouncing around with the two boards, I couldn´t get over how peacefully at home I felt. Like I belonged in that moment, on that truck, with wind blowing my untamed hair, and a smile just enveloping my face for the entire ride. This is home.
For lunch today, we ventured to the market. I absolutely love the market. Everything you could possibly want is there, being sold my local vendors. There are families visiting and selling together, people eating, and just an overall sense of camaraderie. We wandered to a place that sold food such as baleadas and the like. It was a lovely group of people, and I enjoyed the food very much.
I also love the things that I am learning from my fellow volunteers. Astrid is a hard worker--she makes it a point to stay longer than she has to in order to accomplish more construction. Tina, although she doesn´t speak much Spanish, speaks the universal language of kids. She plays with any kid that crosses her path. In the market today, she had one little boy belly laughing so hard that everyone around him caught his joy. It was beautiful. Maricruz, the Cuban woman, is very no-nonsense but also so helpful to all those she comes in contact with. She chatters away in Spanish to strangers fearlessly. I love this about her. Where we ate lunch, there was a woman who was crying in one of the food vendor stalls. Maricruz saw her and immediately asked her what was wrong. The woman told her that her eight-year-old son was in the hospital getting his appendix removed. She was crying because she was worried about him (he´s in a hospital in Comayagua, roughly 3 hours from here) and wanted to be with him. Maricruz assured her that her son would be fine, and she promised to pray for her son, Axel. She told the woman to have faith in God. I love the boldness of this woman and her willingness to thrust herself into the lives and struggles of others. I want just such a willing heart that is outgoing in the same way. I would also ask that all of you pray for Axel as well and for the peace of his mother.
Anyway, I am finally here--at the internet cafe. I was reading my e-mail and got an update on my bill from Shepherd from my mom. While there´s no real need to go into too many details, let me just say that God has been so faithful in financial provision that it brings me to tears. He provides such an overabundance that I can´t begin to fathom the depth of His love for me, His child. Trusting Him makes life so very sweet.
Meanwhile, my family was able to visit with Alvin and his family today in Gap Mills, West Virginia. It was such a blessing to hear both from Alvin and from my family about what a wonderful time they had. The family of God is so very beautiful. I love that it knows no boundaries.
With unspeakable joy,
Sarah
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