Photo by Bob Dmyt
Hello All,
The theme of this month was people helping people and the power of community. On a regular basis, I am reminded that each person is a gift and has so much to offer the world, and on a regular basis, I benefit from the people around me freely being themselves. I benefit from the wisdom, kindness, grace, encouragement, and help from those around me and those with whom I have contact even if they aren't in close proximity.
One major draw of my master's in counseling program is that it utilizes the cohort model which means that I will have the majority of my classes with the same group of people. Additionally, the Townsend Institute goes the extra mile in starting with a kickoff conference to try to forge relationship among classmates--something so vital when everything takes places online. If it weren't for that initial design (even with its virtual format), there's no way that I would have such a great support system of classmates with whom I'm regularly in communication about homework but also about life. As is the case with so many aspects of life, the people are really what makes an experience special. I really have felt God's guiding hand in the people I have been blessed to meet and continue to get to know through my master's program.
In the same regard, we had a lot of community members helping one another in our NGO community here in Honduras. We want to love one another well and part of that means supporting one another both in physical needs and in ministry endeavors. Developing a community support system is what our focus is for this year as an NGO, and I've been blessed to see that progressing in ways only the Lord could orchestrate. This past month, we had the privilege of welcoming a new little one into the world by banding together as a community to support a young family. One of the areas in which Raul and I connect in terms of values is loyalty, and so many of our NGO members are the same. Even if we haven't seen a member of our community or a young person that we have sponsored for a while, we still consider each person as valuable and worthy continuing to seek out. This past month was sweet in being able to collaborate to bless a young family with both donations of used baby items in good condition from a sweet Honduran and donations of funds from us and a fellow missionary to purchase diapers, wipes, formula, and food. I will be honest in saying that it's a special joy for me to be able to show love to someone who hasn't asked for it. And the joy of this particular situation was seeing people collaborate and truly be the Body of Christ. We have been around in missions long enough to have learned that we don't want to lead people to a dependency on us, so it's so much sweet when the Body of Christ works together to be generous.
Another way that our NGO has been developing new connections of supporting one another has been through volunteer opportunities with a fellow missionary's ministry, Fundación Elisheva. Last year, when we celebrated the anniversary of our NGO, this missionary, Kelley, and her husband, Abner, lent us their mission house in order to have our anniversary celebration (before COVID). Little did we know how the Lord was connecting us. A month or so later, Lindsey and I met with Kelley and Abner just because we wanted to share our heart for worship and community, and we wanted to hear their heart and glean from their wisdom. To this day, we don't know how God is connecting us fully, but we've been able to support one another day by day. Abner has been a friend to Raúl, someone who has really blessed my husband. And Kelley regularly checks in and asks how our hearts are. They are in the process of discerning the purposes for two missions houses that they have been renovating. Last year, Raúl had some opportunities to take some volunteers from our NGO community to do some painting and other work. This year, Kelley has starting hosting some trainings for new volunteers, and some of our NGO members have gone to those trainings. I love being able to connect people from different spheres of my world. Lindsey was instrumental in renovating a prayer room at Kelley and Abner's mission houses, and she is now much more available and active in their development as a ministry because she's in close proximity. One of the parts of the Kelley and Abner's vision is healing and restoration of children and families. For this reason, Kelley has been researching opening a Celebration Place--the children's branch of the support program, Celebrate Recovery. Recently, Kelley hosted an online training for Celebrate Recovery/Celebration Place, and I was privileged to be able to attend.
As I have been learning more about treatments for things like trauma and drug addiction, the more I recognize that some of my fatigue as a missionary has come from a lack of resources. It's so sad and frustrating when a kid living on the streets or battling drug addiction asks for help, and I know that I don't have a ready place or the resources to offer them. The compassion is there, but the resources often are not. So many ministries and missionaries are doing the best they can, just as I have in many seasons of ministry. But, with time and experience also comes more wisdom. I don't just want to do something for the sake of doing something. I want to be responsible in utilizing the wisdom I've gleaned over the years to do something well. Kelley has been a missionary in Honduras for many years and has worked with many different populations. She and Abner have been taking their time to be led by the Lord. Oftentimes, we missionaries can get very overwhelmed with needs and can feel driven by the needs around us. It's an honest intention, but it often can lead to burnout because the needs often never seem to be relieved. Something I really respect about Kelley and Abner's approach is that they're taking the time to educate themselves, to fortify their family, to build a strong foundation of community, and to consult with professionals who have experience in trauma. I don't know what my role could be in their ministry and how the Lord is unfolding it, but I want to champion the resources they are seeking to develop. They are the kind of resources and community that are so desperately lacking, the kind I wish I would have had when I had my kids living with me. God is building something. He is connecting people. He is encouraging us through community. But He is also doing it one day at a time. I often have felt like I've had many false starts as a missionary, but I wouldn't trade the things I've learned or the people and relationships I've collected along the way for anything. The Lord wastes nothing. We are still turning our hearts and our ears toward Him with an expectant "What's next?"
On a family note, I had the joy of being included via Zoom in my grandmother's 84th birthday celebration. As vaccinations are taking place, and most of my family has now been vaccinated, they were able to experience some closeness that had been absent for a year. It was bittersweet to not be physically present and also know that Raul and I are lagging behind in that vaccinations aren't available here right now. But, it was special to see my extended family enjoying each other's company and celebrating such a special lady--my Nannie.
One final thought--I'm currently reading Brene Brown's book, Rising Strong. In it, she has a whole section relaying a struggle that she had with the question of whether everyone is truly doing the best that they can. In the midst of pandemic protocols and daily loss and work from home fatigue, I think sometimes the humans of society have been at each other's throats. When we see racism and COVID deaths and mask-wearing conflicts or feel our freedom is being threatened or politics are disappointing, despair can come creeping in, and we can begin to live with a bitter, suspicious eye and a mind that's quick to judge others as selfish or fearful. In the midst of Brene Brown's wrestling with this question, she realized that there is so much judgment to go around, when in reality, we all need grace. We may find ourselves superior to others in one area, but it's a guarantee that those people likely find us sorely lacking in some other area. I appreciated Brene Brown's husband's stance the most. He said something to the effect that he doesn't truly know if everyone is doing the best they can all the time, but his life is better when he chooses to give the benefit of the doubt that they are. I am not always great at this, but I want to mindfully improve in giving the benefit of the doubt. It's so easy to take offense or to use one mistake (or what we perceive as a mistake) as a reason to write off someone entirely. Humans are more complex than that. Story proves that to us time and time again. It'll be better for our relationships and for our own health if we could choose to believe that everyone is doing the best they can. I know I want other people to extend that benefit of the doubt to me, so I should extend it to others.
Thank you for the grace, prayers, and loyalty you extend to us. You are part of our community too, and we're so grateful for that fact.
Sarah
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