So, being a missionary is not as glamorous as it sounds.
Why, you ask?
Because you become one with the people you serve...
and this includes the joys and the pains of their life.
You rejoice with them,
you cry with them.
You eat with them,
you go hungry with them.
You work hard with them when there is work,
and you worry with them about if and when there will be work again.
You rejoice in good health with them,
you also get sick with them.
And these people with whom I live and serve
are in a developing country....
The government is corrupt,
there is hardly any work and it never pays enough.
The water is not clean,
there is no sewage treatment and all of this facilitates disease.
There is just not enough money to feed everyone
let alone buy clothes, medicine, or provide adequate housing.
But this is how we live.
And this is how the Lord is calling me to serve Him...
to walk along side His people and let their way of life
become incarnate in my own flesh.
There will be joy, but there also will be sadness.
There will be hope, but there also is frustration and doubts.
There are times of health, but there is almost always risk of sickness.
But, did the Lord not do this for us?
Did He not take on the worst of our humanity- our sins-
to redeem us/give us eternal life
and ALSO to show us that we are not alone as we walk through this life?
Life will always have its difficulties, surprises, and trials-
but if we don't lose our faith and continue to trust in God,
we discover that His grace is always there-
ready to take us through a window when a door has been shut...
ready to console us, to encourage us, to heal us,
to enlighten us, to guide us, to fill us with peace.
So yes, missionary life is not so glamorous, but it is real...
just like being a disciple of Jesus is not easy,
but it gives us the privilege of living our lives
with a sense of meaning, purpose, and belonging.
It has been 6 months now since we have begun working with the elderly
and there have been many rewards in this journey walking into an unknown...
knowing we have to do something, but just not knowing exactly how.
The following are some stories about the "small blessings"...
where we have felt the Lord's presence and His blessing
as we go out and serve Him in the least of His brothers.
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Meet Juan-
Juan is an 88 year old from San Lucas...
and this is how we found him in the streets.
Juan is hard of hearing and extremely independent...
he spends his entire day walking around town, sitting on curbs.
He never had a family because of addictions.
His parents have passed away and
his brothers and sisters are now too old to keep an eye on him.
Thankfully, an evangelical pastor has allowed him to stay in a
storage room in their half-finished church.
A neighbor lady makes meals for him
and he refuses to let anyone wash his clothes (by hand, mind you!)
Juan still wants the dignity of being able to work,
even if only by washing his clothes...
But for the rest of the day, he spends his time completely alone.
When we began the feeding program back in July,
we stopped by Juan's room to let him know the day we would bring him food.
To our surprise, Juan was in his room...not out wandering on the streets.
When we entered the room, Juan was having hallucinations.
He said there was smoke everywhere and that his son was lighting a fire
(no one was in the room, he has no children, and there was no smoke).
He had 2 sweaters on and it probably was about 90ºF.
He complained of being freezing cold and not being able to breathe.
I called the ambulance and Juan was taken to the local hospital to be examined.
Turns out Juan had pneumonia
and had to be hospitalized for 5 days on IV antibiotics.
The following day, a fellow neighbor came by to thank us...
he said that we saved Juan's life.
Imagine that!
A non-relative appreciates the dignity of the LIFE
of an 88 year old man who has nothing and gives nothing to society!
The other Guatemalan ladies and I were touched by his appreciation,
but we knew that God was the one who led us to Juan in his need.
There was a deep peace and joy that stayed with us that day
when we watched Juan get in the ambulance...
we felt the truth that we really are NOT alone-
that we DO have a Father in Heaven that is looking out
for each one of us!
Another small blessing was helping Cirilo.
Cirilo is also an 88 year old
who lives in one of the poorest neighborhoods in San Lucas.
Because of the drought this year in Guatemala,
(it didn't start raining until September & we went 10 months w/out consistent rain)
temperatures were very high and it enabled mosquitos
to bring tropical diseases here to San Lucas.
A lot of the elderly were affected by "Dengue,"
an infirmity which causes high fevers and deep bone/joint pain.
Cirilo unfortunately got dengue and it took him weeks to get over it.
I went to visit him and not only did he complain of his extreme exhaustion,
but he also mentioned his left eye.
When looking at it, it was obvious to see that it was infected
and I asked him if he was taking any drops.
He told me he was and showed me the bottle...
I was shocked to see that it was contact cleaning solution!!!
He said that a group of American doctors came by and told him to use the solution.
This eye infection had been going on for years!
Thankfully, I was able to get in touch with an eye doctor
and found the correct drops for Cirilo to use.
The infection cleared up within less than 2 weeks!
And finally, there is Carlos.
I have written about Carlos previously (he was in need of a wheelchair).
Every time I go to visit Carlos, I feel blessed...
he leaves me feeling like he gave more to me than I did to him
and it is in this mutual blessing that I know he is truly poor.
Only this kind of blessing is bestowed on God's little ones!
Even though Carlos is a learned man,
he is not able to do much because of his inability to walk.
Despite his limitations, Carlos used his time and talents to write
all of us (who are working to help the elderly) a beautiful letter.
He was eager to read to us the letter and express his gratitude and love
(above is a photo of him reading the letter).
Below is a photo and abbreviated translation of the letter
so you can all smile along with me:
"Dear Missionaries...
May God give you a long and selfless existence and mission for the noble and religious work and very important nutritional help that you are unconditionally giving to the sick, disabled, poor, elderly, and those facing economic problems.
In a special way, I infinitely thank you for the works of charity and for the important religious activities that you generous missionaries are showing.
I also thank each of the ladies for the unconditional collaboration each of them are offering in the preparation of food for people who so badly are need of it.
May God bless you and give you a long life.
Fraternally,
Carlos"
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Again what joy it gives your heart to receive blessings for a blessing!
This is the Spirit of God and how His Love is manifested to us.
God is never outdone in generosity,
so let us not be afraid in giving back to Him
for all He has given to us in our lives.
This all may seem like "small" blessings from the outside,
but any blessing big or small is a sign of Love...
and truly it is only Love that satisfies.
