Declaration of Dependence

I am not self-sufficient, it is not all under my control…and what a relief that is!! What an invitation to trust the all-holy Father, “God for us” as Richard Rohr put it so well! 

On December 15th, we received unexpected news: that due to financial struggles with the foundation we were assigned to help, our service was going to end sooner than planned. The ensuing stress and scramble to figure out our next steps has thrown our priorities into relief and driven home the truth of just how much the good we can do depends on the good others do by us. Truly, God is in all things, all circumstances, and all things work the good for those who believe! 

Pray for us as we transition to our former lives and begin a new adventure as LMH vets! 

Vindication

For those of us who choose service, imposter syndrome is real. We often question if our efforts amount to anything, much less all we want to offer. We question our motives- is this really out of selflessness or is my ego, my need to seem and feel “right”, what drives my service? 

It is when those we offer our service to respond in love, we get an answer. When the answer to our doubts is trust and gratitude, a piece of our humanity comes back. We get a taste of the resurrection. And like the best of things-these gestures of trust and gratitude are free!! 

 

Objects of Pity or Subjects of Love?

As the school year here in Honduras winds down and we prepare for the advent of Our Lord, being surrounded by the onslaught of gifts, festive songs and firecrackers prompted me to meditate on the point of view of those we serve: so much of what they do and offer around this time of the year would be what Scrooge would consider wasteful, proof that the needs of poor people or nations are the product of irresponsibility. Instead, I see dignity- a refusal to accept being objects of pity or scorn because they know they are subjects of love, equal to the rich and powerful of the world. They’re entitled to celebrate, that’s why they do it. To feast is not a reward to be earned, but a revelation regarding what the core of existence really is-the great marriage feast of the lamb. Now enough pontificating- let us sing!!!

-Jacob

*Singing the Posadas, a Christmas song done in a call-and-response style between two groups: those on the “inside”, who refuse to shelter the holy family at first out of annoyance, and a group “outside” with the holy family, begging for shelter. The song ends with the inside group recognizing the holy family and letting them in.

 

Their Needs On Their Time

 What does mission look like?

Throughout our history as Christians, bringing the gospel to those unfamiliar with it has taken multiple forms - some much more indicative of our founder than others. Usually it has been about an enlightened “us” evangelizing a benighted “them”, leading to multiple shameful types of abuse more concerned with engendering creedal compliance than cultivating compassion or transformation.

With the resourcement, our focus became more about being the good news for the poor spoken of by Jesus (quoting Isaiah). This looks like providing for needs that the community does not have the resources to address, to be sure, but it also happens on their time-not mine!! As someone used to having routines and deadlines, this has been a learning curve and an exercise in patience!!

Preparing clothes for distribution in a town nearby Juticalpa, and food, of course!

-Jacob

Lost In Translation

Spanish is a gorgeous language, it rolls off the tongue in glorious florets of warmth and hospitality. Learning to do one’s job in it, however, that’s something else!! Today I finally got to a point where I could present about learning disabilities, IQ, and intelligence theories for a straight hour!! 

In the “old model” of mission work, people ministered to were forced to learn the missionaries’ language, in the “new model”, we learn theirs!  

-Jacob

Going to the Doctor

Since arriving in Honduras, we have had to go to the doctor several times. So much so that I am comfortably familiar with the first two floors of the hospital/clinic located not even a block from where we live. All we have to do is walk straight over and we will arrive in less than five minutes. What a convenience and blessing!

Going to the doctor here in Honduras is nothing like going to the doctor in the United States. It is way less complicated. Depending on where you live in the U.S., you might have to wait a month before being able to see your primary care physician. Here in Honduras, the experience we have had is we walk in, talk to the nurse about why we are there, and then we wait our turn for the doctor. An important note about our experience, locals have expressed they have had different experiences, such as having to wait about four days before seeing a doctor. So not everyone has the opportunity to walk-in like we have had. Depending on where you go, a consultation can be 250 Lempiras ($10 U.S.) to about 600 Lempiras (~$24 U.S.). Thus, seeing a doctor in Honduras is very affordable.

Unfortunately the price starts kicking in when you have to get lab work done. Additionally, the pharmacies can cost a bit as well. Lab Work can range anywhere from about 500 Lempiras to around 1,200 Lempiras (1000 Lempiras = $40 U.S.), depending on what the doctor orders for you to get (also, depending on which lab you go to). If one cannot pay for the lab work, it won’t get done. That is what surprised me the first time I had to get lab work; I had to walk over to the lab and pay out of pocket right then and there. It felt so different to me. I am used to it now, but the first time was so odd.

I think it's important to mention that blood work can be ordered for someone who has a cough and a cold. This surprised me when I took our son to the pediatrician for a cough and cold. She sent us to get a blood draw which was no fun because Santi being not three years old does not understand “don’t move” when the big ugly needle is about to poke him. While it was the strangest thing for me to be told to go get his blood drawn because of a cold with a cough, it made sense because they wanted to see if he had an infection. That is a huge difference that I have noticed here in Honduras; if you go to the doctor, the chances of getting your blood drawn are very high even for issues that in the U.S. would not require such a procedure. 

Another medical practice very common here in Honduras is getting a shot when you are having abdominal pains or you’re sick to your stomach. I went to the doctor because I was having stomach problems, and I got a shot in my buttock (I always remember the Forest Gump scene where he tells the U.S. President he got “shot in the buttocks”). Never in the U.S. have I gotten a shot for diarrhea, but here you almost always do. Just like in the U.S. Ibuprofen is almost always prescribed for pain and fever, shots are given in Honduras when your stomach is acting up. Thankfully, those shots are not painful, at least not for me.

-Nancy

Not Just Our Skills But Ourselves

Because of sickness, Santi’s birthday party at the Hogar de Niños (the kids home) was postponed. After I taught the psychoeducational group I have there, Nancy brought Santi and Soli there to celebrate Santi’s birthday today. While the kids enjoyed their cake and Santi broke the piñata (with some help from me), I couldn’t help but appreciate this moment we have with the kids who have not: in this little party for my son, we’re not just sharing our skills with those who request them, we’re sharing milestones and magic moments with them, ones we won’t repeat. After all, Santi will only be 3 years old once!