Let the Rain Come

The last few weeks have seen a steady accumulation of clouds in the sky. This country is so parched; the promise of rain is exciting and refreshing. Last week I went to the MCC retreat at Lago Yojoa and it was quite different to see green trees covered with flowers. At the retreat I got to meet the new MCC Honduras family, the Stephens. Their story is encouraging. They took a leap of faith into service, selling their home, abandonning their comfortable life, and coming down with an open mind, hands free.

I stopped for breakfast in La Esperanza on the way to the retreat. An old man with a French cap and voice reminiscent of Sean Connery came in, sat down at the restaurant’s one table with me, and ordered some breakfast. I soon found out that he, Salvador, had spend 15 years studying in the US to get four bachelor’s degrees on top of a Ph. D. in education. He worked for the Honduran government for decades, writing the law concerning organic agriculture while organizing, teaching, and befriending a large group of campesinos, in the process making them millionaires (1M Lempiras = $50k).

Now he is the regional director for Habitat for Humanity. Salvador designed and is building a house for his son to live in that he hopes will be adopted as a new design standard for Habitat in his region. His design separates the latrine/shower from the house and adds two bedrooms, making it a healthier and more practical house. Also, he’s using apropriate technology, building with bamboo instead of steel rebar to support the walls. His design comes out more expensive ($4,500 difference) than the current design, but for the added cost, he calls it a habitacion digna, a respectable living space.

Many development organizations seem more concerned with writing big numbers in a chart than with actually helping people. World Vision recently came by to measure, weigh, and have a doctor glance at some local kids. They were supposed to be the poorest of the poor, but the town setting of the check-ups meant that the kids were already fairly well off. The poorest of the materially poor live in villages that you have to walk over rivers and mountains to get to, few of which I have been to. Not that being weighed, measured, and given a notebook and pencil would have changed their lives anyway.

A homeless man in Lafayette, Indiana expressed to me his anger that most people invest more money in and spend more time on their dogs than the suffering human beings down the street. This is true, we go to great lengths to satisfy a selfish whim; yet, when the most crucial needs of our neighbors stare us in the face, we pretend not to notice.

So make it personal, make it real. Share a meal and a meal-time with someone on the street. Open your house to a family in need. Sacrifice something for the benefit of a neighbor in need. You don’t need to send your money to an institution to be a conduit of life and love. Right now, you can put leaves back on the trees, give the birds a place to sing, and send new green shoots full of life through the dead plants. You can help bring the Holy Reign.

En-theos

This summer I've learned and been able to practice something life-changing. At camp we would always encourage our kids to choose to be positive and enthusiastic. When kids would make that choice, we would have great weeks and a cabin full of brothers. Sometimes you have to be a little crazy to get your kids to smile and have a good time, but its always worth it, especially when you refuse to be embarrassed. :)

Here at orientation we have some really enthusiastic people, like Passionate from Zimbabwe. Smiling ear to ear, he taught all of us a song at devotions one day that had some awesome running, spinning, and searching actions to it. It made me really miss church in Africa, where everyone dances around for at least 15 minutes every week. I think if I went back now I would really really appreciate that kind of church. Right now Passionate is sitting one row in front of me talking and laughing, doubled over most of the time.

Reading Jesus for President, they wrote that the root of enthusiasm is en-theos, which means 'in God'. So when someone in enthusiastic, that is God showing through them. Maybe it is hysterical laughing, like my friend Passionate. It could also look like passion for a cause, compassion for people, or sheer joy in life. Many people lack enthusiasm in any of its forms, a tragedy of a magnitude that I can't bear to imagine.

This summer I've been able to live with a lot of enthusiasm. Not just breathe, eat, drink, work, and sleep, but really live! Its a wonderful thing, and I'm looking forward to a life full of living. :)