Sep 2, 2024 – Day 97 - Call me anytime
When touching down in Honduras, you can go right towards the city. This choice will eventually lead you to the capital and if you venture further, you could find yourself crossing into Nicaragua or Guatemala. You can also go left towards the coast. Choosing that path means you are further from an exit. There is no airport, or border crossing that way.
We live about 2 hours down the road, after that left turn. Once you get to the coastal city of Tela, we travel deeper, down a dirt road, to San Juan, a Garifuna village. A sister village, even more rural than ours, named Miami, is nestled between palm trees about 40 minutes away.
The other day Herman, a Garifuna captain, called me to tell me that the community was opening the “barra”. This sand bar is the saving grace of the area. It keeps water in during the dry season and replenishes fish, draining water away in the rainy season. Once a year, this sand bar is opened. The water from the lagoon flows freely into the ocean.
Herman called me to tell us to get down there and help. I think he knew that we would be of no help, but he wanted us to experience it. We immediately hopped in the car, bumped down the dirt road and arrived.
It starts with a ditch, like one a child playing on the beach would create to fill her sandcastle’s moat with water. Because the volume of water is greater on the lagoon’s side, the water begins to flow. As the water flows the current gets bigger and bigger. Eventually becoming a river. It was an amazing experience. I understand why God would want my boys to experience it.
For me, the learning experience was a bit different. I was feeling a little overwhelmed with responsibility. I was asking myself if everything I was doing was worth it. God answered my question. As I was standing there watching my boys experience life, one of the men from Miami, came up to me and asked me if there was class tonight. I was surprised. What class? What day is it? I thought about it, it was a Tuesday! I had an online level 1 English class that evening. He was in my class! My heart skipped a beat. I had no expectations of finding someone using our program so deep in the mangroves. This is what our program does, I thought. This is why you do it, I said to myself. God’s purpose became clear as the bright sunny day. I felt fulfilled.
Imagine if I had not answered Herman’s phone call.
I do not fear missing out on what God has in store for me. I know that if I miss one boat, he will send another, but after many years of experiencing God’s perfect plans, I put effort into listening and complying. His gentle hand has guided my life for years now. It seems chaotic and eccentric when looking at it from the outside in, but from in here, it feels like the safest route to exactly where I need to be.
コメント