This is going to be something of a shotgun blog entry. I have so much on my mind. So much has happened in the past couple weeks that I feel completely discombobulated and also the need to write.
Work has its ups and downs. Mondays and Tuesdays are still incredibly difficult for me. Sometimes in the midst of my days I am reminded of Winston Churchill’s quote: “If you find yourself walking through hell, keep walking.” That’s how I feel when I’m in class with some of my first graders. Wow, they are crazy. Last week a kid was dancing on a table. After telling him numerous times to get down, he finally did, face first. I was not intending for him to face plant right in front of me. He got up crying and came to me for help. All I could do was shake my head and sigh. Despite the struggles of little nesio children, there are so many redeeming moments in my days at work. I get so many hugs and cute little kids yelling, “adios profesor Patrix!” (That’s about how it’s pronounced here)
Yesterday I had a real experience, call it a test, of solidarity. A coworker invited me to her house for lunch. On the way to her house she confessed to me that her sister just had a baby only 15 days ago. She went on to tell me that the child was born with a serious birth defect. She was born with two vaginas and two anuses. I nodded and said, “hmm.” At the time I had no idea why she was telling me about this. She brought me to her sister’s home for lunch. I met the child’s family, who are all incredibly sweet, especially the three year old sun who incessantly showed me his baseball bat and ran around in his own fantasy world. They wanted me to help them in any way I could. I fell speechless. This wasn’t in my JVI contract. She thought that I’m a gringo from the States and therefore I have money and connections that could fix this. This is partially true I suppose, but not really what I am here to do. I talked with some doctor friends of mine who suggested the family stay connected with the local children’s hospital and that the local doctors would have the best care for the child available. This situation is an interesting opportunity for discernment for me. What is my role here in Nicaragua? This is truly an experience of accompaniment. I sat and talked with the family for a couple hours, and I’m sure I’ll be back to visit. I can’t fix the problem, but I can be there when I can.
On a lighter note, our community went on our first retreat. We went to a place called La Granacha. It is in the north, in Esteli, up in the mountains. The bus ride there was like traveling through a portal to another world. The landscape turned from dry hot grasslands to cool pinewood mountains. At night we were actually COLD! I couldn’t believe that I was wearing fleece pants, a wool undershirt, fleece, and a wool beanie and it was still a bit nippy. I loved it. What and enchanting place. We dined on beans and local Swiss and goat cheese and caught a breathtaking sunset every night. It was a really good time for our community to get out of the bustling hot city and kick it in a peaceful and bucolic mountain town. I wish our JV house was there. The 4-6 hour commute probably wouldn’t work too well though. Over the next two years I can see this area being very special for me, a place of solitude and rejuvenation.
Sunset with the community, on retreat, at La Granacha.
hang in there man. Situations like the little child you mentioned can be really trying, especially when you're focusing on sustainability. You want to help, but don't know to what extent. I have an interesting story for you about a child from Africa that VLOP brought here for treatment. It turned out alright in the end, but raised A LOT of questions in the process. the full effects won't be known until he's older. I'd love to talk to you about it. Glad to hear that you've found a place of solitude. Know that we're praying for you often, and we're very proud of what you're doing! Can't wait to see you soon!
ReplyDelete- Kevin y Chelsay