Seriously Disturbed and Gloriously Ruined

Misael is still sick.  Marlin, his mom, is worried because she saw in the news that there is an outbreak of Hepatitis in Los Pinos, the community we serve and where she lives.  Meylin, her daughter, got her report card today and all of her grades were superb, nothing below a 90.  Meylin works hard for her grades so we make sure to give her a lot of praise.  She is the child who hopes to be a pastor when she grows up, and I believe she will.  She is only in first grade right now, but she is certainly capable.  (She just came into the office as I was writing this and looked over my shoulder.  They know I post photos of them, so I told her that I was writing about her good grades.  She got a big smile.)

Meylin!  (doing homework at the church)

Yesterday I was talking a lot with Marlin and Lourdes about relationships and life.  It is cool that we have developed such a nice friendship.  Marlin was the first person at the breakfast program who introduced herself to me and pointed out her children.  Now she is a very special friend.  She told me that Meylin prays for my funding every night, without fail.  Marlin has had a difficult life, almost dying from Lupus, so she is very humble and grateful for everything.  Maybe she has always been that way, I don't know.  I know that today I was very grateful for her friendship, hugs and words of advice.

Once again I had clothes on the line and the rainclouds were rolling in as we headed home.  When we pulled past the guards in my Colonia it started with the big drops.  Then a truck was blocking the road and the rain started coming harder.  Jairo was beeping for someone to come move the truck, but finally we sqeeeeeezed past it with millimeters to spare.  I jumped out of the van when we got to my house and ran for the clothesline.  Got everything off the line and JUST as I walked in the door it started to pour with lots of lightening.  I was disappointed because all day I had wanted to go for a long, hard, run.  I didn't mind running in the rain, but this was the pelting kind of rain with lots of lightening and I'm just not that crazy.

Finally the lightening let up and then the rain broke for a half hour, exactly enough time for me to do a full lap around my neighborhood and then attack the steps in front of the Catholic Church until I couldn't lift me legs anymore.  Then the rain started up again, and I headed home.

Spent the evening catching up on American Idol, then read some more of a book called "Dangerous Surrender" which was recommended to me.  It's about completely surrendering your life to God.  The author suggests that after witnessing the world's most horrific problems, you are ruined to return to "life as usual" in the states.  She calls this "seriously disturbed and gloriously ruined."  She is right.  I remember the last time I got home from Honduras I was disgusted by all of the excess of North America.  I mean no disrespect to North Americans.  I fell back into that lifestyle pretty easily after I got over being disgusted by it, so I have no room to talk.  But the calling to do something about what I had seen never diminished.  I know I am, as the book says, "seriously disturbed and gloriously ruined."  I hope I stay this way forever.