Tag: Guatemala

Why? It’s Not Always what You Think… Hector

He was a good looking boy and appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen years old. It was hard to say for sure since he, like many of the kids, appeared to be a little small for his age by U. S. standards. He joined our group in the middle of the story and Bible verse because he and his family were a little late. Since we had already started, he took a seat in one of the chairs and started listening to the story and verse. 

We had placed the white, plastic chairs in a semi-circle in a corner of the building. Having four large groups of people meeting simultaneously in one huge concrete building with no dividing walls created nothing but a giant echo chamber. It was very distracting, and we hoped our chair placement would help the people in our group stay focused on our activities. All four groups had the same basic goals though the methods to reach the goals varied. We were to teach a Bible story about the Holy Spirit, memorize a Bible verse that would help the family members to remember what they had learned in the story, make a craft that would give them a visual reminder of the verse and story, burn some energy with some recreational games and finish with a new pair of socks and shoes for each person.

We had already finished a few sessions at other locations, but each location was unique. This particular facility was in a very poor area of Guatemala. The Family Hope Center we were visiting this day was fairly new and had not yet had time to establish a strong support system for the families it served. So many stories can be told from this one center that it is enough to make my eyes water as I sit here at my keyboard. For now, I will tell Hector’s story.

As each new family joined us, even the latecomers, we tried to make them feel welcome by engaging them with the activities the other families were already participating in. The first activity this day was to try to memorize the Bible verse using repetition and games. After reading and repeating the verse a handful of times, we played a game to challenge each person to repeat a portion. I can’t remember which game we are doing at the exact moment I really noticed Hector, because there were so many games. I just remember having our group of people divided into two teams and the team members lined up one after another in one line for each team. 

Most of the members of our group, young and old, wanted to participate and quickly joined a line. Just as we were getting ready to start, I noticed one boy who looked to be a young teen. Since my Spanish was basically non-existent, I chose to try to coax him into playing by using hand motions. He gave me a smirky-smile and shook his head “no” obviously thinking that annoying American would leave him alone after that. Well, he didn’t know this annoying American yet. 

I walked a little closer hoping I could read his name tag. “Hector?” I asked. He nodded but said nothing. I walked a little closer, and motioned with my hand again to the line as I said, “Hector, come on.” I was not going to let this boy miss the fun just because teenaged boys didn’t think this kind of a game was cool. I just kept up the hand waving and, “Come on, Hector,” until he finally gave in. With a look just short of an eye roll and exhaled breath just short of a huff, Hector joined the fun. His look confirmed to me that this teenager didn’t want anyone to think he was having fun doing anything so un-cool, but he did play the game and put enough effort into trying to remember the verse that I gave myself an invisible pat on the back for being persistent until he gave in.

We continued with the Bible story. We spent some time outside playing games. We made crafts. We washed feet and put new socks and shoes on everyone. We followed the same basic pattern we followed with every group that week; and, like every other group, every Buckner volunteer was very moved by at least one person they interacted with. My daughter, Megan, and I had a few minutes after giving out the shoes to talk by ourselves about our “one person” for that group. I talked to Megan about little Emyly whom I mentioned in my last blog post entitled Hot Potato and No Espanol. 

Megan’s “one person” for that moment was a boy she had put shoes on. The way she described this poor boy’s feet made my feet hurt just thinking about it. His shoes were so small that his toes were completely forced to curl under and his feet appeared on the verge of starting to deform. She felt so bad for him and was so happy we were able to give him a pair of shoes that would relieve the pain he had to have been in. I asked which boy it was. She said the older one wearing the white shirt with black and orange stripes on it. “Hector?” I asked, and she confirmed. I was so wrong about this poor boy and I felt so guilty for making him stand.

At this point in any blog post, I always choose a Scripture passage that I believe to be relevant and try to wrap it all up with some sort of inspirational conclusion. I can’t do that with Hector’s story. I have waited for three weeks for God to lay the correct passage on my heart but nothing seems to fit my usual pattern to enable me to wrap this experience up in a neat little package for my readers. Hector can’t be wrapped up in some simple conclusion. Hector’s life goes on with a new pair of shoes but he is still living in the poverty that nearly deformed his feet. A new pair of shoes has not changed his life completely, but spreading his story may do just that. Hector, along with countless others living in poverty need prayer more than they need anything else. Shoes that fit are great, but those shoes and Hector’s story can change lives only if they stand out as a reminder to the rest of us to pray. Pray for Hector. Pray for Emyly. Pray for all of them. 

While waiting for the passage I thought God would give me, I nearly missed the one He did. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I don’t know what God’s plans are for Hector. I don’t even know what His plans are for me. What I do know is that He has plans for both of us and for every one of you. Quit assuming you know the facts, and quit looking for the inspiration. Live in His plan right now, even if you don’t know yet what it is.

Crazy, Miss-Matched Socks

​After working with children all morning, I was a little nervous about working with one of the mothers. As I sat on the floor in front of her chair, I knew the only thing she could possibly say that I would understand was “Hola” so I decided to be the first to say it in an effort to at least express friendliness even if I couldn’t verbally show it in any other words. She responded with “Hola” and continued with a few words of her own. I looked around the crowded room and couldn’t find an available interpreter, so I held my hands palms up, shrugged my shoulders, smiled and said “no Espanol.” I wasn’t even sure if I had said that correctly, but I knew she understood from her “ah” and nod.

I untied the laces of the shoe she wore on her right foot and gently removed her shoe and sock. Then I picked up the new shoes and started to remove the new socks that were stuffed inside. My first thoughts upon seeing those new socks were, “I cannot give her these. What am I supposed to do with these things? She is not going to want them. Where is an interpreter to explain how sorry I am that this is what I’m giving her? I wish I had my own bag with me, so I could just give her one of the new pair of socks I had packed for myself.” I now wish I knew how many of those silent thoughts she could see on my face. She hadn’t seen her new socks yet since I hadn’t completely removed them from the shoe they were stuffed into and unrolled them, and I really didn’t want to show them to her. I quickly glanced around the room again for an interpreter or someone who would hopefully be able to find me a new pair of socks, but no miracle showed up…or so I thought.

I know I must have worn a cringe on my face as I unrolled the pair of knee high striped socks. Oh, how I wished in that moment the only thing unusual about this woman’s new socks was the length and striped print! As I finished unrolling and separating them, she saw what I saw around thirty seconds earlier. One sock had blue and white stripes while the other had green and white stripes. Even that was not the most unusual thing about these socks. They had toes. Toes…like the socks I had been given years earlier as a gag-gift for Christmas. I was presenting this woman who was older than my forty-four years with a pair of socks that came to her knees, were different colors and had the toes separated.

I was expecting her to look at me with an expression that would say not only “no” but “are you kidding me.” In afterthought, I think I was more surprised by her response than she was about the socks. Here’s when I realized the miracle. She just laughed. She wasn’t upset. She wasn’t bothered in the slightest. She didn’t seem even the tiniest bit disappointed. She laughed and her smile showed as much in her eyes as it did on her mouth. Then her laugh became contagious. Neither of us could stop laughing as I washed her foot and put the sock on. We laughed even harder when we realized the toes on the socks were longer than the toes on her feet which made it even more complicated to make sure I had only one of her toes in each toe of the sock. Have you ever tried a pair of toe-socks? They can be hard to put on your own feet. They are really difficult when you are putting them on someone else’s feet.

Eventually, we managed to get all ten of her toes in the correct places and I put her new shoes on. She expressed her thanks, left her seat and a child took her place on the chair in front of me. The next hour or so was uneventful. I washed several pair of feet and replaced worn shoes and socks with new ones. As my team members and I were finishing up with our last few pair of feet, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to find the woman I had laughed with about her crazy socks. She embraced me with the biggest hug and again thanked me. We shared another laugh and each went our separate ways knowing we will never see each other again, but I believe both of us felt a special bond was formed between us…over two crazy, miss-matched socks.

Our bond was formed on day two of a mission trip with Buckner International. My daughter and I were blessed with an all expense paid trip that I won through the WayFM radio station. We spent one week in Guatemala teaching vacation Bible school followed by giving the kids and a few parents and grandparents shoes. We told stories, helped them memorize a Bible verse, made crafts and played recreational games with more children and families than I could count. When those activities were over, we turned to the socks and shoes.

I have heard many people compare the foot washing we did to when Christ washed the feet of his disciples prior to His crucifixion, but I have a hard time making that comparison to my own actions. As I sit here now in my seat on the flight home and think back on the last week, I feel more like Mary who washed Jesus feet while he was in Bethany; but instead of washing the feet of Jesus, I was washing the feet of His disciples in His physical absence. This woman, Mary, was not a saint. She was a sinner just like the rest of us. “When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.’ (Luke 7:39) She was also criticized for using valuable oil to wash Jesus’ feet. “But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given the to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’ (John 12:4-5)” 

The only One who could truly judge this woman was Jesus Christ but He chose to extend the grace and mercy only He can give. “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace,’ “(Luke 7:47,50). She couldn’t hide her sin, but she could rise above it. She could make the most of her resources to honor Jesus Christ, and for that He praised her and her story was given an honored place in Scripture. I am not looking for fame and honor or even recognition for participating in this mission trip. I, like this woman, just want to honor Jesus Christ in whatever way I can, and I want to spread His love around the world. If that simply means talking to my neighbors, my co-workers and other people who cross my path about what Jesus has done for me, I will do it. If that means putting a pair of crazy, miss-matched socks on someone’s feet, I will do that, too.

“John 12:4-5; Luke 7:39, 47,50.” NIV Archeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk through Biblical History and Culture. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. N. pag. Print.