I've Been Here Before

Once upon a time a little boy barely out of middle school was  invited on a grandiose adventure with his grandfather. His grandfather had been long admired for always bringing back coins from wonderful and far-off places. Travelling was a part of the job description, because he was a missionary. How envious the little boy was, always dreaming of seeing these places firsthand, and now, the invitation was before him: a one-week mission trip to a pueblo right outside San Pedro Sula, Honduras. There, the community was in need of help building a second story on the little school house, painting the blank cinder block walls of the inside with bright, cheerful colors, digging a cesspool and septic drain field for sanitation, and spending time encouraging the local church.

Nearly a decade later, I realize this was a pivotal moment where God opened my eyes to see a world beyond my own. It's also the point when I realized I need to learn Spanish! My life has been so comfortable. I'm able to eat whatever, and whenever, I want. We even have a refrigerator to hold all of the food we can't eat! I can drive here or there or go to a park or watch TV all day. I only need to work 5 days a week and certainly not while I'm attending school (though, of course I do!). We have a nice house and even a yard - in fact, two! Have I ever felt the pangs of hunger? Only when I'm fasting. Have I ever been hopelessly sick? Only until the clinic opens in the morning. Have I ever longed to leave my life and travel far away where I thought things might be better? Alright, maybe this one is true. I'll admit my reasons for joining the Peace Corps are partly selfish. I want to be a world traveler, speak other languages, know a different life. Having been there before, it's made me appreciate this one so much. But also, being here has made me appreciate something there.

So why didn't I post a picture of the giant cesspool we dug? Though I do appreciate good septic systems, there was another moment I remember more clearly about that mission trip. We spent our final day seeing the beauty of Tela, Honduras, one of the most stunning beaches I have ever seen. It's this picture that I took 10 years ago (with nothing more than a disposable camera) that reminds me what a beautiful country Honduras is and reminds me to appreciate the something there. Which now I certainly do, having seen the rest of the 4" snowfall melt away here in Seattle yesterday, trying to imagine it's a warm sandy white beach welcoming me back to its shores. It's odd isn't it? That foreign country I set foot in so many years ago is the same country I will now call my home for the next 27 months. God does things like that - those little things that no one else thinks about, but you see how meaningful they are to you.

I lay in bed staring at this picture. I've always wanted to be there again. I'm so thankful for the Peace Corps and the opportunity to live in this magical, adventurous place - to live a magical, adventurous life! What a blessing!

"Hope deferred makes the heart grow sick,

But desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

Adam