It's the time of the year in Teguz where the weather just can't make up its mind. The day will start out playing the role of a cool fall day, and by noon the sun will be blazing down turning my classroom into a sauna. I feel as though days like these often mirror the moods of my students. Teaching high school can be an exercise in flexibility with exhausted students in one class, hyper students in the next, and then throw in an hour of (my least favorite and by far most awkward situation) crying teenage girls. You might say most days at school are like a box of chocolates, but these are HONDURAN CHOCOLATES and seriously you never have a clue what you are getting in to when you take that first bite (quesillo??).
Spring semester can be deceptively long. Christmas is by no means the half-way point of the year down here and the first semester does not even wrap up until late January. However, luckily for us here at IST, we have two week-long breaks that split up the post-Christmas time into manageable 6 week chunks. Most North American teachers take advantage of these breaks to travel around Central America, hit the beaches or see the sights. I decided to go and once again visit my second home: La Providencia.
La Providencia is the orphanage where I spent two summers working when I was in college. I have a lot of blood, and sweat (even some tears) invested in that place. This school year I have been trying to get there as much as possible to help out and because going there just seems like coming back home. Not in a "Michigan home" way or even a "Tegucigalpa home" way, but more like coming back to somewhere where I am comfortable and where I just seem to... fit.
This break I went to the orphanage with a specific purpose: manual labor. The job of high school teacher can be physically demanding at times, but I miss the feeling of carrying a bag of cement around or mixing a concrete volcano. The plan was that I would go and help out two guys from the US with the construction of the floor for the new orphanage cafeteria. These two guys, Buzz and Steve, donated their time along with thousands of dollars worth of materials to help out the "least of these". I wanted to be a part of it all. However, when I got there I was met with very different expectations.
-Well, I'm ready to serve! What do you need me to do?
-Actually... we don't need you to do any work. We have too many workers as it is. We just need you to translate.
-Oh...
Now, translating is not my strongest skill. Especially when I'm trying to explain materials and processes (that I don't really understand in English) into Spanish with a serious lack of construction vocabulary. It was... not what I was expecting and honestly after the first day I was questioning my decision to be there. I came to SERVE, to WORK, and this was just a lot of standing around and trying to explain the correct way to apply a finish epoxy coat. This was not the manual labor I was intending to do.
That night as I was praying, God really convicted me in regards to my motives for "service". I had come to the orphanage to serve... but on my own terms. I wanted to a work in a way where I felt useful, valued and productive. I wanted tangible results that someday I could point to and say, "I did that!" Buzz and Steve had told me that the ABSOLUTE BEST way I could serve them was to translate... even if it was broken... even if I didn't know how to say 'cement trowel'... even if it meant I was standing around most of the day.
I think all too often I approach God with a desire to serve... on my own terms. I want my service to get results, to be cost-effective, to matter. But it isn't our physical exhaustion that God desires, it is a humble heart. Some days a humble heart will look like a sweat-drenched shirt and calloused hands. Other days it may look like standing around and fumbling through some terms in a foreign language.
As I ponder what it means to serve God with my future plans I am struck with the example of Jesus. Service through a healing touch. Service down on His knees with a towel and a basin. Service through desperate tears in a garden. Am I willing to truly serve?
The New Cafeteria... seriously it's AMAZING
Here is what the dinning room floor will look like. It's crazy colorful for the kids
Here is a little look at what we were doing with the floor
Steve, Buzz, Douglas and me!
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