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| La vida sencilla |
Ahhhh the simple life. The mission got a little
sidetracked. The mission was interrupted for 10 weeks because Dianne was
inflicted with an unusually bad case of Chikungunya. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikungunya. Most people have it for 7-10 days and that’s
it. Its name is of African origin and means, walking stooped over. I had it for
about 8 days and that’s what it is like, the pain in my joints had me stooped
over. For Dianne almost all the symptoms went away except for the joint pain.
We ended up back in the U.S. so she could be checked out thoroughly after she
put up with this pain from the middle of November till the New Year. Long story
short she was tested for everything under the sun and it came back as a severe
case of Chikungunya. After 10 weeks of rest in the U.S. she is improving. The
pain is not gone but it’s more manageable for her. Being the way she is, she’s
tried to fight through this but with this joint pain, that doesn’t work. The
Dr. said it could be one to two more months. To her credit she’s decided to
return to the mission and just let it play out. The Doctor said the reason her
case was so bad is because she is a “delicate flower” but that said her
dedication is inspiring, she has more than enough reason to stay home longer
but she may look like a delicate flower but that’s far from the case.
So we landed in El Salvador on March 15th. Our
2nd year Anniversary of the mission was March 4th and in
a way the interruption was a good thing although the reason was not good at
all. An interruption like this gave us time to reflect on what we have learned.
One thing we learned is that we like the simple life of El Maizal. It’s not
easy but it’s simpler.
One observation is that this simple life is addicting.
Remember, we live in los campos (the country). It’s not remotely like the big
cities of El Salvador. At 6-7 PM this community and the surrounding communities
are finishing supper and preparing for bed. It’s nice and quiet. Even during
the day it’s quiet. There are the buses and cars on the main road but they aren’t
that loud. We mostly notice the chickens clucking along as they graze, the many
beautifully colored birds talking back and forth to each other and the chatter
of kids playing and adults talking. Vida esta tranquilo (life is tranquil)
Life is simpler because most decisions are made sensibly
and prudently. We initially found ourselves shaking our heads in disbelief in
some decisions but we were normally proved wrong. We forget that all the tools
and supplies that we have at our fingertips at home don’t normally exist here.
People improvise here all the time and they are very good at it and since they
are used to it, they don’t get flustered as easy as we would.We also find it simpler because we rest more, not because we can but because we must. For a while we were in the full march mode, we must be productive at all times and be available 24/7. But that’s a quick way of making service to God become a grind. That’s not conducive to living the message of our Lord and Savior because you forget to see Jesus in everyone you meet. Well intentioned friends or strangers become impediments to results. You also don’t connect to God in prayer or studying scripture as purposely as you should. You can forget to accompany people with a smile and calming words about life and faith. After all that is what mission is about first and foremost, accompany people as their brothers and sisters in Christ.
The other noticeable thing that simplifies life is that
literally all plans are not set in stone. We’ve experienced so many plans that get
either cancelled or changed at a moment’s notice that now we expect it. I’m not
saying it didn’t drive us crazy and that on occasion it still does but remember
decisions are made sensibly so if something comes up more important, things
change immediately. They don’t imprison themselves in a system that requires that
you sometimes put more emphasis on maintaining a schedule versus addressing an
immediate need. In fairness to my North American friends the complexity and difficulty
of daily lives here create more emergencies than in the U.S. so it’s much easier
to maintain schedules in the states. There’s a relaxing effect to life when you
can shrug off changes and reschedule meetings and move along instead of being aggravated
and feeling inconvenienced.
Our advice based on what we have learned is that we need
to remember to relax and rest sometimes. If you’re the type of person that must
have a daily plan then put rest into the plan.
Mark 6:31 - Then, because so many people were coming and
going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come
with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
