We all have days when we come home, take off our shoes, sit down and feel like a 1000 pounds have just been lifted off us and we think, “wow, today kicked my butt!” Well living on mission, those days happen often. Either from the physical, spiritual, and/or emotional exhaustion of the week, day, or moments you feel them. Here in Honduras, I have had a Basken Robins assorted variety of days but no matter what, I bounce back. But the level of energy that is needed to drive your emotional train daily is astonishing. It takes its toll. I wanted to share that using this EE (emotional energy) has some of the best type of exhaustion and kind of “tired” that only Jesus can help refill.
When you are tired, building something is not the most exiting thing to have to do that day. Building trust is definitely at the bottom of any list. Take out trash, check. Change laundry, check. Cut grass, Check. Build trust with kids….(crickets). But here its a huge thing. You have to start there so that the rest can be done or even started. Without trust the other things will never happen. But its not like that list above. It isn’t just as easy as checking it off the list of things to do. Or is it?
Jesus did nothing for his first disciples to trust him enough to put down their nets and follow him. “Follow me and I will make you fisher of men.” Bam, they followed. Well I am no Jesus, obviously but I am trying to be. I hope we all are trying to be. My point is this. My goal over the last few days is build trust. First lets go back a few more days.
OK to paint a picture that a lot of you can relate to this. You know when, as a spouse, you ask your wife or husband, ” Hey Honey whats wrong? or “Where do you want to eat tonight?” You know how bad you want them just to stop and say, “You know what, I am so glad you ask. Let me tell you what is wrong, or this is where I would love to eat because …Well that is how I feel. When I ask these boys, “Hey how are you? or How are things at home? or Is there anything at home we can help with?” I just want them to open up and share and be honest with us here at the academy. I challenge each of you to do that this week. If someone asks you, “How are you? or Whats going on?” Take an extra minute of your day and actually share something. You will be amazed. Or When you ask someone, “How are you?” and they say “Great or Its all good.” Say, “Thats great, can you tell me about it?” Watch what happens. I digress. This is where I was a week or so ago. I wanted these boys to tell me. Then I realized I am a stranger in the lives of these boys who has been here less time than they have owned the pair of flip flops they own and I want them to share the intimate details of their lives. Yeah my expectation was a bit high.
But over the last few days something has changed. It took me a few more days to figure out what was happening. I asked one day, “hey why were you late today?” The kid says, “I was working for my family fishing. We have no food and my family is hungry. I had to go fishing to get us some food.” Ok, not ready for that. I spoke with him longer and we are helping his family. But this started the ball rolling. Boys were sharing things when you asked them, “Hey hows it going?” One day last week a few women from the village stopped by to share with us that the mom of one of our Rino’s was very sick. When we asked how we could help, we were told that they needed food. She had not eaten and was sick and weak. We helped them too. People were sharing the truth, but why. What happened. Well, time happened.
Time is funny. Its the constant we are all subject to. Its changes things. The Bible is filled with stories of time being a protagonist or antagonist. Noah, Abraham, Moses, the People of Israel, you and me. Time is the never ending, always constant, yet unpredictable factor of how things in life change. Well time had began to crack open the hearts and loses the tongues of these boys. With that, the truth of their lives has given me strength and immense sadness and a level of commitment that is immeasurable. Its also given me that level of tiredness I spoke of earlier.
I have been blessed by my Lord to be here. To laugh, cry, share, get mad at and with these boys. I am being rewarded by these boys with Trust. Its our intentions to be intentional with our time and our hearts that we create trust. Where we grow change. Where our love of Christ lives in this world. Be intentional with the love of Christ with the people around you. Yes it is tiring sometimes. You feel your heart break for people, you get sad and angry. You want to grad them in your arms and tell them how much you love them and how much more Jesus loves them. You sit down some days and take off your shoes and that 1000 pounds doesn’t fall off, it just moves to your heart. Time to Trust, Trust to Truth, Truth to Commitment. Its what our Savior did. Its what we are doing here in Travesia. Its what each of us have the ability to do.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12 9-11.
Fosters on Mission 
Beautiful! What a blessing you guys are!
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