Check Off...Not Out
3 more weeks. For the past few months, there has been a mental clock ticking minute by minute until April 24 at 3:30am…the time marking when my travel day back to the United States begins. There’s a problem though…I really don’t like this clock, yet I am excited for the alarm to ring.
Every moment with these kids is just a little closer to not being with them. I find myself so happy when I have the chance to truly have a conversation with those around me and to have fun with them. Yet these fun times now remind me of just how difficult the same tasks were just 6 months ago. It has made me realize how things like simply having a conversation with our kids used to be nearly impossible.
One of my favorite things to do these days is sit with my guys and say, “cuentame una historia de tu vida.” (tell me a story from your life) This practice has been a lot of fun for me, and for them. Most of the time, the stories end up being completely made up. Sometimes, they tell me about the story from their life when they slayed a dragon and then blew up its castle…thanks Ernesto. They have also told me when they ran for an entire night straight from the school they hated so much…and I can't really tell if that is true or not. Knowing that I am able to communicate with my boys…and that they feel comfortable enough to talk to me...is reassuring.
Before
coming I had a mental checklist of what I wanted to happened during my time
here.
It looked something like this (in no
particular order):
-
Learn to communicate with my kids.
-
Learn to cook…and cook well.
-
Know how to, “take it easy” (kind of
accomplished this one)
-
Help the kids love it here.
-
Be a part of something unique.
-
Travel South America.
-
Learn to bake.
-
Be less reliant on my phone.
-
Connect with my family more…on the phone lol
-
Write better.
-
Wake up earlier.
-
Ride a motorcycle.
-
Challenge myself.
- Ride a horse.
-
Pray more.
-
Write more.
-
Think less (oops)
-
Develop new habits.
-
Do things that I can’t in America. (nothing
crazy)
-
Communicate with friends.
A
huge blessing is that I have nearly completed all of these goals. They have
helped me keep track of different learning opportunities and fun times I wanted
to have while being an SM.
Checking
all these items off my to-do list has been so much fun. I do my best to keep
track of what I want to do and how to do it. However…I am now in the final
stretch. Going home is within reach, and I am ready for it.
Often
times, I think about getting home and playing pickleball with my friends,
having a big frank or sitting on a couch (or any comfortable chair for that matter).
These things that seem like a luxury now are just weeks away and nearly impossible
to not think about.
This
makes it extremely difficult to not do something...
“Check
out.”
At
school, it is different. If I check out at the end of a semester, my grades may
drop, I may spend more time at the coffee shop or playing a sport, I may try to
get out of a meeting or two…but here there are real lives being affected.
If I feel lazy and don’t want to cook a meal, my kids are the ones that are affected by that decision. If I don’t want to cut the grass or help with a campus projects, they won’t get done. If I don’t want to throw the frisbee with my boys and sit with my fan instead…that’s how they will remember me. In almost every case, “comfort” for me, means disruption for our kids.
Therefore,
staying in the moment during my remaining time is SO important. The good thing
is, I don’t want to check out. Even though I enjoy thinking about the good times
that will happen back home, wanting for them makes me not truly enjoy my time here.
When I get back home, I know that I will think back to this year and remember the
good and the bad, so might as well make the rest of these experiences as great
as possible.
Now,
my checklist is only down to three items:
-
Drive the motorcycle.
-
Ride a horse.
-
Golf!!! (did this one today!)
Accomplishing one of these a week until I leave is very doable. It will allow me still check off a list, and enjoy my final weeks. I may not remember every conversation that I have with the boys, or how Leonardo leaves his towel on the floor after the 100th time I have told him not to. But I will remember the experience of trying to make a difference in the lives of our kids and a mission year that is truly memorable.
Little Joel and I. This was on Father's Day. I only slept 4 hours the night before, and he left the same day. I didn't know if i would ever see him again. Thankfully he came back
Easter:
The week of Easter was VERY busy. There happened to be the
Bolivian census the week before which definitely threw us off a bit. Nobody
could leave the house...even at Familia Feliz. All of us had to come up with
activities to do in our houses for a few days. We also found out that
there was no school…the whole week before easter. It was a combination of
several holidays that happened to be stacked up on top of each other. So it
turned into a sort of “fall break” for the kids.
With this break, also came additional work. We did many activities with the
boys and had a memorable time. However, we were also notified that a local church
was having an evangelical series. Since we were near the church, and they didn’t
have much planned, we were asked to help out. And by “help out” I mean
co-parent Zoro was notified that he was to be the evangelist for the week, with
only one full day to prepare.
The whole week Zoro led the series and prepared sermons during the
day. Our pathfinder club went every night to help out the church as well which
gave the house parents a bit of a break in the evening.
All of this was leading up to Easter! On Sabbath, we all went about
45 minutes down the road to a school where 11 local churches were meeting. Yea,
you heard that right 11 local churches. There are definitely more Adventists
here then I thought there were. It was so cool to be a part of a large gathering with so many
people.
Our pathfinders were given the chance to be a welcoming committee
and show a display of “organization” to everyone. It ended up being just around
500 people who gathered in the concrete gymnasium together. Each person seemed
to shake every hand and be very friendly.
Best of all…4 of my boys got baptized! Throughout the week, the boys had been asking Zoro and I several questions about baptism which led them to make the decision for themselves.
Some
pics from the last few weeks:
Something
I have found very interesting about my time in Bolivia, is it is the least I have
ever been connected to a church or read my bible. It is also the least I have ever
heard sermons or done “life groups” in my life. Yet still, my relationship with
God continues to be strong.
In
the day, there just simply isn’t enough time to have a full 30 minutes of
peace to read the bible. It can only happen past 11:00pm or before 5:30am.
Therefore, I still have worships, just in smaller portions. I love my church and
can't wait to see it again. However, I feel blessed to have learned that I can
still have a walk with God while doing some difficult things.
All
of this has helped me want to take notice of the little things. Not every
aspect of my life has to be big. I can have a small worship and have it be sufficient
for what I need. I can stay up with Joel to make sure he is okay and still have
a good day the next day. I can make memories and be in the moment without
Checking Out.
Matthew
6:34
“Therefore
do not be anxious about tomorrow,
for
tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
Sufficient
for the day is its own trouble.”
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