Update on the Preparations

I just wanted to post an update since it has been a while. (Sorry!) Mostly I have just been trying to tie up loose ends in the logistics department. There are so many little things to do that it has sometimes been difficult to focus of the much more important spiritual preparation. St. Paul says to do everything we do for the glory of God, but, though the Lord is slowly teaching me, I still don't quite understand this.

I am excited to go though. I've noticed myself imagining what things are going to be like in Honduras based on my experience last time. I need to stop doing that because this time will undoubtedly be different. God will have different things for me to do and different things to teach me. I must be open to the directions of the Holy Spirit.

I'll leave with a quote from the Conference of Latin American Bishops, as quoted in Redemptoris Missio:

The best service we can offer to our bother is evangelization, which helps him to live and act as a son of God, sets him free from injustices and assists his overall development.

Patience

Right now I am in a period of preparation and formation. While I know how important that is, I think God is teaching me patience! It seems so unreal that I am actually returning, but I just want to go already!

Thought of the Day

A friend had given me an article to read a while back by then Cardinal Ratzinger on the New Evangelization. I finally got around to reading it today, though, and found it extremely relevant to my time in Honduras. Some food for thought:

To evangelize means: to show this path-to teach the art of living...The deepest poverty is the inability of joy, the tediousness of a life considered absurd and contradictory. This poverty is widespread today, in very different forms in the materially rich as well as the poor countries.

Well, that is what I am going to Honduras to do. I must "surrender to the mystery of the grain of mustard seed and not be so pretentious as to believe to immediately produce a large tree." Instead, I pray that I can be a humble and patient servant of Jesus so that He can use me to do what He desires to do in the hearts of those I meet, even if that means I am led to Calvary, in a spiritual sense. But that is what it means to be a missionary. I only hope that God continues to form me so that this journey is not about me, but about Him and His work.

And the Countdown Begins...

I just thought I would give an update since it has been a while since I have written. It is starting to sink in what I have said yes to and it is certainly a learning experience trusting in God. Also, the Missioner's formation program started yesterday. There are daily reflections based off the encyclical Redemptoris Missio and well as reflections from the Missioners of Christ. "The Church is missionary by her very nature." That was part of today's reflection. It's true. We are all called to spread the Good News, to work in God's vineyard, whether that is at home, school, or a foreign country. I pray that no matter where we are, we all let God work through us to reach the world.

Long Time, No See

Well, it's been a while but it is time to dust off this blog once again. I will be returning to Honduras soon for a couple months, discerning a longer commitment to serve there. This decision has been a long time coming. Yes, I want to teach. Yes, I hope I get to do something teaching-related while I am in Honduras (though it is not up to me). But quite simply, I feel in my heart that this is where the Lord is leading me. He has certainly placed the people and mission in Honduras on my heart. I know I cannot do much to change the situations down there and that breaks my heart. I do not know why God seems to be calling me instead of others who could probably do more. I do know, however, that if God is in fact calling me, my heart will be restless until I respond to His loving call, that whatever He wants me to accomplish in Honduras He must do through me, and that He certainly has some (difficult) lessons in store for me. But I am so excited!

Mis Amigas

If anyone is interested in hearing about the summer from a different perspective, here are the links to the blogs of two friends who were in Honduras with me.

http://www.yoursarethehands.wordpress.com

http://angiemartin08.blogspot.com/

Photos

Here are some photos from the summer:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067050&id=1520295210&l=b6a8dc53e9