Reunited and it Feels so Good!

I’d been looking forward to this week since the day I got here because we were going to get to go with a group to the village of La Fragua where my church works twice a year. La Fragua is one of my all-time favorite places mostly because it’s full of some of my all-time favorite people. Every time I spend some time there, I end up leaving in a way better mood than when I first arrived. The people there are so full of joy and love that it just bubbles over onto me and leaves me feeling uplifted and cheerful. God knew exactly what He was doing when He planned out my summer. He knew to schedule this week in the perfect time just when I was really in need of some encouragement.

The reoccurring theme that God kept showing me throughout this entire week was the incredible power of relationships that He orchestrates. Over and over He brought up instances in which I was left standing amazed by the strength of the friendships formed here regardless of the small amount of time together, the fact we don’t speak the same language, and the thousands of miles that separate us. The odds seem all against us when we dwell on those factors and the fact that groups only come from a week at a time. It seems as though these is no way that we can make any kind of difference in each other’s lives. But I now see that those thoughts are lies. They come from the one who does all that he can to discourage us and make us believe we are not enough and can’t be used by God because of our inadequacies. But God is so much bigger than those things and instead He chooses to use unlikely circumstances to connect us. He works through those connections and allows us to impact each other in ways we don’t even understand. 

Our first day in this village was spent visiting the families who live in houses that CALMS built previously. Each family we visited greeted us with smiles on their  faces, eager to invite us into their homes. They graciously welcomed us in with open arms and were excited to see those they recognized from past trips. I was especially pumped because we were able to visit my friends, Jenny, Roberto, and their 2 year old son, Fabio. St. Marks built their house on my first trip here last year in March. This is my 3^rd time visiting their house since, and each time I see that they have added some other new home improvement. They take such pride in their home and have done an amazing job with what they started with. They plastered their walls outside making them smooth, painted them, added a beautiful garden in front, and are now tiling their entire bathroom. Even though it was early in the day and we just popped up unexpectedly, Jenny welcomed us in cheerfully. I loved being able to catch up with them and be entertained by little Fabio. They told me they’re hoping to come up to the school and visit me soon which I would just love. 

Relationships were also formed through the time spent with Ana and her family, the family that the group was building for this week. The smallest acts of love and kindness can make a big difference and through those, a friendship was created with them. She cried as she thanked us for the house and told us that we were welcome there anytime, that the doors would always be open for us.

 During VBS the last day, I was surprised to see the entire family we had built for in March. I wasn’t sure if they’d remember me but as soon as the mom saw me, she gave me a huge hug. As we started chatting, it felt like no time at all had passed. 

It was incredible to see the lasting impact made between those of us returning after visiting this village in the past and the children who come to VBS. They remember us and I was flooded with hugs, pictures, smiles, and laughter from my little friends that I had made on previous trips. During my first weeklong trip here, VBS was my favorite part. I loved hanging out with the kids and getting to love on them through playing games, helping with a craft, or reading a bible story. Sure I had made a bunch of little buddies that I loved and hoped would get something out of our time together but did I truly realize how God may use that to affect them? No, definitely not. But this time around, as Cassie and I hugged one of our middle school girls goodbye, she hugged us more tightly and as she looked up to tell us she loved us, we noticed tears in her eyes. Once again I was shown that God is bigger than I give Him credit for and is always up to something. Through our simple, silly conversations with these girls, it’s clear He is doing bigger things than we know. You never know how the smallest act of kindness may influence someone or how God may use that to plant a seed. Maybe a smile and hug was just what the child needed because their parents are never home and they don’t get that affection often. Maybe the small bracelet you give someone makes all the difference because it will serve as a reminder that someone cares about them. Maybe a simple prayer was just the encouragement someone needed to go on. We just never know how God will chose to use our willing hearts but we need to trust that somehow He will.

The hospitality, joy, and love shown by the people in La Fragua is amazing and I thank God that He has shown me himself through these relationships. I’ve been given a more vivid picture of his love that I can actually grasp. Through this, it becomes evident that He is living and actively working through others. My friends here are teaching me how to genuinely love others through actions and I believe that that is one of the main reasons God placed me here this summer. They love with their entire selves; the way they greet us with excitement, a “Mi Amor!” a huge hug, and a kiss on the cheek, the way they go out of their way to give us words of encouragement, the way they invite us into their homes and lives, even though we may not have much to add to the conversation, and the way that they prepare food and drinks for us, making us feel right at home though they may not have a ton of extra to spare. I’ve grown up hearing about how others can see God working through you but now that has taken on a whole new meaning for me and I actually get it. God has created beautiful people in La Fragua and has inspired me to live out His love through being a recipient of their love. I am so blessed by my friendships here.

“Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person's seemingly small act of obedience! Rest assured: Do what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next.” –Elisabeth Elliot

 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25