Have You Ever Wondered What the Holy Spirit Looks Like?

Amy Fiechter can tell us, friends... just cast your eyes above to the tick-man with the "warm fuzzy" in his middle, and you will be enlightened. I certainly was this morning during Sunday School... lol.

I am home from church, sitting on the squeaky bed in my room, occasionally scratching the fifteen bug bites I managed to get on my feet and ankles yesterday... so I thought I would post!

I was in bed reading the other night, and suddenly, unbidden, a poem came to my mind that has been hanging on a plaque on our bathroom wall for years. I am betting (although I'm not generally a gambling woman) that every person in my immediate family knows this poem by heart (whether by its prime location or for other reasons, I can't say...!).

It's amazing how words have the ability to visit us from the dimmest recesses of our minds, and how a phrase that we heard years ago turns into a working metaphor for the present. I think that is why it is so, so important for everyone here in Magdalena to relate to the people in our congregation and the children in the orphanage on more than just a basic level of interaction. We don't want to just interact on the surface... we want to go deeper... to know their thoughts and hearts, not just view them from a distance.

I oftentimes am frustrated when one culture feels that they are inherently "better" than another, and therefore the other culture should obviously learn the "better" language. I don't think that's how it should work, and I truly believe that by elevating ourselves to a different level we are completely missing out on the incredible sharing opportunity that is before us.

I like the fact that I am uncomfortable with the language and situations - it makes me trust God in a different way and forces me to learn more quickly. I only wish I could have learned when I was even younger.

I like the fact that I get corrected when I say something wrong - it teaches me humbleness, and shows me what works best for interacting with others when I am teaching English or any other subject.

I like the fact that I will never learn everything there is to know about this culture - it helps me realize that I probably don't know everything about my own, and therefore not to judge so quickly or readily.

I told my friend Jenna the other day that although I am feeling pretty good with things at the moment, there are times when I feel more than woefully inadequate, and completely naive. I have no idea what it's like to come from a home where I have been mentally, physically, and sexually abused my entire life... but I can maybe understand a little better why this kid lashes out in fear and anger every time he feels threatened. And I have never gone hungry a day in my life... but maybe that's why this little girl makes up stories about her refrigerator at home being full to the brim and eating whatever she wants... her mind has to reach for a reality different than what she knows. And maybe all the time I don't feel like having kids climbing all over me, braiding my hair, stealing my flip-flops, tickling me... but if that's what will let them know that they are loved and cared for... I will let them do all that and more with (at the minimum) ten kisses for each kid per day.

So... on to another subject... as for what I am actually doing here (as far as a "job"), I have been assigned to several communications options. I will be taking classes before the end of the year to get my ESL license online, and hopefully (prayerfully) designing a program that will be implemented at the beginning of January for teaching the kids at the school, as well as the community members, English. In addition, I am formatting a monthly newsletter, a website, various communication options for CVE, and a Christmas program. I also ordered two books of plays for children in Spanish so that we can start our own little monthly productions... I hope!

So far it has truly been a blessing working with the other staff down here, and it is like having a great big family... with lots of little kids running around... who share laughter, hardships, joys, and pains. My favorite times (other than with the kids) have been late-night "chats" in the kitchen (which seems to be a great gathering place for all), which remind me of home and "going for coffee." Muchas gracias a Dios por mi familia aqui y mi familia y amigos en los estados. (Many thanks to God for my family here and my family and friends in the states.)

Below is the text of the poem I remembered and tried to type from memory... sadly I don't know who it was written by, but I'm sure the rest of my family can help out! Have a lovely day...

I woke up early this morning
And rushed right into the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn’t take time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me
And heavier became each task.
I wondered why God didn’t show me?
He said, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on gray and bleak.
“Why doesn’t God show me?” I wondered.
He said, “You didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
“My child, you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.