We just finished our final reflection and devotion time together. As I looked around the circle, I saw exhaustion, fear, hope, joy, worry, wonder, and most of all gratitude on the faces that surrounded me. We have experienced so much in this foreign land. We have heard and seen, touched and sensed more than we could ever put into words through the Guatemalans, within our little band of travelers, and within ourselves. We have laughed and cried, shouted and kept silent, hoped and feared, despaired and rejoiced...together.
I can't imagine a better way to celebrate Pentecost than with this group in this amazing land. There are some days in my life when I wonder just where God's Spirit is. This week, there is no doubt that God's Spirit is blowing through Guatemala and through each of these young adults.
For all of you who are reading this blog who raised these young people (parents, relatives, pastors, friends, teachers...all of you), you have given the world an incredible gift in the lives of these amazing people. Their hearts are so big, so loving, so filled with generosity and a willingness to listen and learn, question and wonder. Their faith has blessed me and challenged me and given me great hope for the future.
As we concluded our reflection tonight, Kathy and I gave each student a little leather sandal to remind them that we are all walking this journey together. We can't walk the road of Jesus' self-giving love by ourselves. We chose the sandal because it it is not the shoe of the powerful. It is the shoe of a servant. Each one of us has experienced this week what it means to allow others to serve us, and God has cracked our hearts open just a bit to let us see how we, too, might be servants in our own lives. My prayer is that we might grow more and more to understand what that might mean for our lives as we live into God's abundant life...together.
---written by Susan Verbrugge, Co-leader
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