Let’s focus on our return to Guatemala to work with our friends and the Guatemalan people. We left abruptly. We are returning with anticipation, but some nervousness.
It is easy to see the love and mercy in the Guatemalan people. They come to us with faith that we may be able to ease their suffering. They don’t complain about waiting in long lines. They thank us (and hug us in non-Covid times). They will give to others food and help when they have very little. Many of the Network Directors have little, but they share what they have; they bring hope to the people they serve; they kept the faith that FIP would return. They worked hard to enable us to come here and serve during this difficult time. They show mercy every day.
It is also easy to see the Guatemalan people walking humbly. They don’t generally ask for a lot. They accept help to ease their suffering gratefully. They have a strong faith in God. Most of us Americans don’t walk humbly. We take up a lot of space. We are generally loud. We don’t like being treated unfairly and may express our feelings strongly.
As we leave to begin our week and set up the clinic, I ask that we do justice in all our interactions; that we walk humbly beside our Guatemalan brothers and sisters; that we show mercy through our actions, our voices, our listening and that we try and learn from the way the Guatemalan people walk through this world. It is an honor to accompany them.
Mother Theresa has two quotes that I think provide a guide for what we should strive to do this week:
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
Our challenge this week is to try and do everything this week with great love. Sometimes we may be able to do greater things, but everyone working with us this week can do small things.
“We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”
In this time of Covid and with masks we can’t see smiles. But, we can see smiles in the eyes of the people we are around.
We are enormously grateful for all the people here: The Faith In Practice staff, each member of this team and all the people who have helped us to get where we are.
