All the glory!

I'm so thankful for having the opportunity to share my life here with my parents! It truly is something as well as I can try I can never do justice to share the full experiences here. I would just like to turn back and give proper glory to our Lord. I know my Dad spoke of things Laura and I were accomplishing but really we accomplish nothing, it is only by the grace of God that we are able to truly be His hands and feet in a very tangible way here.
     There is a beautiful quote by St. Teresa de Avila that has really come alive for me here,

"CRISTO no tiene otro cuerpo
que el TUYO;
no tiene MANOS ni pies en la tierra,
excepto los TUYOS.
Tuyos son los OJOS a través de los cuales
El mira a este mundo con COMPASION.
TUYAS son las manos
con las que El bendice
a todo el mundo."
- Santa Teresa de Avila

"Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion
is to look out to the earth,
yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good
and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now."
- St Teresa of Avila

What humility of our Lord!

I truly want to thank everyone for all our your prayers and encouraging words but also want to say that we are all missionaries! Really, I'm not doing anything more extraordinary than anyone else. I am, by the grace of God, living out the vocation He has given me at this time. Remember that the vocation of Our Lady. She was not give her life as religious or live as a foreign missionary but rather lived out her vocation perfectly in the day to day as wife and mother and how extraordinary it was! I encourage you all to pray for your vocations and I will be praying as well for open hearts and courage to live out your call!

 

Sharing the experience!

                                                    My experience at the FINCA!!!

              (This is a short first-hand experience from my Dad of his Finca visit!)

 Since Natalie left Jacksonville on 8/13/14, I had been counting the days until 3/8/14!  I originally thought we would visit in August or September 2014. However, a beautiful opportunity presented itself when Natalie informed us the Ross Family was traveling to the FINCA during Spring Break! Sweet Pea and I said we are ALL IN! haha. (Let me tell you, experiencing the FINCA with Greg, Cathy, Matthew, and Tiffany Ross was AMAZING!!!) I was a little nervous. Of course I was very, very, did I mention VERY EXCITED to see my beautiful daughter, Natalie!!! However, what would a trip to Trujillo, Honduras entail? Break out Rosetta Stone, learn the language, get in shape, get all supplies packed, coordinate passports, communicate, line up work, off we go!!!

What a Beautiful country!!! Mid 80's, Caribbean Ocean breeze, sunny, relaxed, laid back. Who needs roads? haha Wash your car in the river!!! Even more beautiful than the weather were the PEOPLE!!! AWESOME, AMAZING CHILDREN AND ADULTS who may have little from the USA material perspective, but have EVERYTHING from the LOVE OF GOD AND NEIGHBOR perspective!!!

Starting the visit with a Fiesta for a young boy turning into a man on his 15 birthday!!! What a beautiful celebration!!! Everyone in their Sunday best giving glory to God for a soul going to a higher level of service for our LORD!!! It was a full day, so we turned in. Fall asleep to the ocean breeze and  wake up to the call of the rooster - that continues all day!!! haha

Monday go to serve in the clinic!!! Being a pharmacist for thirty years was a gift from God

that I was happy to share!!! What amazing work being accomplished by Natalie, Pediatric nurse, and Laura, ARNP. They are a great team bringing quality of life to the children and community with God's grace. Helping sick babies, stitching up teenage boys from Machete accidents, assisting young moms - the list goes on and on!!! Most recently LIFE FLIGHTING a young boy suffering from seizures that would have taken his life without appropriate medical attention!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

We were blessed to attend HOLY MASS on the farm. The singing of the children is still ringing in my ears. I wish I could fly ALL of them to Jacksonville, FL to sing in our parishes! Their voices are so beautiful and INSPIRING!!! I love the way they sing the Lamb of God in Spanish!!! The HOLY MASS is beautiful in any language!!! I was happy to be present for the celebration of the HOLY EUCHARIST in Spanish!!!

 PRESENT!!! Truly, this is the ONLY way to understand the work of the HOLY SPIRIT in Trujillo, Honduras at the FINCA and in the community!!! The missionaries are AMAZING!!! They are roughing it, but they lift up their sacrifices DAILY for HIS HIGHER PURPOSE!!! Serving those children and community!!!

I was very blessed to be immersed in this PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!!! I truly enjoyed every minute. Whether it was serving in the clinic, playing baseball with the children, helping cook at the mission house, or walking into the community outside and around the FINCA. The people in the community are truly the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. They offer you a plastic chair in their humble home and all the love you can receive. I was truly humbled by their outpouring of love of God and neighbor!!!

 It is really difficult to put into words all the HOLY SPIRIT is accomplishing in Trujillo, Honduras. I was sooooo blessed to be a small part of HIS WORK!!! I would encourage ANYONE and EVERYONE to participate in ANY way GOD is calling you to. It may be a visit. Linda and Larry Forseth have AWESOME accommodations at Tranquility Bay, just 8 minutes North of the FINCA by foot on the most Beautiful beach!!! Their hospitality is second to none. Meals are delicious!!! Larry is a pilot if you would like to take a day excursion to a neighboring island. Linda is an awesome cook, plays a heavenly harp, accompanied by an angelic voice. Their fellowship enhances your experience.

 Another way to participate - the first way - is through PRAYER!!! Heartfelt, 24/7, sincere prayer for the children, adults, and missionaries that HIS will be accomplished. That HE will provide the grace necessary for the instruments the missionaries TRULY are!!!!

 Financial assistance is always welcome. You can imagine all the needs of 30 children, the people that care for the children, and the supplies and resources necessary to accomplish HIS WORK in Trujillo, Honduras!!! 

 Words can not do justice to the AWESOME WORK being accomplished!!! The Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ truly comes ALIVE at the FINCA in Trujillo, Honduras!!! I would be happy to share any additional experience that may be beneficial to your call to serve!!! ALL THE BEST!!! THANK YOU LORD FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN TRUJILLO, HONDURAS AT THE FINCA!!!!!

Natalie, I know there is soooooo much more to say!!!! To give HIM glory for all we experienced. I hope this helps to encourage other to serve in the way HE is calling!!!

Love, Pappi

 

 

It's not my foot that hurts...

Thank you so for all those who read and responded to my last blog post. I chose to share some of the harder, more real experiences with you not for pity, or recognition, or even because I personally wanted to, but because I have been asking our Lord to teach me how to love. His response the Holy Spirit prompting my heart to share more of myself. This has been a struggle for me because I would rather give myself through listening to others. It is safer because even though it still requires giving, you are not vulnerable. However, our Lord has been teaching me that this is not true love. To truly love is to share yourself, your real self. My life, these experiences are not just for me. It is one of the hard lessons I am learning at the moment, along with another one I'd like (or rather our Lord would like me) to share with you called humility:)

 

So know that I have shared with you my mentally and spiritual struggles, and now I will share with you some of the physical. So I have been struggling on and off with bouts of stomach sickness (vomiting and diarrhea) since Guatemala in August. The first 2 months I blew it off as transition in language school. Then when we arrived at the Finca I attributed to stress, diet change, fried food, a few days when we had no water and then it came back super dirty, and a million other reasons. Gracias a Dios I took amoeba meds and I haven't had problems since, and not a day too soon because now I'm on crutches!

 

...So I was running from house to house early in the morning Dia de Amor y Amistad, Valentine's Day, delivering flowers to our beautiful girls and as I was running sliced my foot on something. Of course being a nurse my mind quickly switched into assessment mode. Blood, need to stop the bleeding. Can I make it to the clinic? Nope ok closest house. House 1 but it's full on little girls (ages 7-10), hmmm next best option house 2 (teenage girls). I felt so bad as I hopped over there with blood pouring out of my foot because the girls faces were like, "oh no what do we do? what's going on? there's so much blood." So thank God I stayed calm and He helped me delegate tasks, "Someone please give me a towel so I can stop the bleeding, someone please run to the missionary house and grab the other nurse, (This would have been a great time to call the clinical team phone but there's no service in Trujillo at the moment...gotta love Honduras.) and don't worry about asking for permission because all the missionaries are still sleeping. haha. ( We always as for permission before entering anyone's house). So poor Laura (missionary NP) shows up looking very confused. ( I can't imagine the story she got coming over) and she helped me hop over to the clinic. 

 

So many people have been asking what happened with the sound of pity in their voice as if that is supposed to help me feel better, but really I consider it a blessing. Everything happens for a reason. And this I have recognized to be a continued lesson of humility. Practically speaking I have better access to health care here then in the states! I help run a clinic, and I live with an NP! I didn't have to wait in any line or even traffic to get to a hospital. Laura did a great job stitching me up within half and hour.

 

Crutches is another story! I don't know how many crutch teachings I've given. haha. but I don't know what else to say but it's hard. I remember our PT always asking what kind of setup people had a home, stair. Well we have dirt paths, rocks, sand, stair without rails. It's like the xgames for crutches!:)

 

No but seriously, it's not my foot that hurts. This lesson has truly been hard for me, as I sit with my foot elevated and let others help me. I am a person, who by God's grace has been given gifts to serve, to keep going and giving even when you're not sure where the energy or strength will come from, and not because I feel this self-righteous, holier than thou desire, but because that is what truly makes my heart beat. It is when I'm serving others that I my whole being feel alive. Letting others serve me on the other hand is unknown territory for me. I don't like how it feels, I feel without purpose, I feel lazy, like I'm not giving. It is very humbling. My missionary family, the kids, and the tias, have been ready and willing to help me and I have been struggling to let them. I feel like Peter, and the Lord is trying to wash my feet and I'm telling Him no Jesus you can't as He responds well then you can't enter the kingdom of heaven." Ok Jesus but I can't do it, you have to help me. And He has been. It is the continuation of the lesson of how to love more truly. You can not truly love if you do not know how to receive it. 

 

Although my arms are sore, and my humanness is frustrated my soul recognizes the great growth that is taking place. I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day, I am truly grateful for the special gift of love that our Lord gave to me this day in the form a small cut on my foot that reminded me  of the fragility  of our humanity. It showed me how dependent we need to be on our Lord and each other, and though it is a small, give me the opportunity to unite my small suffering with His own in the cross.