The Heart of A Servant. March 18, 2017.
P.S. Read the latest article about the journey with the Toros Football Team here, written by yours truly!
I try a lot to be like Jesus. But there's some things that just don't click very easy for me. Like taking time away from my projects and tasks to focus on and love the passing person. Like going away and being alone and praying. Like being in constant communication with the Father. Like saving the world. And like serving.
I learn servanthood from Joaquin, though. I got a lot of respect for this kid. He's 12 years old, a talented soccer player, the middle child of 8 siblings and half-siblings, pretty handsome for a young fella, a touch of wise-crack, and just cocky enough...really reminds me of a young AJ Westendorp (minus the large family) (OK, and the good looks). His father left the family when he was just a little guy, his mother is wonderful in some ways but also "likes her beer" to put it in her own words. His stepdad treats everyone all right but also likes his beer and his pinball-esque machine at the local tienda.
Joaquin has been coming to the ELEVAR (the tutoring program) really since the beginning. He's pretty good at avoiding doing too much of any homework by not bringing said homework into the building. More often, he brings his 4-year old brother, David, walking just behind him, hand in hand, with a soft, timid smile. I admire this about Joaquin. Without calling any attention to himself, is always looking out for David, listening to his worries, taking him to the bathroom, walking him home when he gets bored, disciplining him when he's stubborn, and helping him color his pictures. When we went to the park and David was freezing cold after running through the sprinkler, he walked him all the way to the bathroom to take off his soaking wet jean shorts and slip on his sister's extra gym shorts. I wonder where he learns it from, child of an absent father and a preoccupied stepfather. I had a great father, but I never cared for my little sister like that, never served her so selflessly and nonchalantly.
It might be one of those things that in the midst of need and lack of an active father, there comes something radiant...servanthood, something that wouldn't have come if there had been plenty to begin with. Out of the less desirable circumstance comes a completely desirable personality trait. Out of the manger came the Savior, too, remember? Out of 400 years of silence came the promised Messiah.
There's thousands of young men in Guatemala with emptiness in their lives, just like Joaquin. As promising as he is as a young lad, neither soccer nor servanthood nor chic is going to satisfy, save, or fill that emptiness. At this point, he knows Jesus as "a good man." I pray he finds Him to be his Savior and all-satisfying joy. And so we keep walking.
Thanks for walking with us. And Joaquin. We can't tell you how much that means.
-AJ & Alaina
p.s. Things We're Into Lately!
1. Activity: Writing and reflecting.
2. Market Buy: Cherry Tomatoes. 25 cents a pound, guys. And so good.
3. Things Stuck In Teeth: Mangos fibers. Green, gold, red...'tis the season. I will not be restrained.
4. Podcast: On The Media.
5. App: Nike Training Club. The reason why Alaina gets up in the morning.
p.s. Things To Pray For Lately
1. There's a couple families in Bethania who need your prayers for provision and for safety in a very big way.
2. How can the local church, including our church, be more a part of investing in Bethania? Pray for this movement to be wise, helpful, truth-driven, and faith-fueled.
3. There's a lot of new Toros that are part of the team. Pray for space to invest, and for fruitful investments, and for more workers to do the planting and harvesting. Also for Wilo, a veteran/coach with the Toros who lost his 1-year-old son last week to a brain tumor.
4. For safety, wisdom, truth, justice, and hope in regards to a specific situation we're dealing with.
5. 35 girls died in a fire in a children's refuge home near the capital last week. There's a lot of suspicion about mistreatment within the home, a lot of public outrage against the government, and a lot of mourning for the families. Pray for the families. Pray that the Church responds. Pray that this, yet another tragedy, moves people and institutions towards better things. I'll just say that because some orphanages and rehabilitation houses have earned a bad reputation in Guatemala, many street youth involved in Sigo Vivo don't want to go to rehab for fear of being mistreated. It can be a sad thing.
I try a lot to be like Jesus. But there's some things that just don't click very easy for me. Like taking time away from my projects and tasks to focus on and love the passing person. Like going away and being alone and praying. Like being in constant communication with the Father. Like saving the world. And like serving.
I learn servanthood from Joaquin, though. I got a lot of respect for this kid. He's 12 years old, a talented soccer player, the middle child of 8 siblings and half-siblings, pretty handsome for a young fella, a touch of wise-crack, and just cocky enough...really reminds me of a young AJ Westendorp (minus the large family) (OK, and the good looks). His father left the family when he was just a little guy, his mother is wonderful in some ways but also "likes her beer" to put it in her own words. His stepdad treats everyone all right but also likes his beer and his pinball-esque machine at the local tienda.
Joaquin has been coming to the ELEVAR (the tutoring program) really since the beginning. He's pretty good at avoiding doing too much of any homework by not bringing said homework into the building. More often, he brings his 4-year old brother, David, walking just behind him, hand in hand, with a soft, timid smile. I admire this about Joaquin. Without calling any attention to himself, is always looking out for David, listening to his worries, taking him to the bathroom, walking him home when he gets bored, disciplining him when he's stubborn, and helping him color his pictures. When we went to the park and David was freezing cold after running through the sprinkler, he walked him all the way to the bathroom to take off his soaking wet jean shorts and slip on his sister's extra gym shorts. I wonder where he learns it from, child of an absent father and a preoccupied stepfather. I had a great father, but I never cared for my little sister like that, never served her so selflessly and nonchalantly.
It might be one of those things that in the midst of need and lack of an active father, there comes something radiant...servanthood, something that wouldn't have come if there had been plenty to begin with. Out of the less desirable circumstance comes a completely desirable personality trait. Out of the manger came the Savior, too, remember? Out of 400 years of silence came the promised Messiah.
There's thousands of young men in Guatemala with emptiness in their lives, just like Joaquin. As promising as he is as a young lad, neither soccer nor servanthood nor chic is going to satisfy, save, or fill that emptiness. At this point, he knows Jesus as "a good man." I pray he finds Him to be his Savior and all-satisfying joy. And so we keep walking.
Thanks for walking with us. And Joaquin. We can't tell you how much that means.
-AJ & Alaina
p.s. Things We're Into Lately!
1. Activity: Writing and reflecting.
2. Market Buy: Cherry Tomatoes. 25 cents a pound, guys. And so good.
3. Things Stuck In Teeth: Mangos fibers. Green, gold, red...'tis the season. I will not be restrained.
4. Podcast: On The Media.
5. App: Nike Training Club. The reason why Alaina gets up in the morning.
p.s. Things To Pray For Lately
1. There's a couple families in Bethania who need your prayers for provision and for safety in a very big way.
2. How can the local church, including our church, be more a part of investing in Bethania? Pray for this movement to be wise, helpful, truth-driven, and faith-fueled.
3. There's a lot of new Toros that are part of the team. Pray for space to invest, and for fruitful investments, and for more workers to do the planting and harvesting. Also for Wilo, a veteran/coach with the Toros who lost his 1-year-old son last week to a brain tumor.
4. For safety, wisdom, truth, justice, and hope in regards to a specific situation we're dealing with.
5. 35 girls died in a fire in a children's refuge home near the capital last week. There's a lot of suspicion about mistreatment within the home, a lot of public outrage against the government, and a lot of mourning for the families. Pray for the families. Pray that the Church responds. Pray that this, yet another tragedy, moves people and institutions towards better things. I'll just say that because some orphanages and rehabilitation houses have earned a bad reputation in Guatemala, many street youth involved in Sigo Vivo don't want to go to rehab for fear of being mistreated. It can be a sad thing.