This is my last day of “leisure” for the summer!
I have the whole day ahead of me, waiting for the fabulous Long Island Presbytery delegation to arrive tonight. I had a breakfast of exotic (for us) fruits – pineapple, papaya, watermelon, cantaloupe, maracuya. All ripe and delicious to perfection. I’m doing some agenda prep for a group coming in August, doing some reading, doing some ‘delegation tool’ info typing. I’m not used to just sitting and relaxing and there is only so much Facebook scrolling I can handle! :o)
I read something this morning that felt significant. And it reminded me of the joy that is to be shared in the coming weeks with the 5 delegations I will be accompanying.
This is what I (we) experience every time I (we) visit a dirt floor home here in El Salvador:
“This show of hospitality should not have surprised me as much as it did. I was part of a beautiful exchange between people who lived worlds apart. They extended grace and compassion toward me when I was far from home. I learned that day that hospitality and compassion is always an exchange. We did not just bring food; we ate together. Rather than leaving after the community meal, we gave the opportunity for others to welcome us to their homes. We all gave and all received.” **
** Irene Pak –
Horizon’s magazine, January/February 2016
I hope to do some blogs while I’m here but no promises. We have 5 groups coming in the span of about 6 weeks. While I accompany groups, I have very little time to write. By the time we bid each other good night in the evenings, I don’t typically have much left to give and typically fall into bed and sleep like a baby! Sometimes I ‘steal’ (with permission) what other people write. I will at the very least, try to do that. And pictures. Always pictures!
What a blessing to be here. (But I miss my Mike – and it is only day one!).
