A Simple Smile

(From the journal entry of this past weekend)

I write as my thoughts awaken while the announcers of the futbol match provide background noise. I have been napping and reading a book about Amos, the biblical prophet. I am here in the Guatemalan city of Zacapa, as I have come with some fellow Christians to deliver clothes and supplies from Antigua and to spend time with the children and family of a local school and church.

The alarm on my cell phone sounded at 3:30 am and at 10 til 4 I was doing pull-ups on the rim of the soccer-basketball court just across the street from the church where I was to be picked up by my ride to keep the blood flowing in the chill of the morn. A little after 4 the ride arrived and we proceeded to pick up a couple other folks before heading to the cafe to meet up with the rest of the group.

It came time to go and our driver Antonio put the van in reverse only soon after to return it to park...because he had backed into and knocked over a motorcycle. And with that, the only hiccup of the trip, we were off.

It was a dark drive early in the morning but allowed for some good practice of español as I sat in between Alfredo and Luis. A total of 18 people made the trip, so there was not much room for comfort, kind of like in my spanish conversations. The drive time was around 2 hours and as we rode along, we witnessed the effects of the rising sun, which exposed the beautiful terrain of the surrounding mountains and hills of the lovely Guatemalan morning.

I was first assigned to work with the 6-8 year olds to make hats out of newspapers but later the plans changed and I was able to assist the 3-5 year olds with a different project. I handed out crayons and construction paper to the little ones and helped them trace their hands onto the paper. I spent a good while making funny noises as I traced the hands of the niños; their laughter satisfied my antics. I then cut out many hands of pink, green, blue, brown, and yellow.

Last weekend I was up before the rising sun to make my way to hike a volcano. The trip up the volcano was amazing as it cleared a path to some breath-taking views. My camera was with me on that trip to capture some of the moments from the amazing adventure difficult to put into words. And today, I again was up before the rising sun, this time to make way to a different adventure. And since the memory card on my camera was filled last night, I am left with pen and thought to capture this weekend's amazing adventure to a school in a small non-crowded rural Guatemalan town.

A hike to 13,000 feet provides a certain type of nourishment for the soul. And then a couple hours tracing and cutting construction-paper-hands while spending time laughing and smiling and making a mess with children provides the soul nourishment in another day.

Before the arts and crafts activity there was a familiar biblical story shared. Then the children answered questions and discussed the lesson. Though my understanding of the spanish vocabularly is still minimal, the story of the good Samaritan is one very well familiar.

And in my curiosity and later reviewing of the story, I found it interesting the stories that are recorded before and after the expert in the law posed the question about eternal life to Jesus. (I tend to read from the gospel of Luke the physician, since I was named after him.) The following precedes the good man from Samaria...

(After the 72 were sent out and returned they came to Jesus with joy and amazement that even the demons were in submission...Jesus makes mention of witnessing Satan fall from heaven like lightning and then...)

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

And this record follows the parable of the good Samaritan...

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

There are times when words aren't necessatily pertinent in communication. No words are needed to communicate the beauty of a volcano view. No words are needed to communicate the purity and innocence of a child. And listening, be it with ears or eyes, can do wonders.

With all that there is to know that I just don't, there are a few things I do know...

A simple smile, some funny noises, and different styles of laughter have been shared today. I don't know if I will ever see these children again, but the smiling faces of the little ones, especially the two-waving brothers through the fence as we were leaving, will not soon be forgotten. Like the breath-taking views the hike of the volcano provided, the smiling faces of the children will not soon be forgotten.

God to be praised in this moment and in this day for the many blessings these eyes are able to see. And for the things that make way to the soul in ways that cannot be seen...I am thankful I am but a child content with a simple smile.