My Papoo (the Greek word for grandpa) was a strong and noble man. One of character and compassion. He was not a man of a lot of words, but I know he was always listening and cared more about his family than anything else. When he passed away two weeks ago I was so broken by the fact that I would not see him again, but realized that I do not doubt how he felt about me and that now he is no longer in pain or suffering. I loved him deeply and was always moved when he laughed or cried because of his great passion. My Papoo had such a beautiful heart and will carry him with me always.
The day of his memorial service, I was not able to be at home with my family but instead was in Apastepeque, El Salvador. On this particular day my team and I traveled out to village to talk and pray over people. The village was not just any average village, it was occupied by people who had been displaced in a hurricane that hit El Salvador in 2009. These people were living in makeshift houses that contained very little material belongings because most everything had been destroyed in the flood. Plus most of these people had lost family members and friends in the devastating incident.
There was a woman who was sitting at her window when we walked by. She was a beautiful woman that lit up the moment my teammate Kate and I said hello and introduced ourselves to her. It appeared that she lived by herself, stuck in a wheelchair because of physical deformities. But as we prayed for her and spoke to her in our broken Spanish her face just lit up and she seemed so thankful for the company. You could see all over her face the hope and joy that her life contained. Walking away from this moment inspired me to want to be a person that walks in the same kind of joy and that people can see it radiating off me. What a great reminder on the day that my beloved Papoo was going to be remembered.
The fact that I get the opportunity to be on a journey this year where I will get to meet people that I would never come across in daily life is amazing. The fact that I couldn’t be with my family during this hard time was difficult, but I still was able to skype into the memorial service and talk to and see most of my family members, which was a blessing. I love them all so much and am supporting and loving them from afar but know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Loving on people who have experienced difficult times in life and being able to extend them love and hope.
R.I.P George Karagianis 1929-2012
