So it has been quite a while since I blogged, and last time I did, I was sitting in a coffee shop in Bogotá, Colombia. I loved Colombia and my time there. It was by far one of my favorite months, along with El Salvador. Our last afternoon at Oasis (the after school program we served at) several kids clung to me and sobbed, asking me not to leave. They were breaking my heart, and I was semi-shocked at their reaction. One little girl in particular surprised me. Nine-year old Laura, who was one of the most well-behaved and composed girls, held onto me for the longest. All month, I had helped Laura with her homework and was impressed by how she always knew the answers during devotional time. Laura wasn’t one of the wild kids, and she was pretty quiet over all. To see her convulse with sobs in my arms was one of the most saddening things I experienced this year. Nevertheless, I held her close and told her what a smart and special girl she was. Her face and eyes were red from crying. She was the last kid to leave that afternoon. I wasn’t in a rush for her to leave either.
Later that night I asked my friend Laura, our Pastor’s daughter and contact for the month, if the kids always cried that much when teams left, and why they reacted so passionately. Yes, they always cried she said. Why?:
“Well the kids know and understand real, genuine love when they receive it. So when you guys leave, they know what they’re about to lose.”
Wow … that was eye-opening. Month to month, the few weeks that I’m in one location flies by even faster than the one before – making the time that I’m there feel like it wasn’t quite enough. It’s easy to start to wonder if my presence does more for me than it does for the people around me. I’ve come to accept the fact that as I pass through each country, I’m often there to mainly encourage the long-term missionaries. This is actually an important role that is often overlooked. In supporting long-term missionaries, you help further their mission while also giving them some reprieve of some sorts. They truly are the ones who are going to make a stronger impact in the long run.
But I digress. I left Colombia not wanting to leave. I wanted more time. I was initially not too excited to get to Ecuador. All I could think of were my precious Colombianitos. I remembered Juan Pablo, one boy in particular that just stole my heart. While I was there in Colombia, his mother had given birth to a baby girl. Juan Pablo shared with me that he had asked his mom if they could name his new baby sister “Katrina,” after the Mexicana that helped out in Oasis. My heart melted into a puddle. Near the end of my time there, he asked if I could give him something small so he could remember me. I decided to give him a cross necklace made of paracord that Jarrad had given me. It had been a hard decision for Jarrad to go home that month, and somehow, it made sense to leave something that he had made in that last country he was in. Jarrad knew how much I loved kids and I know he would’ve been proud to know that one of my favorites had it now. My teammate Mollie had even over heard when Juan Pablo went to go show Mandys, our friend and helper at Oasis, the necklace I had given him:
“Look what Katrina gave me! She does love me!”
Yes, I do. I loved my Colombian children, all of them. Troublemakers included. [Handsome little Andy, I’m looking at you in particular. You’re a celebrity in the making and you know it]. They brought me joy in the greatest form. Even now, two months later, I greatly miss Bogotá and my ministry there. But in keeping in touch with Mandys and Laura, it’s awesome to hear about how much the kids still remember me and still ask how I am. I loved them hard because I know Jesus sent me there to do at least that.
My prayer for myself for these few remaining months of the Race, as well as for those of you who are reading would be this: Don’t underestimate the love you have to offer nor your presence. When we are filled with the love of Jesus, no interaction is wasted and no small act of kindness is insignificant. It may not seem like it at the time, but I promise you it is true. You carry Jesus with you everywhere you go, and that is what will touch those we cross paths with. And God, being the good Father that He is, will bless you in return like you can’t even imagine.
Update: I’m in Lima, Perú right now! I will blog as soon as I can about my time in Ecuador last month.
