Standing on the sidewalk in the middle of downtown Palenque I watch as part of my heart drives away in a small Toyota truck. The unanticipated goodbye has finally come and gone. Now I’m left with a mixture of memories and the unknown future dancing through my mind. Only a short two and a half weeks ago I was arriving in Palenque oblivious to the trial my heart would be put through.
Carlos accepted Christ on the first night of our church plant ministry with Noe. We had played soccer with him and some of his friends earlier in the day and I was surprised to see him show up on his own to the service that evening. As several of us were praying over him that night God gave me the impression that he is going to be a mighty man of God. Carlos came to every single thing we invited him to for the rest of our time in Palenque.
We played soccer, spent evenings in worship at various church services and used our two free days to explore local attractions with Carlos, Jose and their friends. I was surprised at how quickly God broke my heart for Carlos and his family. I knew God was capable of anything, but I had never experienced such a rapid expenditure of my heart on one person.
People always say “it’s better to love and lose than to have never loved at all”. I believe God is using this year to teach me the truth in that statement, but mostly He’s teaching me how to move over and let Him love through me. Saying goodbye is hard, but I know that it is worth every tear. I would rather pour all of my heart into the people I meet this year than save myself from the pain of goodbyes.
Leaving Palenque, Mexico was harder than I had anticipated. I pray that I encounter that problem in every country we visit this year. If I don’t feel the pain of leaving, then I know that I wasn’t giving my whole heart away, I wasn’t loving. I want to love. Life is about building relationships, about serving and loving people – it’s about being Christ to those we meet.
Eric, Carlos (16yr), Israel (Jose’s friend), Jose (Carlos’ older brother), Roy (met at Noe’s), Amy, me, Sarah all enjoying a day at Miso-ha waterfall
Carlos, me, Israel in the cave behind the waterfall at Miso-ha
Jose, me, Amy, Carlos at their family ranch about 45 min outside of Palenque. Their family invited us (Eric, James, Sarah, Amy and myself) to an evening of horseback riding as a sort of fairwell on our last day in Palenque. It was so much fun and with only 4 horses for 8 of us it was a little crazy… definitely made saying goodbye that much harder. 🙂
Most of Squad B with the Pastor of el Olivo church and his family. We camped at the church and the family cooked us 3 meals a day the entire time we were in Palenque. They were all such a blessing.
