there was a time in my life where enjoying a cup of coffee usually meant that i was spending time alone sitting on my porch watching the sunrise as the only sounds that could be heard were various birds or the wind sweeping through the trees. coffee time was not always solitary time where i would think about the day ahead or reflect back to days gone by. it was possible that i was spending time with a best friend of mine in the quiet corner of a starbucks just enjoying each others company. either way, it was a quiet peaceful time where my surroundings were under my control. sometimes i miss that cup of coffee. however in the grand scheme of things i know that God is calling me away from that cup and at this time forcing me into greater communion and community with those around me. being around mass amounts of people is not something that would choose every day maybe not even every other day. this year i know that i will be experiencing that community differently than i would in the states because of the all girl situation but here in the latin american countries, we are forced into community in taxi´s, buses, microbusses (on my birthday we squeezed 23 people into 1 bus that normally holds 12-15). everywhere you go around here it seems that your space is being taken away, your solitude is being taken away and for me, that cup of coffee is being taken away from me. there is another way here that i way that God is teaching me about community; teaching me to embrace it.
Here in Puerto Barrios there is another team here, assembled from many different parts of the globe. they are a ywam (youth with a mission) team that has about 14 different persons. they are a great group and they are another aspect to my learning the community life that God wants me to partake in. let me set this up for you by describing our living conditions here. our group (team joy) is actually sleeping in a radio station which looks and operates as a house. the girls have one room (complete with air conditioner and a door!) that all 4 share. the other bedroom here in the radio station/house is for the owner of the station who is our contact here (paul tonetti). that leaves yours truly without a bedroom where i can seek my solitude selfishly. so i sleep behind a work station on a futon in the front room of the house. for both groups, this house serves as the headquarters for food 3 times a day and is kind of a hangout spot (team joy really knows how to draw a crowd). all this action takes place right in my room. every morning i am awoken by people needing to get in (sometimes at 6:30) or just by the noise they produce…which can be considerable. sometimes i wonder if they even remember that i am there! this is how everyday goes for me. i have laid through ywam team meetings, prayer meetings ect… the only alone time i am afforded is when i use the bathroom or take a shower which is probably in total 30 minutes a day. even on what would normally be quiet days, there always seems to be some pastor or other adult or child from the local community that drops by and naturally hangs out in my would be space. my mind screams WHERE IS MY CUP OF COFFEE!!!!!!!! then God says I HAVE TAKEN IT AWAY!!!!!!! As he puts me through the crash course of community i know that it is for my own personal good and continued personal growth. sometimes it is hard to see it through his lenses but it is only frustrating to see it through my own.
