Juxtaposition


We arrived at the Best Westen in Mangua last night at around 7:20pm.  We had left Chinandega and the Amigos property around 7am, and our day was a full one.

After boarding the bus, we traveled approximately 3 hours south east to a crater lake called Laguna De Apoyo so that the folks from Northridge could enjoy a little R&R.  

The area where we "set up camp" for the day was called La Abuela (or the grandmother).  It is a lovely little place that is nestled high above a crater lake which is both crystal clear, and warm.  There are rooms which people can rent, and a very nice restaurant.  

To get into the water you can use one of three ways - there is a steep water slide, two decks from which you can run - and then jump off into the lake, or you could climb down a ladder.  While most of our group opted to run and jump, I chose the slide!

Our lunch was an ENORMOUS combo plate that included beans and rice, chicken, steak, pork and chorizo, salad, and both fried and sauteed plantains.  I am not sure anyone (even the teenage boys) ate it all, but it certainly was good.

After hanging at the lake for much of the day, we reboarded our bus and went to the Masaya National Park.  There - we could look way down over a wall and watch lava flowing and bubbling deep in the crater.  

When I reflect on this day - and how the places I visited are most often seen by American tourists, or wealthy folks from Latin America, and then I think of the faces of the peoplein San Benito, the juxtaposition hits me hard.

When Jesus was asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it; 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All of the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments."  - Matthew 22:36-40.

This afternoon I am going to board a plane and go back to the land of $5 coffees, air conditioned homes, flush toilets, movie theatres, shopping malls, and just sooo much wealth and priviledge.  And folks, if you are reading this - you are probably doing it on a smart phone, tablet or computer.  That means you are living a life that is far "cushier" than that of the people I have worked alongside these past few months.

IAnd I think that 2023, when we all have so much, it SHOULD NOT BE that people here have to live the way they do - scratching and clawing for water, food, means to feed their family, and decent housing. They didn't ask to be born here into these circumstances, and they work hard - REALLY HARD - every day, just to try to provide some sort of life for themselves and their families.

Soon I am going to ask you to help.  But before I do I want you to start praying about what "helping" might look like for you. 

I love you all, and I think that together, we can make an impact. 

Prayers for safe and easy travels today would be appreciated. X0 - Susan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Petition for Prayers

Image
Hi there - today is my 400th post and I am wrestling a bit... so I'm asking for your prayers. I started this blog o ver a year ago, convinced it was something God wanted me to do.  It was way out of my comfort zone, and certainly not something I’d have done 10 years before, but  I had hoped that i n some way, it might help people get closer to Him. I knew that once I had finally given my life to God, EVERYTHING in my life changed, and  I desperately wanted people to experience the same JOY and PEACE I have felt since making that decision.   As they say, “I was like a poor beggar telling others where they could find food”. For months, the posts flowed easily and I would feel the Holy Spirit's inspiration…the words on the page practically writing themselves.  However, I'm not sure that is still the case.  Sometimes I feel as if I am struggling to hear His voice, and I honestly don't want to be writing MY thoughts - I want to be sharing HIS. So, I'm going to t...
Read more

The Journey to the Cross (Day 4 - THE LADDER)

Image
In the city of Jerusalem stands a church called  The Church of the Holy Sepulcher.   It has been proposed as the place of both the death and resurrection of Jesus, and it has been a place for pilgrimages since the 4th century. Considered holy, the site is cared for by no less than six denominations including Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Roman Catholic, Coptic, Ethiopian and Syriac Orthodox.  As such, it has been carefully parsed out into sections.  And sadly, arguments and violent clashes are not uncommon. Jim visited the church once on a trip with Northridge and told me about "The Immovable Ladder".  Apparently the ladder is a " bizzare outcome of religious stubbornness pushed to extremes. " For " Sometime in the first half of the 18th century, someone placed a ladder up against the wall of the church. No one is sure who he was, or more importantly, to which sect he belonged.  The ladder remains there to this day.  No one dares touch it, l...
Read more

The Journey to the Cross (Day 3 - ONLY JESUS)

Image
Today’s Holy Week post has me thinking about the 12 disciples. ONLY JESUS Can you name Jesus' 12 disciples?  If you've been watching The Chosen or reading your Bible regularly, you might be able to.  However - there are some, who - at least for me, are a bit in the shadows. Sure I know Simon/Peter, and his brother Andrew .  And then there was James and John, the sons of Thunder (or Zebedee to be exact).  There was Matthew, and Thomas, and Judas Iscariot.  And there was Simon the Zealot, and another James...but...but...a nd here is where my mind isn't as good at remembering.   So I Googled it. There was also Philip - a Jewish man from Bethsaida who apparently was the one to tell Nathaniel (another lesser known disciple) that "The One" Moses and the prophets had foretold in the Old Testament, was here.  Following Jesus' death Philip became a missionary in Greece and for his outspoken faith proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God - Philip was stoned and...
Read more