I am sitting on the Guatemalan airport floor right now writing this blog post. I look back on this past week serving as an interpreter with Humanitize in Guatamala and my heart is full. I feel a love for this amazing people that reminds me of my wonderful mission days serving the Houston, Texas Latinos. One of the greatest lessons I learned in Guatamala was that those in the most humble circumstances can truly be the most happy! I hope that by sharing several of my experiences that you can also be reminded that joy is not controlled by ones circumstances but by ones choices.
I have always had a great love for the Latino people since my mission. When we arrived at the orphanage we were staying at we saw through the fence all of the sweet latino orphans playing together. Because of COVID we couldn’t interact with them like we were used to.They would stick their hands through the fence and we would hold their hands and talk to them.
These beautiful 18 little kids were happy and showed love for life through their eyes. Several of them- (Isabela and Ana) particularly stole my heart. As I watched them playing through the fence I was reminded that joy is not based on the circumstances of life. These children had been through so much but they were still smiling!
We saw 250 patients this week! I had the privilege of interpreting for many of these families. There were many people that we saw with chronic arthritis, diabetes, severe sickness, pregnancy issues, infections, parasites, and even amputee. All of these people and trials filled me with awe. Each were going through such terrible individual struggles and had large families, but many were happy and showed such gratitude.
One older woman named Guineve I talked to for a long time about God and our lives. She told me her husband had died when she had her two boys only 3 and 5 years old. She raised them alone and worked as a nurse to provide for them. She expressed her trust in God and love for Him despite her trials. She was happy and content with her life. She invited me to do the same and to always keep my life close to God.
A man that lost his leg to infection still had to provide for his 4 children. His family was struggling so much and he had so much to be frustrated about but here he was cracking jokes the whole time we talked to him. He seemed to wear a permanent smile on his face. One family we visited had four little boys that were running around the house laughing and playing. Though their shoes were torn and their life so humble, these children wore faces of joy!
One woman had a baby that lost one eye to infection and we gave her funds to help her baby get the needed surgery to save his other eye. She told me that our service was giving her hope. She believed that God was working through us to help. Though she was destitute and though her baby was sick she saw God in the details and chose joy.
I could go on and on about my experiences helping the people of San Andreas, Los Robles, and Godines! I saw such strength and happiness in the lives of these people. It reminded me that it doesn’t matter what we own, if we have a tin roof or a chandelier, if we have an iPhone or a pen to write a letter, if we live in China or Peru…we are all children of God! We are all given a life to live, decisions to make, and people to love!
“Men are that they might have joy,” poor and rich, bond and free, male and female! I would like to share the words of Prophet Russell M Nelson stating that “the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.” I hope you can adjust the focus of your life to invite that joy that God is so willing to give us if we will turn to Him and choose to smile!
Challenge: Think of three ways you can fill your life with more lasting joy this week! (Ex. Scripture study, time with family, Writing down something you are grateful for each day...)
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