Many years ago I told my Little League players to "never, ever give up."
I told myself the same thing during Week 2 of Spanish immersion school in Antigua, Guatamela -- especially the day I had Montezuma's Revenge and was dehydrated. It was tough to focus that day, and other days, as my lessons were harder than the first week. It was midweek when I "hit the wall." Still, I pulled it all together and scored higher on my Friday exam than I did on my first week-ending test.
The most rewarding part of my week, however, was experiencing confirmation of some of life's most important lessons (an unlikely experience if I was still living a distracted life in the United States (for many, the land of plenty).
Lesson No. 1: Less can be more. Lisa and I are living a simple life. Our room is meager. Our shower water isn't always hot (one day there was no water). But we are extremely happy and blessed to have firm beds to sleep on, four concrete walls around us and a roof over our heads. Far too many people in Guatemala, and in many other countries, can't say the same.
Lesson No. 2: We continue to learn more about humility. We are recognizing it is best to have a modest view of one's importance. We are certainly more than mere specks on earth, but we are not the be-all and end-all we sometimes want to believe we are.
And finally, Lesson No. 3: We are better understanding what The Apostle Paul meant in Philippians 4:11-13: "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want ...."
We are well fed and my rally call remains: "Never, ever give up!"
I told myself the same thing during Week 2 of Spanish immersion school in Antigua, Guatamela -- especially the day I had Montezuma's Revenge and was dehydrated. It was tough to focus that day, and other days, as my lessons were harder than the first week. It was midweek when I "hit the wall." Still, I pulled it all together and scored higher on my Friday exam than I did on my first week-ending test.
The most rewarding part of my week, however, was experiencing confirmation of some of life's most important lessons (an unlikely experience if I was still living a distracted life in the United States (for many, the land of plenty).
Lesson No. 1: Less can be more. Lisa and I are living a simple life. Our room is meager. Our shower water isn't always hot (one day there was no water). But we are extremely happy and blessed to have firm beds to sleep on, four concrete walls around us and a roof over our heads. Far too many people in Guatemala, and in many other countries, can't say the same.
Lesson No. 2: We continue to learn more about humility. We are recognizing it is best to have a modest view of one's importance. We are certainly more than mere specks on earth, but we are not the be-all and end-all we sometimes want to believe we are.
And finally, Lesson No. 3: We are better understanding what The Apostle Paul meant in Philippians 4:11-13: "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want ...."
We are well fed and my rally call remains: "Never, ever give up!"
Buen trabajo amigos! Estoy disfrutando de leer su blog. Gracias por escribir!
ReplyDeleteGracias amiga!
ReplyDelete