Comings and Goings (Or "I love Striders")

In the last couple of weeks, there´s been a few Striders coming and going. Murielle, completed her year in Guatemala, and it felt like a privelege to be invited to a few of her many despedidas (farewell parties).

 In her project, she had befriended and supported so many children, and got completely involved in all the aspects of the project including checking children´s hair for lice! Her co-workers couldn´t speak more highly of her and her ability to serve. She´ll be much missed. For me too, it has been great to see how she has responded to the many challenges she´s faced whilst she´s been here by seeking God´s guidance and faithfulness, and she has really grown in the process.

And then, a new Strider arrived, so I´ve been sharing a local orientation with Simone. In between questions about security and what she´s going to be doing here, we managed a quick trip to Lake Atitlan. And as it´s holy week, not many of the regular buses were running - so she caught her first glimpses of the lake from the back of a pick-up  -- definitely the best way to see Guatemalan scenery! 

And whilst some are at the very end of their Stride placement, and others at the very beginning, there´s also a few in the middle of it. For all Striders, I think there are moments of revelation or achievement or breakthrough. But inbetween those moments, there can also be long periods of challenge, or loneliness. Times of disorientation in a strange culture, times of ill- health, times of huge frustration of not being able to express yourself in the way you want to, times of wondering if you should really eat what´s been put in front of you, times of disappointment with church politics, times of confusion, times of annoyance. It´s often through those times that God is very real. I guess it´s been said by others much better than I can say it - but it´s often through our struggles that God meets us most powerfully or most significantly.

I love being a part of people´s lives at those times. Not because I like to see people suffer (although some striders might dispute that!) - but because I love to see people find a bit more of God in those moments, and a bit more of themselves in the process. 

 So recently it´s been great to see a Strider step out of her comfort zone to do something that she finds really difficult. Or another one who keeps plodding on with her language classes, knowing that it´ll all be worth it in the end! Or to see another Strider come through yet another trip to hospital - but still have such enthusiasm to serve his project and church. Which leads me to the conclusion... 

I love Striders.