Finding Rest

The first couple of months of this year have been really busy, and it had worn me down abit. So over the last month, I´ve managed to get away by myself for a couple of weekends - firstly to the beach - and then to the mountains. And it was really good to relax, and to give myself time to think straight again.

It´s a funny thing, how we manage to get ourselves so busy that we´re not really sure why we´re doing things any more. 

On the first weekend away I read Beloved: Henri Nouwen in Conversation, which was so simple and short but incredibly powerful. He talks of busyness. "If you are busy, very busy, ask yourself, 'Why am I busy?' Perhaps you want to prove something. Why are people so busy? Perhaps they want to have success in their life or they want to be popular or they want to have some influence. If you want to be successful, you have to do a lot of things; if you want to be popular, you have to meet a lot of people; if you want influence, you have to make a lot of connections. The problem is that your identity is hooked up with the busyness" 

Ouch. 

In contrast to busyness, he also talked about solitude. "Solitude is listening to the voice who calls you the beloved.... Solitude is the place where we go in order to hear the truth about ourselves."

It is so easy to get caught up with things, and not really realise why we make the decisions we make. And within the church there seems to be even more encouragement to 'do more stuff' - which pushes us further from our sense of ourselves and our belovedness. And yet "the christian community is a community of people who remind each other who they truly are- the beloved of God" - or at least it should be!

 As someone who enjoys solitude, none of that surprised me, but then he also went on to talk about the connection between solitude and community, a sense in which you can´t have one without the other, but also how they are two expressions of the same thing. 

He describes solitude as not necessarily being alone or having time to yourself - but being a part of making deep connections with others. "Prayer and solitude are ways to listen to the voice that speaks in our heart, in the centre of our being. One of the most amazing things about that concept is that if you enter deeper and deeper into that place, you not only meet God, but you meet the whole world there. ... A lot of people think about prayer or solitude as withdrawing from the world into a private space, but that´s not at all the case. The contemplative life, this mystical life, shows that the deeper you enter into the solitude and the deeper you come into the heart, the more in the world you are.... Solitude and prayer bring you into a spiritual communion with the whole people."

Living in a country which has a deep-seated suspicion of solitude or any form of aloneness, I love this idea that it´s not a case of whether we are alone or in company, but that what is important is that we connect with people, not about superficial stuff or talking about the weather - but a deeper connection which recognises each others belovedness - who we really are in God - his beautiful and unique creations. It´s about a solidarity with people, which connects us with God´s image in each other. And that´s why often the people that we see as must connected with God (from a sense of solitude and belovedness) are also 'activists'. Their connection with God in solitude and prayer has led them to a deep connection with their fellow human beings (Christian or not), which propels them into action - which is very different from just plain busyness!

My second weekend away was up in the hills outside Antigua, where I stayed in a wooden cabin built into the hillside - and spent a lot of time just appreciating the views. 

 The view from this working avocado farm looks out over Jocotenango in the valley, towards the volcanoes in the distance. That´s Volcan Agua on the left, and Volcan Fuego and Volcan Acatenango on the right.

 That weekend I was re-reading a book by Tony Horsfall 'Working from a place of rest'. It was good to be reminded that we are designed to start from a place of rest - rather than needing to 'earn' rest by working hard. It made me rethink a few things in my life - and change them when I got back. And I´m continuing to seek solitude and community with people that I interact with.

A week of birthdays

This week I´ve been to 3 different birthday parties - so here´s a quick round up of very different traditions. 

 First up: Swiss precision made penquins standing to attention!

Second: British made Strawberry cake. (I sort of invented it as I went along!)

And Finally: Guatemalan 15th Birthday party - complete with pink princess dress and tiara, a pig roast, about 150 people, lots of (naturally coloured??) cakes, one of which ended up in the face of the birthday girl (thanks to her younger brother!)

Latin Link International

 

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Quito, Ecuador as part of Latin Link´s International Assembly which are held every 4 years. It´s a key event for us as a community, as we have fellowship with members working in many different countries, and together set priorities for the future. 

 As we were in Ecuador, on the first night we were treated to some local music.

 Each morning, I really enjoyed our times of worship together, when we often sang in 4 different languages simultaneously. That sounds like it would be a shambles - but it actually wasn´t. It was just very special to be amongst a crowd of people - and hear the same worship song - sang in spanish to your left, english to your right, and german or portuguese behind you. It seemed like a taste of heaven. 

 We also had great times of corporate prayer together. Each day, we heard from members from a different region where we work, and prayed over the issues affecting them. There was a real sense of unity and being community - inspite of (or maybe because of) so many differences.

El Salvador

I´ve just come back from El Salvador, where I was visiting a friend, who is usually working with Latin Link in Uruguay. It was great to catch up and hear how God is using her there.

 

We also had a bit of a day out, and visited the Boqueron, the crater left from a volcano explosion many year ago. It´s incredible to think of how the landscape has changed from the force of an volcanic eruption.

The walk there, also gave some amazing views over the city  - both to the east over the city, lake and towards another volcanoe in the distance, and also to the south, over the city and right out to the pacific coast, less than an hour away from the city.

New Year Art!

I´ve eventually had time (and the house to myself) in order to complete some arty projects that have been on my mind for a while. I guess this is a message that God´s has put on my heart over the last year; to walk with Him more closely, to know Him more clearly, and to go deeper in knowing myself through Him.

Mexico

Over the last couple of weeks, I´ve been in Mexico. I spent a great week on the beach in Isla Mujeres - not doing very much at all - not even taking photos! It was fantastic to chill out and just enjoy the solitude. 

Then I went to visit a couple of people in Merida and Playa del Carmen.

 Merida is a very cultural city  - sharing some similar traditions with indigenous Mayan groups here in Guatemala - although with variations. One afternoon, we watched a display of the traditional dances (and costumes) of the area. The women´s costumes were intricately embroidered. A couple of the dances also involved dancing whilst balancing a waiters tray of drinks and bottles on their heads. Very impressive!

 Equally impressive were these sand sculptures that we found on the beach in Playa del Carmen. The angel, Mary, the cow and the donkey were finished, and they were working on the 3 kings and the baby Jesus in his cradle.

 I had a very early flight back home - but was rewarded by stunning views over Mexico City as we came into  land.

Havana skyline

Just a few pictures from my trip to Cuba. 

View of the full moon from my hotel room.

 Capitolio in the distance

 Sunrise