Entering Into the Messiness

As our new class of missionaries (Carole, Hailey, Josh, Will, and myself), were sitting and praying during the consecration at daily mass in the Iglesia de San Francisco in Antigua, Guatemala, our ears were met with shouting from a man entering the church. From the peripheral of my gaze, I saw this man approaching forward, continuing his distracting shouts while finding his spot in the front of the church (2 pews in front of our group). The curiosity, and perhaps concern, of the situation unfolding piqued my interest despite my efforts to return my attention towards the mass. Not far behind the man was a woman of old age, with a great tremor, gingering walking forward. As she was seated with the help of two strangers next to the shouting-man, it didn’t take long to realize that he had special needs and that she must be his caretaker. As I looked onwards towards the priest concluding the Our Father, he was smiling towards the man and the elderly woman. Finishing the prayer, the priest offered the sign of peace and then, neither ignoring the shouting or being annoyed at it, descended from the altar towards the man and the woman and embraced them both. After the mass concluded, the old woman began speaking with Hailey and myself in Spanish. Though our Spanish comprehension wasn’t perfect, we could make out that the man with special needs was her son and that they had travelled for 5 hours via public bus to celebrate this specific mass with the priest (as he was an old friend and it was his birthday) despite the old woman having severe Parkinson’s.

So why am I sharing this simple story with you? What does this have to do with mission work? Why would I choose it for my very first blog? Quite simply, because I find that it reflects what it means to be a missionary, but even more generally, what it means to be Christ-like.

Think about it… Christ willingly descended from heaven and entered the messiness of our world. And so to that morning, the priest came down from the altar and embraced the messiness of the moment. It is the same call for us as Christians and as missionaries. And yet, how many of us would have done the same as Christ/the priest? How many of us would have been quietly annoyed, hoping the disruption would end without our having to do anything?

Over these next two years, there will be messy moments with the children I came to serve, messy moments trying to communicate in a language not my own, messy moments in community life, and messy days, or perhaps even months. For you, it may be a messy moment with a co-worker, with your spouse, or even within your own heart. What I want to remind you of, as I remind myself, is this: Let God meet you in the messiness! And even more so, REMEMBER the christian life is BEAUTIFUL and WONDERFUL because the mess can be transformed into holiness. For example, consider again the scene I described. Was that mass any less holy because of the disruption? I would argue it was more holy once we understand what was actually taking place. A woman with severe Parkinson's, who can hardly walk on her own, traveled five hours by chicken bus with her special needs son to celebrate her friend's birthday. When her son arrived at mass and saw that old friend at the altar, he continuously shouted for joy. All the while, the Eucharist was being celebrated.

So I leave you with this reminder: Christ seeks to enter into our messiness. In fact, he pursues our hearts in spite of it, constantly waiting at the door for us to open. Somethings that door means loving a difficult neighbor. Sometimes it means serving a child on mission. What matters is that we let Christ into those messes.

GENERAL LIFE UPDATE!

Now, for those wondering where I actually am…

After eight weeks of Spanish study in Antigua, Guatemala, we arrived at the Finca on Wednesday, September 30!

Our time in Antigua was an absolute BLAST! Classes ran from 8am to 12pm, and we lived with host families. I lucked out, as mine was Catholic! Moreover, my host mom (Suheidy) made incredible food and my host dad (Edwin) took Will and I to an Antigua FC fútbol match. They loved me like a son, and I am beyond grateful for their welcome.

Between classes, we squeezed in a few adventures: a visit to Hobbitenango (a very realistic Shire for any Lord of the Rings fan), a trip to Lake Atitlán for some quality community bonding, Monday night pick-up fútbol games with local Guatemalan men, and a climb up an active volcano! We wrapped up our time in Antigua with a retreat led by Nate, our missionary service coordinator; Lorena, the Honduran Director of the Finca; Sor Nancy, the Franciscan sister in charge of spiritual life; and Zulena Pescatore, co-founder of our mission. Zulena's story of perseverance, continuing the Finca after the loss of her husband and fellow Co-Founder (Vincent), rivals those of the saints. She is a living example of choosing love in the middle of the mess. For those interested in her story, here is a link

Before I close, I can't help but share some wonderful news: I have a brand-new niece! ¡FELICIDADES! to my sister Whitney and my brother-in-law Brandon on the arrival of their second daughter, Ruby Jean Rogers. Her birth has been one of my greatest joys since arriving at the Finca. And it seems that just as she is entering a brand-new world, so am I.

And to Ruby, her older sister Wren, and their big cousin Waylon reading the blog of their crazy-missionary uncle in the future, know that you are all loved BEYOND measure, in my prayers CONSTANTLY, and are all going to receive a MASSIVE hug when I return next summer.

And to everyone who has prayed for me, given to this mission, or simply cheered me on from afar: thank you. You are the reason I am able to stand here, and I carry you with me into the work ahead. I can't wait to share the beauty of the Finca with you.

—Carter