Feeling Grateful

I’m sitting (well, actually laying) on our couch in our humble brick home in the middle-of-nowhere Honduras extremely grateful. I’m grateful that I can peacefully allow Micah and Abigail to play with students, volunteers, and staff without having to worry about their safety. I’m grateful that Micah can run around throwing rocks, work on his tree fort, and make new friends without thinking he’ll get kidnapped or held for ransom. I’m grateful that my family can walk freely in our community without fear of being carjacked or robbed at gunpoint.

I’m also sad. I’m sad that the fears that I can so freely live without haunt many other missionaries and non-profit workers in the country of Honduras. My heart is heavy for a country that so badly needs the help and support of the world, yet groups like the PeaceCorps leave because of violence and safety. It has only been recently that I have come to fully understand this reality.

We had the extreme privilege of making some new friends recently. This family has been missionaries in Honduras for over 12 years. Until recently, they had only experienced “minor” crime or threats to their safety. However, last year on their anniversary, our friends were held at gunpoint, beat up, and robbed of their truck. After enjoying an afternoon movie and dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, they were about to enter their room for the evening. Just as the key entered the door, an SUV screeched up behind them, and 5 men exited – all armed with M-16’s and dressed in police gear. They were robbed of their belongings, beaten up, and left on the ground as the men drove away in their truck.

Another family that Hailey has known (via email) since we were here in 2011 recently decided to return to the US because of growing violence and safety issues in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, where they live. With two young children, they feel it is necessary to return home.

I am sure there are countless other stories that are similar, yet I sit on my couch, knowing that my family is being helped and deeply cared for by some amazing people. Micah is currently in the kitchen helping our cook make tortillas (he is probably better at the eating than making part). He has been able to help two volunteers finish the construction of an oven. He runs around freely without having any idea that he lives in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, according to statistics. His only injuries are due to him being a 3 year-old boy, and not due to the fact that Honduras has a high rate of violence.

So, the next time I wish that we lived closer to a city so that I could drink iced coffee, purchase any groceries I wanted, or control the temperature of my water, I will remember how grateful I am that we live in a peaceful place. I will remember that God has allowed us to get involved in a ministry that changes the lives of Hondurans, but also provides us a safe place to stay. I will be grateful that this couch I’m laying in not only provides physical comfort, but comfort from so many things that are bringing fear to my fellow missionaries and philanthropists around this country.