July 16, 2006

Here I sit on the eve of the first day of work that Richard, T, and I will be taking part in, in Progresso.  This is my first “mission” trip of any kind and, though I am not too sure why, I’m somewhat nervous.  I’ve always balked at the idea of a weeklong mission trip because to do missions, in my mind, is to invest serious amounts of time, heart and soul, and to invest in the idea of building relationships, a week just doesn’t seem long enough to accomplish these things.  The problem for me has been, in preceding churches, that people viewed mission trips analogous to vacations.  The thing with vacations is that usually they don’t require the sharing or giving up of time, heart and soul, nor do they require an individual to invest in the building of new relationships.  They are called vacations because that is just what we do.  We Vacate!  We get away from those things.  Since we’re on a mission trip I should make it a point to not vacate.  Rather, we will enter, advance, endure, and hopefully give more of myself than I do in daily life so that others may have more.  I just hope that I’m good enough, or loving enough, or spiritually sound enough to show some deserving folks the love that God has shown me.

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July 18, 2006

            I, right now, have achieved a feeling of incredible peace in my body.  Perhaps it’s the fact that I have no headache, unlike last night.  Or maybe it’s the fact that because of all of the construction, and frustration to go along with it, I have reaffirmed my decision to pursue a college education.  I don’t know, I’m not sure why I’m so peaceful but I think its just some robust feeling of satisfaction.  Not so much content, but satisfied.  Content has a connotation of completion, which, on the second day, would just be wishful thinking.  Satisfaction seems to imply that, “I’m happy with what we’ve done and I like where we’re going.”  I like where we’re going because I’ve seen where we’ve been.  We are creating a place for a woman to shelter herself along with her hijos.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that, “God’s peace is found with those who persevere.”  Looking at that phrase alone I think that it would be impossible to reach “God’s peace.”  I know that if the peace I’m feeling right now is a taste of God’s greater peace, I should never stop persevering, perpetually working to attain “God’s peace.”

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July 20, 2006

            We finished up today.  It was good to see, in the end how God provides for us when we need it most.  While in need of some experienced carpenters and roofers earlier in the week, God provided for us.  For Aglavena, she now has a roof that doesn’t leak, steps that won’t fail, and walls that won’t howl with the wind.  More than that she has a greater sense of dignity.  Even with my limited Spanish, I could tell she was proud by her proclamations of, “Que Rico, Que Rico.”-“How Rich.”  It was a moving scene to pray over her and her house.  To see T grab Aglavena by the shoulder and pray in English a prayer that was universal:  a prayer of safety, and of comfort, and of friendship across lines of nationality. I feel like God provided for me a chance to build relationships and to participate in genuine missions.  God willing, I accomplished this.  But, there is a huge part of me that feels like I, Riley Ross, am the one whose life has been enriched from this experience.  I’m glad I’ve been given the opportunity to be a part of such a trip and I am indebted to those who made this trip possible.  Aglavena began to call me RI or Ri-Ri.  She finds it, as do many Hispanic natives, to pronounce and put together R-I-L-E-Y.  I thought that was pretty neat.  The only people that have really addressed me using only my first syllable have been teachers, people that have taught me things.  I’m still digesting this whole experience so I’m not totally sure what God has taught me through Aglavena.  If I was to guess, I’d say that the lesson to be learned would be that I should be more thankful for what I have; It’s the small things that make a big difference; that the relationships we build will have a substantial impact on someone’s life, so cherish the things that God gives us.  T wore a shirt the other day that had a quote from Mother Theresa on it that, paraphrased, says, “If we can learn to love until it hurts, there would be no more hurt.”  Amen

R.E.

Men L-R: Riley Ross, Richard Friant, and T Thomas from NorthHaven Church in Norman

Fore to back:   T Thomas , Riley Ross, and Richard Friant,