What changes are you looking for this year? As we continue to work on our video curriculum, I’m continue to find myself being more reflective. There are some changes I’m working towards as we continue moving forward in 2021. The story in this blog is from several years ago, but as we have taken time to learn from the experiences of the last year, it feels important to share again.

“Can you call me back in thirty minutes?”

Surprised because we called when they told us to, but knowing we had a ways to go before arriving in the general area where they lived, we kept driving.  We were on our way to evaluate a woman for a wheelchair.  She hadn’t walked in nearly a year.  Her husband had already come to our clinic requesting a wheelchair for himself.  To avoid another trip by the family, an hour and a half by car, we told the grandson we would do a house visit for her wheelchair evaluation.   I also wanted to make sure the terrain in the area would allow them to use the wheelchair to transport their grandparents from place to place.  He can still walk on flat surfaces, but the hills are harder for him to negotiate.  It is difficult to walk in many places in this part of Guatemala without having to walk up or down major inclines.  Thankfully, in their area, a wheelchair would help.

Forty-five minutes later we pulled over to pick up the man and a friend.  I immediately noticed something different about his face.  Was he drunk?  As instantly as I thought that, he asked for a cream for his face.  He complained of a skin reaction due to working with concrete, but his talk about us missing a great party last night, the faint smell of alcohol from the back seat, a subtle slur in his speech, and the not-so-subtle tug on his ear by a family member upon arrival at the house indicated otherwise.  For the first time, I had picked up a drunk man.

The rest of the visit went without event, except that the young man felt the need to speak for everyone.  When an aunt or cousin tried to ask about some other things the family could use, he jumped in and told us.  In addition to completing the evaluation for the wheelchair, we provided two more families with appointments at the medical clinic in ASELSI and educated another on the importance of getting a family member’s tuberculosis treated.

As we drove away, our local worker shared she had been fearful of having this man in the car.  Surprise, more than fear, of having a drunk man in the car made me think about  my reaction to him and others.  As a believer, why am I surprised, or can I honestly say offended at times, by the sin in our world?   Sometimes I want to run from the sinner, not just the sin.  It is easier to stay in my “Christian world” than to go, as I’m called to do.

My prayers today are not just for this man, but for myself.  I need to be broken over my sin and that of those around me.  Only in the brokenness and messiness of our sins and knowing His redemption and grace can I share the hope of a new life in Christ.

I’ve discovered some parts of my old normal that I don’t want to carry with me anymore? There are some things that have served TCI well and others we need to let go. What about you? I’d love to hear form you.