Just like anywhere else in the world, life at the Finca can get incredibly busy, and it is EXTREMELY easy to more or less get lost in the day-to-day busyness of life to fully appreciate the gift of this children’s home in rural Honduras. Especially with our Finca school being in-person this year (Gracias a Dios!!), life is INCREDIBLY busy. We have morning prayer at 5:45am, school from 7am-12:45pm, followed by lunch, PAVI, small jobs, quality time with our Finca kids, a spiritual event at 5pm, and dinner at 7pm. It is inexplicably important to be very intentional with your time spent with our kids and the missionary community because time is of an essence but relationships are only built on trust and quality time spent with one another.
That being said, it is ALWAYS amazing when visitors or new missionaries arrive to the Finca because they bring lots of new energy and a pure gratefulness for the Finca that can be lost at times with full-time missionaries that have been at the Finca for a while. In early June, we had three summer missionaries arrive at the Finca to cover the responsibilities of full-time missionaries that go on their month-long vacation in the United States. Their names were Olivia, Arianna, and Colin, and they were at the Finca for 8ish weeks until early August. & WHAT AN ABSOLUTE GIFT THEY WERE TO OUR MISSIONARY AND FINCA COMMUNITY!!
I did not return to the US for a vacation this summer because my heart is so full of peace and joy at the Finca. I certainly miss my family and friends in the US, especially with Michelle’s son being born in February, but this place has captured my heart in so many ways and I did not feel the need to return to the US to rest and recharge my batteries. As a result, I was at the Finca for all 8 weeks this summer with the summer volunteers, and it was truly such a gift to be able to get to know them on a deeper level and to spend quality time with them!
The summer missionary program is inherently challenging because the summer vols are only at the Finca for 8-12 weeks. Although they are required to have a good grasp on the Spanish language prior to coming to the Finca, two or three months is not a lot of time to develop quality, trusting relationships with the Finca kids because every genuine relationship simply requires intentional time spent together. However, the summer missionary program is so important to the continued success of the Finca because full-time missionaries need the time every year to visit family and friends and to rest in order to best serve the mission when they return.
We were incredibly blessed to have so many amazing moments with our Finca kids and as a missionary community throughout the summer, especially during our week off school in mid-July! Our three summer vols were ALWAYS willing to jump in and help the mission in any way possible, and they truly loved our Finca kids SO, SO, SO well! Despite the inherent challenges of only being able to live at the Finca for 8 weeks, the relationships that Colin, Olivia, and Arianna were able to build at the Finca is a true testament to how truly terrific they are as young men and women.
Luke and I are the only two male missionaries that live in Casa Santa Teresita (Drew and his family live in their own house), so I was incredibly grateful that Colin served at the Finca this summer because Luke was on vacation for five weeks and NOBODY wants to be the only guy in a house full of girls. I was blessed to have the opportunity to spend so much quality time with Colin in the ocean, playing soccer in the campo, and elsewhere throughout our days, and I truly miss him so dang much at the Finca! His endless stories never failed to make me laugh no matter the situation, and he was relentlessly bold in his pursuit to love the kids, tías, missionaries, and other Finca workers to the best of his ability throughout his eight weeks here.
Arianna is Mexican American and spoke Spanish fluently before arriving at the Finca, which allowed her to connect so unbelievably well with our kids, especially the mid-teen girls, throughout her time here. Arianna is truly one of the most intelligent and thoughtful people that I have ever met, and her simply being herself challenged me to become a better version of myself every single day in my pursuit to love every person I come in contact with. I miss Arianna’s jokes and facial expressions so much, especially her faces when Colin started telling another random story that barely connected with the conversation.
Olivia did SO, SO, SO much to serve our Finca and missionary community during her eight weeks, especially since she was tasked with teaching Kinder while Emma was on vacation. Despite having no teaching background, her relentless, pure love for the kinder kids that sometimes are objectively insane during class was incredibly inspiring to me in my pursuit to become the best teacher that I can be. Olivia’s pure heart and amazing sense of humor never ceased to amaze me, and I am excited to see where the future takes her on this journey of life! I was unbelievably blessed to be able to spend so much quality time with Colin, Arianna, and Olivia during their eight weeks at the Finca, especially because we had a week of quarantine in mid-July that was full of quality time with the community. I miss all three of the summer vols SO, SO much, and I truly hope that our paths cross again one day. I am so grateful for how well they served the Finca community and for how amazingly well they loved our Finca kids despite their limited time in Honduras.
Please pray for my discernment for serving a second year at the Finca, as the decision needs to be made in late September!
Please let me know how I can pray for you!
God Bless!