Honesty

I'm going to take a moment and make this real. This place is tiring.

The craziest part is I still enjoy it. Yesterday was a blast for instance. Going to the gym first thing, going to Flor's for mate and having an encouraging heart to heart. Then lunch with the Rodriguez family, and walking with Sol to visit the teens in order to give them a special invite for this Friday and Saturday. Then Sol, Flor and I all went to a "Welcome Spring" event called Desinvernopolis (shedding off winter) where we met up with Johnny, Giuliano and Inti (as well as a few others) and played ping pong, foosball, and the personal favorite--soccer on a mini inflatable field. I told them I think I laughed more than I was able to play. Even typing this puts a smile to my face.

Then to end the night with pizza and ice cream with the newbie and the girls. Classic.

But then to have to wake up early only to find out something was cancelled, when you get there. Or the fact that you can't find a place that's selling the tokens you need to ride the bus. Or that almost all the restaurants don't take credit card. The movie theater continues to show the B level movies (and what's up with showing Top Gun again??!!). To be overcharged when you use the internet cabana, as they're called, but are too mentally exhausted to fight it.

I went home and napped for two hours. Sometimes the most spiritual thing I can do after all, no? hmm..

Okay. It was nice to get some of that off my chest. Moving on..

When my Spanish tutor didn't show, I was thankful to have brought Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Ended up reading the whole thing with the extra time on my hands. I was convicted of the treatment of Miss Eliza and thought much about my treatment of some of the boys and teenagers that we visit.

Sometimes I am much more interested in behavior management than who they are. I am in desperate need of showing (and learning how to show) more grace and love to them. I look at one of our more recent helpers, Betania, and how well she is able to connect with Ivan. Sure, on one hand, she has a gifting for kids that I do not have, but are we not called to desire the other gifts.

And when the greatest of these is love??

While I doubt this was Shaw's aim with his play, I am definitely ready to be more like Colonel Pickering, who saw the duchess in the flower girl (or as Five Iron might put it, to see the flower in these weeds).

Chau.