Goodbyes...

The family gathered around the table as we waited for Nino to speak. He told us to grab hands, and he walked us out to the back yard where the dead of night was lit by a small fire on a stack of brick. We were told to sit in a circle, and Sammi began to play his guitar. The group was shocked with the surprise, but silent with the grief, for they knew what was coming... Goodbyes.

We began to worship around this warm fire, and the sparks drifted up into the sky as we reminisced with it each memory we've made in Guatemala, from the late night jam sessions and card games, to the catastrophes we have had to face. 

Dr. Tito sat us down and reminded us of what we said at the beginning of the trip, of what we wanted out of this trip. He showed us that, instead, we got something very different. The common theme in mission trips, or religious/service/leadership conferences, is that you find this great joy and fire for service, or for God. You're so in love with the idea that you take it on a honeymoon to your home, but then, life starts to get tougher. That joy begins to fade. You fall back into your old habits, and what is left is back to where you started.

I've tried really hard to make my writings more original than that. I'm fully aware of the honeymoon stages in life because I've experienced them. I hope that what my readers get out of this is not your average "you went, you served, you fell in love, and you came back," but rather they feel the true emotion and inspiration to it. Life is a challenge every day, and when talking to Carlos about his aspirations in a Masters degree in Logotherapy and positive psychology, I was struck with knowledge.

The story behind Logotherapy was founded by a psychology theorist by the name of Viktor Frankl, whose family and friends were killed by Germans and who was forced to work for the very people who killed them. Frankel asked a very tough question. He asked, "If my family and friends are all dead, what is the point of life? If everything worth living for was taken away from me, what is my purpose?" Maybe at times we have found ourselves asking what our own purpose is. The answer that Frankl found was realizing that every person has things called "positive points." They have things in their life that act as a higher power, even if it isn't God. Everyone has a higher power. In the end, there is an upside down pyramid. We are all working toward "self actualization," or being our true ideal selves, but Viktor Frankl's pyramid is reaching our ideal selves and at the top is the reason we are doing it.

Now that we have that introduction, we can better understand the journey. Throughout this Guatemalan adventure there has been much adversity thrown at our group. Even when all things seemed hopeless, or discouraging, we found reasons to keep pushing forward. These are the middle levels of Frankl's pyramid, and at the top of his pyramid, is God. The reason we keep pushing forward is to serve God. It is to help others. It is to achieve our goals. It is to make a difference. We find purpose even despite our tragedies, and positive psychology is just a way for someone to find that "positive point" in spite of adversity. Our Guatemalan family was able to show us how to find those positive points on this adventure, and in the end, maybe it gave us more purpose to keep pushing forward, so that we too can show others.

Around the fire, we were initiated into the La Mision family. We were each given a bracelet made of
coconut, and in it was a footprint carved into the brown smooth skin. It is our reminder. It is our reminder everyday what our purpose and calling is. It is a reminder to keep pushing forward even when things get tough, because there is love that needs to be shared and there is light that needs to be spread in dark places. The footprint is a representation of not only the mark La Mision has left on our hearts, but the mark we are reminded to make on other's hearts as well. Everywhere we go we leave a small footprint, and with our ideal selves, we hope that mark is memorable to continue spreading, to continue speaking, and to continue moving until every person that needs it is loved.

Thank you La Mision for the lessons, for the love, and for the reminders. We now bear your print on our wrists in the hope that we are constantly reminded of the joy we have gained just by listening to the call.