Man of God - there is no more dangerous title. No other three words with the capacity to empower one to accomplish great good or great evil. Since we arrived in the banana republic, this suspicion has been confirmed time and time again.
We have lived among Men of God that inspire entire communities into humble, sacrificial action - working with no thought to personal gain or potential pain. These men often accomplish more good in one month that most of will in an entire lifetime. Speaking words of truth, hope, and liberation, these men and women break bonds of oppression that have trapped families for generations. Exhausted, taken advantage of, without support, often despised, threatened, and assaulted, they live to free others from the lies of within and without that whisper and then shout that they are worthless, abandoned, and forgotten. And then, there are the others...
2/17/16
Photos to Start the Year 2016
Everyone always seem to like pictures, so here are a few from the first 6 weeks of this year...
2/15/16
Saving Face
Stories from Honduras Continue...
I think you will all agree that what you see is not always the way things are. In our personal lives, we smile and laugh even when we are sad and rotten inside. We say “yes” sometimes when we mean “no.” We avoid embarrassment and protect our own. So why would we think this doesn’t happen in other countries and other cultures? The truth is that it does, and oftentimes much more profoundly.
I think you will all agree that what you see is not always the way things are. In our personal lives, we smile and laugh even when we are sad and rotten inside. We say “yes” sometimes when we mean “no.” We avoid embarrassment and protect our own. So why would we think this doesn’t happen in other countries and other cultures? The truth is that it does, and oftentimes much more profoundly.
“Saving face” is a large part of Latin culture. Most Hondurans would rather bend the truth than tell an embarrassing truth about a family member or friend. One would rather lie than say how they really feel if it would oppose, or worse, disappoint or disrespect someone else in a face-to-face conversation. This leads to incredibly-dedicated, loyal friendships and family groups and alarmingly-polite interpersonal reactions with a new person. However, a sad part of this cultural phenomenon is that if we asked anyone in our community to lie for us, I know they would. Without a second thought. In general, politeness and peaceful appearances are valued over truthful and frank interactions. However, these nobly-told untruths that start with the intention to protect or avoid embarrassment can and do lead to a lifetime of hiding secrets. People go to the grave with things that they could have let go.
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