Friday, February 18th

The Most Unlikely PlacesAs usual, we went to language school this morning. It is hard to believe that we only have four days left next week. After three hours of conjugating tenses, speaking in Spanish, and reviewing homework, our brains are full and we start our Friday afternoon trip to the orphanage.First, we bounce over 20 speed bumps on the way to the grocery store to pick up sandwich fixings. The sun is bright and it’s about 70 degrees. Winding back through town, we park the truck and look for a combi. These small 15 passenger vans run on regular schedules to nearby towns and are a good way to get from point A to B. Today it’s a 45 minute ride with several other passengers, so we make sandwiches in the van and talk about our skits and crafts.Our route passes through a beautiful evergreen forest that looks at times like Colorado or the Smoky Mountains. We pass a large military base and come to a small town where hairy pigs root in the valleys and dozens of vendors line the road, hoping to sell the exact same products to different customers. Many of the people here are from the neighboring town of San Juan Chamula. They have moved here because of the strong persecution they experienced when they turned to Christ.The dry season that runs from November through February is almost over. The scenery is beautiful even when wilted, but Nathan reminds us that in a few weeks the rainy season will begin in full force. With it will come 240 inches of rain and lush growth exploding on the hillsides everywhere.A few minutes later and we are almost at the orphanage. We call out to the van driver from the back. He brakes hard and pulls off the two lane highway. We unpack ourselves, pay him $2 each for the trip, and start down a dusty road toward the orphanage.Today we do several crafts and do a skit of Jesus’ parable of the king who invited guests to a grand banquet (Matt. 22). Daniel tells the story in English while Elizabeth translates into Spanish. The girls on our team do face painting while the guys play a unique version of American football. The young boys we’re playing with don’t realize that they’re not following NFL rules and that running backs can’t throw the ball to someone else when they’re about to get caught.Too soon it is time to say goodbye. It is hard. The children remain here, while we go home to our families. They fill the doorway of the house and we all wave goodbye to each until we can no longer see them.As our van bounces home, I get one last glimpse of the orphanage before the trees whisk it out of sight. Places like this orphanage remind me that greatness often hides in ordinary clothes. The native missionary family who operates this orphanage seems heroic to me. They are serving faithfully behind the scenes to care for fatherless children in direct obedience to God’s Word (Jas. 1:21). That is a noble thing, but nothing you can see from the road hints at the greatness that happens here. No halo hangs overhead. It is like this in a thousand other places around the world: people serve God faithfully without desire for human reward or recognition. Greatness often hides in ordinary clothes and appears in the most unlikely places.Russ, for the team