Sometimes bad people scare you and they make you wonder why you love people so much. Living in Morocco, my love for people was constantly questioned. There were lovely people and there were horribly dishonest people. There were people who hurt me emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Towards the end, it felt like everyday was a challenge, but I just kept trying to make it work. I kept trying to hold on tight to the faith I had in people and the true ability to connect with them. While I had wonderful people in my community that I connected with and served as "friends." This was just not enough as I continued to encounter cultural barriers that lead people to be dishonest rather than direct. For instance, you would ask one question and get 5 different answers.
At the end of the day, the joke just always seemed to be on me.
It was not the fault of the people rather it within the culture and I began to recognize this, but I still could not believe it. People would send your head through such a roller coaster ride making you lose track of what to believe. It made you question what you heard, what you said, what you did, and how you behaved. It was an experience that made me truly question my faith in people. This was a faith that had never been questioned. Perhaps it had been tested through life experiences, but it had never been questioned to this extreme. How could people treat me this way when I am so good to them? How could they turn on me, lie to me, steal from me? Why were they engaging in such sin and claiming to have such strong morals and religious values?
It was truly sad to see people living in such sin with such lies on a daily basis. They never even got to know their true self as they continued to chase their false idea of truth. It was unfortunate, but absolutely fascinating to witness such an extreme. It really was such an extreme with there being beautiful people who followed the word of Islam and those who thought they were following the word and were just lost. They couldn't find their way and lost their identity. Even with all this poor treatment, I was still intrigued and wanted to learn more about this culture and why they acted in this way.
My lovely, amazing students often commented on those just being lost and acting as a Muslim when their mind was somewhere different. They explained to me the word of the Quran and how things are suppose to be. My amazing students were what kept me sane in times where I felt so disappointed and frustrated. My students gave me a dose of faith and kept me going for the time I was there. They allowed me to believe in the how truly good real people of God can be.
After those last travels in Morocco, I returned to US and I stayed there except for trips to Scotland and Ireland where the people were fantastic, but that was kind of assumed as I heard about the great hospitality. With Central America, I didn't know what I would be put on my plate.
Would there be kind people and spirits coming my way or would I encounter something negative?
Would God restore my faith after my traumatic experience?
Would people have open arms and open hearts?
Would their Christian religion be present in their daily actions and behavior?
God delivered and he delivered with such beauty and wonder. Guatemala has allowed me to Believe Again in the people that I love. The conversations are of honesty, purity, and curiosity. The people are special on the inside and they follow through on their Word. They want to genuinely help you and not misguide you in anyway. It's truly been something wonderful and a new beginning with a new country. It's learning and helping those who need it and deserve it rather than engaging with negativity and people who are wasting your time. It is beautiful to see those engaged in love and honesty. I am proud for these moments I share with Guatemalans, especially the Mayan Community.
At the end of the day, the joke just always seemed to be on me.
It was not the fault of the people rather it within the culture and I began to recognize this, but I still could not believe it. People would send your head through such a roller coaster ride making you lose track of what to believe. It made you question what you heard, what you said, what you did, and how you behaved. It was an experience that made me truly question my faith in people. This was a faith that had never been questioned. Perhaps it had been tested through life experiences, but it had never been questioned to this extreme. How could people treat me this way when I am so good to them? How could they turn on me, lie to me, steal from me? Why were they engaging in such sin and claiming to have such strong morals and religious values?
It was truly sad to see people living in such sin with such lies on a daily basis. They never even got to know their true self as they continued to chase their false idea of truth. It was unfortunate, but absolutely fascinating to witness such an extreme. It really was such an extreme with there being beautiful people who followed the word of Islam and those who thought they were following the word and were just lost. They couldn't find their way and lost their identity. Even with all this poor treatment, I was still intrigued and wanted to learn more about this culture and why they acted in this way.
My lovely, amazing students often commented on those just being lost and acting as a Muslim when their mind was somewhere different. They explained to me the word of the Quran and how things are suppose to be. My amazing students were what kept me sane in times where I felt so disappointed and frustrated. My students gave me a dose of faith and kept me going for the time I was there. They allowed me to believe in the how truly good real people of God can be.
After those last travels in Morocco, I returned to US and I stayed there except for trips to Scotland and Ireland where the people were fantastic, but that was kind of assumed as I heard about the great hospitality. With Central America, I didn't know what I would be put on my plate.
Would there be kind people and spirits coming my way or would I encounter something negative?
Would God restore my faith after my traumatic experience?
Would people have open arms and open hearts?
Would their Christian religion be present in their daily actions and behavior?
Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes
God delivered and he delivered with such beauty and wonder. Guatemala has allowed me to Believe Again in the people that I love. The conversations are of honesty, purity, and curiosity. The people are special on the inside and they follow through on their Word. They want to genuinely help you and not misguide you in anyway. It's truly been something wonderful and a new beginning with a new country. It's learning and helping those who need it and deserve it rather than engaging with negativity and people who are wasting your time. It is beautiful to see those engaged in love and honesty. I am proud for these moments I share with Guatemalans, especially the Mayan Community.
Thank you for helping me Believe Again.....
No comments:
Post a Comment