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Lindsey Anderson Returns from Honduras

Friends and loved ones,

I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into or why when I left to begin my service at Farm of the Child. To someone who hasn’t lived the life of a missionary, it often doesn’t make sense. There were more than a couple of times over these years that people have said to me, “You’re doing what? But why?”. To be honest, there were also more than a few times that I’ve been unsure about why I was doing what I was doing. Why had I chosen to be so far away from my family? Why did I choose to have a 24-hour a day/7 day a week job that I was completely unqualified for? Why did I ever choose to live in a house with 19 other people?

Two and a half years later, I have more appreciation for the life of service, and I’d like to share with you a few things that I’ve learned along the way. This is a call to each of us to live as missionaries wherever we are and in whatever we do.

We are called to be part of a community. While the individualist life is seemingly easy, it, in reality, is killing us. Ego, judgment, and pride flourish in such a culture. So do despair, anguish, and joylessness. Humans were made to live in community. It is the only way that we grow and find our humanity. There is no better way to find all of your faults than to live where there are always 19 people around to point them out to you. One needs to learn selflessness, love, and humility in order to find joy and live one’s true humanity. This cannot be achieved alone.

We are called to lead a simple lifestyle. All of the objects that we surround ourselves with serve only as barriers in building community. Everything was so easy in my prior life in the U.S; however, I was unable to appreciate anything. I’ve now found the simple joy and feeling of accomplishment in washing all of my clothes by hand at the pila. I can better enjoy special seasonings in food. I realize the gift that is the smile of a child. I no longer feel the need to fill my day with endless tasks to fill a void, but can enjoy the simple pleasure of just being alone or with community members.

We are called to put ourselves into regular contact with people who are poor and who are suffering. We are not called to seek recognition and company of the rich and powerful. We are called to visit the sick, clothe the naked, and feed the hungry. We are called to be humble, not to put ourselves ahead of others. Through contact with the poor and suffering, we are visiting with Christ and reaffirming their dignity. The poor have an amazing ability to express joy and love that we can learn from. They serve to remind us of the lives that we are called to. However, we are not only called to be in contact with people who are poor and suffering, we are to be in solidarity with them. We need to develop relationships and share our lives with them. We are called to find Christ in them and to be Christ to them.

There is a prayer by St. Teresa of Avila that expresses above all why we are all called to live a missionary lifestyle wherever we find ourselves:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Yours are the hands with which Christ can bless the world.

Yours are the eyes with which Christ can shine compassion on a troubled world.

Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good.

Christ has no body but yours,

no hands,

no feet,

no eyes on earth

but yours.

During the two and a half years that I spent in Honduras I worked as a social worker and as a teacher, but I was so much more. I was a confidant, friend, shoulder to cry on, playmate, community member, cheerleader, tutor, disciplinarian, and family. More than anything I loved and was loved. This is what being a missionary is about. It is about learning to love.

I thank you for all of the support and encouragement that you offered me during my time in Honduras. Each of you played an important part of making this experience possible for me. I could not have done it without you and for that I will be eternally grateful. Please consider continuing to support Farm of the Child in the work that it does for orphaned, abandoned, and abused children in Honduras through donations and prayers. You can visit their new and improved website at www.farmofthechild.org.

Lindsey Anderson an SJA young adult and graduate of Creighton University just finished two years in Honduras working at Farm of the Child, an education and health center for needy children. Lindsey sent back periodic reports that can be viewed on the website by searching for 'Honduras' using our search engine.

Peace,
Lindsey Anderson