Theology Lessons with Abuelita

I'm really tired and since tomorrow is Monday, I should be asleep by now. Instead, I'm going to write a post because a) I've been sitting here at this table writing all day, so it feels comfortable to keep doing so and b) it's been FAR too long since I last posted. (I'm already sucking at blogging - and it's only my second one.)

Just Friday, my Grandma Shirley passed away. In honor of her memory, I'll tell one of my very favorites...

So. In 2009, YouthWorks/SALT visited 3 churches waaaaaaaaay down the Baja peninsula. I feel like I've got enough travel experience at this point in my life to make some serious comparisons. Proof that his trip was, by far, the gnarliest one I've been on: we rode on a bus for 36 hours without stopping to sleep, we watched High School Musical one too many times on that bus ride, it was around 120 degrees every single day, we waited on average 7 hours between lunch and dinner every day, we changed camp location 3 times, the most showers we ever had for 120 people was 3, I killed flying cockroaches with fake stoicism, my bus driver hated me. Don't equate "gnarly" with "bad". It was seriously amazing. Just some really, really rough conditions.

At the first church we were at, some of the guys worked on replacing the toilet. This was the only toilet on site. You'd think this would be a big issue for 120 people, but since we were sweating out every drop we drank, we hardly peed. I stand by my claim that I didn't pee for a full two days.

Eventually, somebody admitted they needed to pee and about 15 others immediately rushed to tell me the same. A sweet little grandma offered to take them to her house. Perfect solution! Off they went. An hour later, my co-coordinator's wife asked me where her kids where. That's when it hit me that I had not thought about that group once since they left and, come to think of it, I hadn't seen any of them in a while. Good job, Camp Director. Oops. So, Lupita and I walked the streets, calling out for our students, both trying not to let our nerves win out.

We found the group just a couple blocks away. They exited Abuelita's house laughing and they blamed their delay on Rufio's extended time in the bathroom. I was happy to see them, though I truly was confident they were just fine in her care, and we rolled on to the rest of the week.

The last night of camp is always a highlight of my year. This particular camp we installed the talent show (now a regular fixture of camp life) and afterward I started the tearful process of trying to thank everyone. As I finished up, Bethany ran up to me with something in her hands covered by a sheet. She said some absolutely beautiful words to thank me and then unveiled the object she held. It was this seriously COOL map of the Baja peninsula. Let me describe: thick black frame surrounding the Baja map made of abilone (native to the Baja shores), script-fonty-cool lettering of the major cities, abilone representations of certain cities' symbols, an abilone whale out in the water, and a clock up in the right hand corner. It is quite a piece.

Bethany then recounted how she came to own the picture. Back at Abuelita's house, she admired the Baja map and used Spanish to compliment it. Right then, Abuelita removed it from the wall and told Bethany to take it. She said she couldn't. This went back and forth until Abuelita said, "Can I tell you what it is to be Christian? If you have something and somebody else wants or needs it more than you, you should give it to them. That's it. I have this picture, but you clearly want it more than I do. So now, it's yours."

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! So good. As if that weren't enough, on the walk back to the church, one of the teens (who, I should add, we let come on the trip even though he was recently released from Juvi) turned to Bethany and said, "I've been trying to think all week how to say thank you to Melissa. You know who would love that map even more than you?"

At least once a week, someone asks about it. My response is, "Have time for a quick story?"