This post is also available in: Spanish
Home. What is the meaning of home? The planet earth is our home. As long as we live on this earth, we can surely call anywhere home because home is not about being all easy, relaxed and comfortable. Home is any space that gives you the opportunity to grow as a person. It might not be sweet, because we all need tough times to help us become stronger. It might not be free or fun because we need discipline to help keep the world in peace. We need failure to help us grow in perseverance. We need storms to help us be resilient. It might not be comfortable because we need to start from being a weirdo and having uncomfortable conversations to becoming a friend and having mutual understanding. We need to step out of our comfort zone and take risks to grow as a person who is capable—capable to love, to laugh, to smile, to learn, to get upset, to get excited, to learn, to experience, to forgive, to change, to listen, to speak, to embrace, to challenge, to adapt and to live in any circumstances and with everyone on this earth. Anywhere is our home because wherever we go, there are always new things to learn. Anywhere can be home if we just open our heart to accept everything that comes our way and use it to grow. Everyone on this earth, regardless of color, race, social status and religion is our family. We are created to help each other grow as the person who God created us to be so that we all can live in harmony as family on this planet, which is our home.
Minear Mak, from Cambodia, is serving as an English Assistant at MCC partner Colegio Americas Unidas in Cali, Colombia as part of MCC’s YAMEN program.
Photo: Wendy Vado
Not only is being home during quarantine overwhelming, it is a scary, boring, and stressful experience. Having nothing to do sometimes, being scared of what news you will hear next, being afraid of losing a family member, a friend, or a loved one, having to stay at home all the time, living in fear of being infected and infecting others with the pandemic virus. It is such an experience that no one would ever wish even on their worst enemy. It is a situation where you wish you can just disappear and save yourself and your family and friends from this misery.
Nevertheless, it is in such times that we are being tested of our faith. It is in such times where John 14:1 is being whispered to our ears. It is in such times that we must take caution, be safe, stay at home, and have more time with our families. Mostly nowadays family members live together, but they don’t know each other and don’t have time for each other. This is the time God gave us to know our family and friends better, restore relationships, spend most of this time self-reflecting and worshiping him even more. As much as we see this as a challenge, what if we can look at the brighter side of things and use this time wisely to reflect on ourselves, know our families better, and spending more time with God?
During this time, I have been able to reflect on myself, my future, and my spiritual life. I have been exercising, reading and writing, watching a lot of Spanish movies, and listening to Spanish songs, to to improve my Spanish. It has not been easy, but worth it. I also spend a lot of time talking to my family in Colombia as much as I talk to my family in Zimbabwe.
Verses to visit during this time: Isaiah 41: 9-10, Deuteronomy 31:6, Exodus 20:20, Galatians 5:1, Romans 8:15
Perseverance (Percy) Ndlovu, from Gwanda, Zimbabwe, is serving as a child and social worker with MCC partner Centro de Capacitación de los Niños in Soacha, Colombia, as part of MCC’s YAMEN program.
Photo: Wendy Vado
Hola, I’m Wendy Vado, Connecting people coordinator for MCC Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Today I want to share a story about the magic of a hammock.
Yes, you heard that right, the magic of a hammock. How could a hammock be magical? well let me tell you my story.
So, before the quarantine, I would get up every day and get dressed for work. I live one and a half hours from Managua, which is the capital city of Nicaragua. I had to leave early since my schedule was from 6 am to 2pm, which gave me the opportunity to come home early and spend more time with my 3-year-old baby. I have often felt guilty because I have not been able to spend more time with her.
Then came COVID-19 and everything changed. The county reps asked us to stay at home and work as much we can from there. This has been a challenge for sure but also such an amazing privilege. In Nicaragua 80% of the economy is informal. It means that many people have to sell stuff on the street, in markets or go to the rural areas to work in agriculture. You maybe have heard the saying that every crisis presents an opportunity; well, for me, it did represent an opportunity.
So, I went to the market and bought a hammock. I never imagined that hammock would change my time at home. Yes, it’s difficult not having a good internet connection. Working from home also means having to deal with my daughter who wants everything from me; every 5 seconds she is yelling and looking for me. So, I set a routine with her. Every afternoon after lunch, I go to the hammock with my baby and sing to her. She lays on my chest and I start to swing us and sing “Estrellita, dónde estás.” My daughter starts singing along with me and for a moment in the house it’s just me and her singing along and forgetting all the stress and sadness we hear from the news. It’s just her and me. Me realizing how privileged I am, how small she is and how the time is flying, and that at some point in the future I won’t be able to hold her like that anymore.
It’s probably not the hammock, probably it’s just a mother and daughter’s connection that creates the magic, but I just realized that everyone’s felt this magic. I have observed that everyone who has laid down on my hammock has started swinging themselves and singing. I want to believe that for a moment they felt the same magic too. And you, have you find out any magic around you?
Ahhh, and just one more thing: I share this story from my hammock.
Wendy Vado is the Connecting Peoples Coordinator for MCC Nicaragua and Costa Rica.