A Letter to the Heart

Today, and every day, I wake up with a smile on my face; not knowing what the day will bring. Yet, today brought so much more for me than I thought it would. Finally touring the different projects of the missions was nothing short of beautiful, enlightening, heart-breaking, and inspiring. I say this because I know how far these people have come, but how far they have yet to go. The first thing that spoke to me today was obviously their form of health care. I am, first and foremost, a person of the medicines. But what saddened me was the idea that...so much of what they endure, and the procedures that they need, could possibly be rendered unnecessary simply through preventative care; therapy even. I am one day in and I know that I WILL return in the hopes of educating these strong people in ways of taking care of themselves so that they don't need life altering procedures. My second eye-opener of the day came after dinner. We all watched a documentary on the life of Father Greg and the things he did for Guatemala. He made the best of a situation he didn't want to be in, and that in itself is something I feel most people struggle with. But what he did was fall in love with these people, and in return, chose to lead by example. No amount of words can do justice to the kind smiles I receive every day down the streets, no story can explain how it feels to hear a thank you from someone who has given you more than you will ever return to them, and no amount of time would ever be enough to explain what can happen when you just put down your phone and look around you. So to my loving and supportive family and friends - please know that it is hard for me when you say you are proud because I feel as though I'm only doing what I was put here to do. If we could all just learn that drinking the shower water, petting random dogs, or eating candy is not something everyone gets to experience...I feel like, in due time, we could also learn to appreciate them just a little bit more. In the words of Father Greg, "What are YOU going to do, because everyone has the power within them to do something." I hope this speaks to you as much as it speaks to me. I challenge you, as the reader (family, friend, or otherwise), to simply start by putting down your phone. Enjoy the trees and the Earth and the animals because we all have a right to be here.

With love and appreciation,

Raven