Generosity

    The generosity of the people here in Puerto Barrios amazes me. Although I've only been here a little over a week I feel like I have encountered more generosity than I have for most of my life. I have been given a feast, coconut, bread, tortillas, soda, juice and so many other things… all from people who probably don't even have enough for their own families. On the street which we live on, most houses have front porches where strangers like my team and I are welcomed to come and relax and be treated like family. Many people even own stacks of chairs that they pull out anytime they have visitors. The culture is so different, yet also so wonderful.
   One experience which will stay with me happened a few days ago when a family invited us in to have lunch with them.  We had driven up to the mountains to put a program on for the children there but before starting the service we had to canvas the area and tell everyone what was going on. From my past experiences this meant passing out fliers or just going door to door. Well here it happens a little differently. We did go door to door but instead of making a quick statement and leaving, we would stay and visit and talk and pray with the people in their houses. We were always invited in to come and sit and this one family even wanted to feed us their lunch.
   The family invited us in to their hut-like home and offered us their own seats. They then proceeded to get us to make tortillas with them… which was so fun! After this they wanted us to stay and eat with them. They gave us guacemole, soup, and endless tortillas, which were all delicious! (I'm always excited for food). The thing that makes this so amazing was the fact that they didn't even eat themselves. They offered us all of their food. They were so generous… and we were only strangers.