Page 33 - Lenten Devotional 2023
P. 33

Week 3: March 13-17 (cont)









                  I NEVER have my training participants arrive early – let alone before me. I also NEVER
                  have a group with this much energy at the start of a training.


                  I tend to have a good sense of my training groups by the end of my first day with them.

                  But I had a good sense of the group in Puerto Rico almost immediately. This good sense
                  just kept getting stronger as each day passed, and by the end of the fourth day, it was
                  obvious this training group was special.


                  How were they special?
                      They were patient with the language barrier between us despite me being able to

                       have a conversation in English with only three of the 28 individuals.
                      They were committed and respectful. Every day, for four consecutive days, many of
                      them  would  travel  2-3+  hours  to  and  from  the  training.  This  means  they  were

                      getting up at 3:30-4:00 am and not getting home until 6:30-7:30 pm each evening.
                      And, yet, they would arrive every morning not just on time, but up to 30 minutes to
                      an hour early and stay to the very end. The drive alone would have given them good

                      reason  to  not  want  to  be  there,  or  at  the  least,  be  exhausted  and  lack  energy  and
                      attention by the day’s end. But, no. They were fully engaged all day, every day, for
                      four days.

                      They were a joyful group. The same joy they would start the day with was still there
                      at the end. We had many good interruptions of laughter, salsa dancing and singing.
                      They were an optimistic and hopeful group. Their challenges with kids, parents and

                      their community were like other training groups I've had, but also different. They
                      didn’t  speak  negatively  about  who  they  work  with  and  their  challenges.  Instead,
                      their  positive  attitudes  about  and  compassion  and  care  for  those  they  serve  was

                      genuine and unshakeable.
                      Their love of Puerto Rico was genuine. Their stories of life on the island, especially
                      following Hurricane Maria, made them some of the most resilient people I have ever

                      met. It made me wonder if I could survive a year without power and still have such a
                      positive attitude.
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