Skip to main content

Why I Am Here: The Beauty in the Poor Places

I don't write about myself very often, but this time I just want to share a little bit. I want to tell you why I am here. I have been in Central America for five years now. I came on vacation and never went home. Something happened to me that is hard to explain. I walked streets I wasn't sure were safe. I went places I wasn't sure I would come back from. I got really far out of my comfort zone. And in the most unlikely places, I found life. Now I understand why Jesus ate with the prostitutes and drunkards. Why he went to the lost and the broken. They are actually cool people! You cannot imagine how amazing it was to hear their stories, to feel their pain and share their joy, to meet their families and get to know their names.


I wish I could explain to you the beauty I see.
I wish I could take the feeling that swells inside me and put it in your heart.
I am without words, and so I try to convey in pictures
the depth I see in their eyes


the joy in the everyday moments


the honor in passing down the skills needed to live


the immense beauty in the midst
of abject poverty


I feel like I am  living in a
National Geographic magazine



There is such a sense of being part of something so much
 larger and ancient that myself


I am honored to be here. I am honored to share my meal with
the homeless


I am privileged to 
play with the children


I am thrilled to be part of the community


It does my heart so much good to be here. 
I wish I could bring you with me!

So Very Thankful,
Laura

Comments

  1. This <3 Love you and so grateful you shared.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for taking us there Laura. We sing about seeking His face but you my friend found His face in your seeking. Love you dearly. Lee

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a great encouragement, Lee Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Secrets of Happiness and How to Happify Your Life with Happy Food

Maria with a guanabana ripe off the tree. Panama  Tell me please: What are SECRETS OF HAPPINESS? According to the Happy Planet Index , Costa Rica is the #1 Happiest Place on Earth!  I love this quote from the study:  People  living in Costa Rica have higher well being than the residents of many rich nations including the  USA and the UK, and live longer than people in the USA. Panama has repeatedly been the NUMBER ONE SPOT to retire overseas according to  International Living.  Check out this quote:  Internatio nal Living’s   Annual Global Retirement Index is hitting the presses. And in the top spot: Panama. I should say: Panama  again . Because this tiny powerhouse has topped this index more times than any other country. And this year, International Living is going over the top promoting Mexico as the up and coming best place to retire saying: The U.S.’s southern neighbor consistently makes...

Surprising Discoveries About Why Poor People Are Happy

My time spent living with the poor and the indigenous people of Mexico and Central America has turned up some interesting correlations. You understand that your life is full of stress in the Western world and I am sure you have been exposed to the idea that people who live simpler lives with less things seem to be happier. But do you know WHY? Is it just a mental thing? Is it because they don't know what they are missing? I believe it is much more than that. I lived in an impoverished community in Panama. Many of the home were square wooden boxes that were partially open to the outside. There was no plumbing, no running water or electricity. There were no beds nor any furniture. Families slept on the ground and cooked over an open fire outside. They had no refrigeration (and neither did I for nine months). They collected rain water in buckets which they used for drinking, cooking and bathing. They often went without shoes. They ate very little meat and instead a lot of th...