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