So, one of the great truths about being in El Sal is that I have been virtually helpless--relying on the continual kindness of new friends. And this has been a good thing--teaching me humiltiy, building friendships, etc.
That being said, there is also a lot of room here for me to bust out of comfort zones and try to wobble on my own two feet. For example, I was hungry the other night, but the stove still wasn't working and the frig wasn't here yet. So I decided it was time to try to order pizza on my own. I was tempted to call my lifelines--Dave, Jenny, Michelle--and ask them to order for me, but decided that at some point I just need to try it on my own. It may as well be now. And so I said a prayer and dialed the local pizza hut (they are all over the place down here) and started my conversation with “Lo siento, pero yo hablo espanol muy malo…”--"I'm sorry, but I speak Spanish poorly." What proceeded was I'm sure a comical exchange, but I only understood a bit of what the woman was asking me, so I can't tell you for sure. And slowly but surely I thought I understood and was able to express that I wanted a pepperoni pizza for delivery with orange soda. I was able to give her my address and directions to my house--although she put me on hold for about 5 minutes as she confered with someone about my directions. Yep, I prayed again. And finally, I was able to make out that I should see the delivery guy in about 15 minutes.
Of course, that is what I thought happened, but honestly, I had no clue if I was able to communicate properly. Normally when I order food here, I get something totally different then what I thought I ordered, or twice as much as what I thought I ordered or nothing at all and I've just learned to be flexible in what I eat and to keep trying. And so I said a third prayer and waited for the delivery.
Sure enough, 15 minutes later, Humberto showed up with my pizza! I have never been so elated to see a pizza delivery guy! I swear I almost kissed him. (Who knows, a few more deliveries and maybe I will be dating him...) AND he delivered what I thought I ordered--so double whammy! And as I sat down to eat my greasy delight, my meal time prayer was of simple thanksgiving.
Even the simplest task is still kind of hard for me here. And sure, that can be frustrating, but the cool part is that each task requires me to really ask God to help and to trust that he will. And oddly enough, he does help even with silly things and then I'm just filled with thankfulness for a pizza hut pizza. And that is a really great place to be--so thankful for so little--and I hope that one of the things that will stick with me in the years to come is learning to remain in that attitude of reliance, trust and thankfulness.
Today you should try something out of your comfort zone. It might be harder for you to find those opportunities in the comfort of your own culture, but they are there. We all have self-imposed limits. So pick one and step out--see what happens. I bet you will be grateful that you did!
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