Moline Love

I witnessed something beautiful this week.  Something truly unique and special.  People from varying backgrounds and skills and even languages came together to serve their Lord and community.  And me?  I was able to join in and be a part of the magic that took place :)

Left: Tim Geerlings, Rafael, Calomindo, Ethan Hunter, Me, Pastor Adonis

Three men—Pastor Adonis, Calomindo, and Rafael—came all the way from Mangulile, Honduras to Moline, Michigan this past week.  A funny thing was at work here, God’s fingers playing the piano keys to the tune I was dancing to.  You see, a year ago I found myself in that small countryside town of Mangulile in Honduras.  I was there through the Christian Reformed Church not in fact to spend time with the CRC church there, but rather to meet with and spend time with a few young volunteers that were living and serving there.  The day we arrived, I noticed some rather vibrant neon yellow shirts and of course I was interested in what was printed on them.  Imagine my complete surprise when I read “Moline Christian School” and “Moline CRC”!  I am quite sure I froze for a moment trying to compute what I was seeing.  Here I am, in the middle of nowhere in Central America, and I see shirts from the small town where I went to elementary school!  I believe I then interrupted a conversation that was going on and blurted out questions about the t-shirts.  The people of Mangulile were delighted to tell me all about their years-long friendship with the small church of Moline CRC and how they had just in fact returned home from a visit there.  That whole week I was then known as “the other Moline girl” which of course made me very happy :)

My visit to Mangulile, Honduras 2015

Now living back in Moline, Michigan I was graciously invited by Moline CRC to be a part of their week-long service-outreach program to their community known simply as “Moline Love”.  And more importantly, to walk alongside their Honduran friends as they too joined in the festivities and projects of Moline Love.  I got to see Moline through their eyes, and boy what a treat it was!  Moliners, I want to say thank you.  Thank you for doing this right, for not only opening up your homes to strangers, but also your hearts.  You have shown a love to the people of Mangulile that many would call crazy, especially since many of you have yet to visit there!  Not only that, but you also have chosen to go out and be the hands and feet of Christ right here in West Michigan.  This is the kind of hospitality, love and service that Paul encourages the early church to demonstrate, and here we are, thousands of years later, and you’ve got it.  Be proud, Moline.  To echo the words of Paul the Apostle: “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.  We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3).

For those of us who aren’t a part of Moline CRC, I want us to be encouraged by our brothers and sisters of Moline and Mangulile.  I want us to be inspired by their story and their commitment to their community here and abroad.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are the hands and feet of our loving Savior here on Earth.  What a glorious burden and privilege!  Let us rejoice together knowing that someday every tongue that speaks every language will come together as one and proclaim that Jesus is Lord.  Let’s get a head start, shall we?

A Safe Topic

It seems that I have inadvertently offended several of my faithful readers from my latest blog post, assuming from my rather melancholy tone that I am thoroughly dissatisfied with my current state in life and all who occupy it, yearning instead for greener pastures and a flashier lifestyle.  Let me take a moment to assure you that this is not true!  No matter how paradoxical it may sound, I am having one of the best times of my life!  In fact, if you saw me right now at church or at the grocery store or wherever, you’d probably see a very relaxed and genuinely happy girl.  Because I am!  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t miss things from my old life as well.  Let’s be honest: living abroad is cool.  And I liked that about myself.  But now I’m discovering who Michigan Kelsey is again and I’m realizing she’s pretty different from Central American Kelsey.  Which actually shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone.  Life changes, and we do too along with it.

So today, I’d like to talk about pets because that seems like a fairly safe topic.  I happen to be very blessed in the realm of pets—I have my immigrant cat, Artemis, who came with me all the way from Nicaragua.  She’s a feisty calico who has intermittent freak-out moments where she races through the house parkouring off whatever furniture and walls that happen to be in her way and then finally collapses on the floor, panting.  I also have three pet plants in my room (yes, they’re pets too—I care for them just as much as my other pets): an aloe, a succulent and some moss.  I love them.  I even visit with our resident pond frogs from time to time, content to hear them croak and watch them lazily lie about on the lily pads.  I am an aunt to two lovely puppies, who aren’t little puppies anymore (but they still are to me).  Yes, Moki and Finley are frequently spoiled by yours truly—I actually have very little willpower against puppy-dog eyes and am more than willing to spare a few bites of dinner to bribe them to love me even more.  I am also a new aunt to a lovely kitten, Siggy, who’s little tan face and blue eyes make me want to play with her all day.  I’m friends with many other pets and we have play dates from time to time: my grandparent’s dog and ducks, my boyfriend’s family’s dogs and cats and chickens, my friend’s pet goldfish, just to name a few.  

Clearly, we humans love our pets.  But why?

I have a few theories, but the biggest and simplest one is because they unconditionally love us (yes, even our slightly standoffish cats).  We can come home after a long day at work and cuddle up with our furry friends.  We can sit with them and tell them of our woes and they won’t even get mad.  They’ll just listen and maybe interrupt with a lick or two.  Being friends with them is so easy—there’s no room for jealousy there, or suppressed anger, guilt trips, or passive-aggressive responses.  Instead, you have a a little buddy who wants some good food and maybe a scratch behind the ears or a quick run in the backyard.  

To be true, pets are the epitome of finding contentment in the simple things in life.  What would it be like if we humans were more like our pets?  I suppose we would learn to relax and enjoy a nice long nap in a sun spot or in the shade of a nice big tree.  We would itch to be outside and sniff the new things we find and run around a bit to let off some energy or chase a new friend.  We would revel in good food and beg for more even after we ate a whole meal.  We would cuddle with our loved ones on the couch or in the car or in their beds at night, not believing in personal bubbles for one moment.  We would be overflowing with joy when our loved ones walked in the front door, running up to greet them before anyone else.  

Would we be happier if we were more like our pets?

I think so.  What do you think?