What does it mean to commit your life to your work?
How can you continue to find the passion and love for your work even in the hardest times?
The power of love was the ever present theme of our final full day here in Honduras.
These are two questions that our group has wrestled with over the past week, and will continue to sit with as we take this experience and bring it back to our lives in Boston. I certainly won't pretend to have any answers to these questions, as many people wrestle with them for their whole lives, but one thing that has become clear is that there are some simple yet powerful themes that are group is ready to bring back and live out.
First and foremost, the most important thing you can do is truly love and support young people, consistently and unconditionally, without any expectations for what you will get in return. We saw this today at The Micah Project, an organization that works with young boys who are addicted to yellow glue and who are living on the street. In our visit to their center, the staff talked about the importance of unconditional love and support and how important it is to support students no matter how much their choices or decisions may frustrate or hurt you. I have seen this to be true in my own work as well, and want to continue to embody the idea of unconditional love and support as it relates to our teens making tough and complicated decisions about their post high school journeys.
We once again had the unique opportunity to journey to another one of the El Hogar's centers as we saw the farm school. Not only were we treated to an incredibly lunch of home grown Tilapia, rice and a beautiful fresh salsa, but we got to see all the different facets of the school, a school that helps students graduate with the same skills and knowledge that two years at an agricultural university would provide. And they do this by the end of 9th grade!
However, despite all the incredible opportunities to visit different organizations it was our final moments of the day that will sit with us for along time to come. First we were treated to the opportunity to speak to one of the professors here at El Hogar, Heyser. This was a blessing for so many reasons but one that spoke very specifically to my own heart. I have watched Heyser take on a variety of different roles over the past week. I have seen him be a teacher, a dance and music instructor, a counselor and a mentor/role model to the boys here. He does so with an incredible grace and authenticity that only comes when you live and breath your work. He embodies what positive masculinity can look like, allowing himself to be both vulnerable, passionate, strong and kind with all the young people he crosses paths with. He shared his own story, and talked about his own passion for teaching and the variety of lessons he has learned over the years. For those of us who work in youth work, Heyser embodies what we strive to be. Someone who loves his job and the young people unconditionally, and truly lives and breaths El Hogar.
After this humbling and incredible experience, the group sat down for a final reflection. The reflection was extremely moving as team members took the opportunity to speak to how this trip has impacted them on a personal level. It was a moment for group members to lean into the support of the group and express where they are at on their own personal journeys of discovery, knowing that they were surrounded by a ground of people who are there to support them.
So what does it mean to commit your life to your work? I don't know, but what I do know this that it is vital to find a place that fills your heart with joy no matter how tired, frustrated or painful the days might be. We feel so grateful to have been welcomed in to the community of El Hogar and walk away feeling both rejuvenated to see all the smiling faces of SSYP on Monday, while also dedicated to continuing to support the work that is going on here at El Hogar.
The power of love is ever present in our minds as we leave a part of our heart here in Honduras, not only waiting for us to come back, but also pushing us to continue the way in which we live in the world. The power of love is a beautiful thing, and sits heavy in our minds as we leave to board the plane back to the States.
-Jeremy
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