I just returned from a place I affectionately call “my paradise”. I call it that not only because it is a beautiful island with clear blue green water but also because it is a place where day after day I witness people reaching out, helping others and spreading kindness.
This place is Roatan, Honduras where for the last two years, five teams from St. Luke’s have gone on a mission to share God’s love and bring hope to their world. I think I can speak for those who have taken this journey when I say we come back home feeling far more blessed ourselves than feeling we have blessed others.
On this last trip, I witnessed countless acts of kindness by our team. From going above and beyond our scheduled work by bringing solar energy to help a family without electricity, to picking up trash and debris around a home we painted, to hiring and paying locals to help roof a home, to looking at additional ways to help children attend school and on and on.
But it was the kindness of our gracious amigo, Carlos, which struck me the most. Carlos owns and operates the mission house where we stay and coordinates the work we do on the island. I had the opportunity to ride along with Carlos to pick up supplies or run an errand. Everywhere we went, people would say to me, “Carlos is a good man”. Everywhere we went, he would stop and greet people. He gave rides to strangers, handed lempiras (money) to others and listened intently to each of their stories.
One afternoon a young man named Moses was helping us when his only pair of shoes, some thin flip-flops, broke. Within a few moments, I noticed Carlos walking around in the sand in his socks. I then glanced over to see Moses holding a pair of tennis shoes. Carlos had lovingly and humbly given his own shoes to Moses.
Proverbs 3:3 states “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.” Carlos’ gift to Moses is one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever witnessed. I have written it on the tablet of my heart to remind me on how to give a truly selfless act of kindness.
Julie Robinson, Executive Director of Studio 222
