This is Juan, our friend. A Boy Scout from Bogota, Colombia, placed here in Defiance, Ohio – even more remotely placed at Camp Lakota (641 acres of awesome wilderness).
We met Juan when we arrived at summer camp. I immediately noticed the flag pole bearing a very familiar series of stripes, as my father is a native Colombian.
What a delight it is to see your country through a foreigners eyes. Wal-Mart becomes exciting (and you may or may not even frolic down aisles). Mickey Mouse shirts are important attire. A tarp (affectionately called a “blue thing”) is an amazing invention for your soaked tent. Rice prepared correctly becomes a luxury. And even when the Ohio weather, gives you endless weeks of rain, you are thankful just to BE in this place.
You are a little needy when you life lifts you from a city of millions and places you in remote Northwest Ohio. You rely on kindness. People step up and their beauty shines. People went out of their way, changed their schedules to make Juan’s stay even happen. They made time to get him to see very important Ohio places – like Cedar Point (is there anything more important than roller coasters?). Even during his last hours in Ohio, faithful people got up at 2 AM to take our weary Colombian Scout to the airport. And in the end Juan says it best,
“Here ends so far that which has been the best experience of my life thank you to all the people who were on this journey with me! Thank you Camp Lakota, thanks Ohio, thank you Michigan, thank you Florida! Thank you USA!”
No we won’t get nor do we want honor for helping another human being, yet those who witness unrestricted helping of others get a gift.
Hope.
Hope in humans, hope that we can make a difference when we treat each person as the (truly needy) child of God that we each are.
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