Coconut Hope

I have always had an indescribable allure towards coconuts. Something about their prickly hairs and spunky mannerism is rather endearing. Needless to say, upon our arrival to our debrief location of Omoa, a coastal city frighteningly close to Guatemala, I was overwhelmed by the presence of entire coconut colonies.

Despite the fact that sleep deprivation has developed into a commonality amongst our team members, many of us chose to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to gaze romantically at the sunrise, and my personal favorite activity: lounge within the tropical glory of coconuts. As I meandered along the beach (looking very macho if I must say so myself) I came across a bewildered coconut. Yes, a bewildered coconut. It was helplessly flailing about near the shore, caught between the push and pull of the wave movements. This spectacle was difficult to process as I wondered whether or not to rescue the poor little dude. A foamy wave's push followed by a countered force from shore, left the coconut endlessly stranded in the same location. Believe me, I wanted to erupt in a battle cry, dive in, save it, nurse it back to health, and potentially apply for adoption, but I was too afraid of what strange jellyfish might be lurking about so instead, Taylor and I narrated it's thoughts and added the occasional sound effect, only to proceed onward.

But what can we learn from this bewildered coconut? Initially, one would presume absolutely nothing. However, apart from the fact that humans do not grow on trees nor do they possess shaggy spherical qualities, we have a lot in common with this coconut. Throughout our team's interactions with the AFE ministry this week, many have found ourselves caught in uncertainty, struggling to understand the coexistence of a world of hope and a world of hopelessness. We have found ourselves caught between powerful forces of our broken world. The garbage dump in which AFE families earn their livelihood has provided me with a clear understanding of hopelessness. It is a place where joy thrives only amongst the flies and vultures that feed on the desperate. It is a place where dignity is lost within the piles of human waste and disease. And yet, it is a place where God is working. Everything about AFE is full of hope. The teachers, the workers, the students, and the families, have all been empowered through God's work in the ministry. Trying to comprehend how such hope and hopelessness can both shape us profoundly has placed us between two waves, much like the coconut. Unable to find stability nor satisfying conclusions, my thoughts have lost confidence, and I have found myself feeling more and more hopeless. We are lucky that we are not coconuts, because instead of having to settle in this inability to understand our world, our hope is beyond that of the coconut's. The coconut is probably still where it was when I saw it last, bewildered, vulnerable, and alone. Fortunately, we are not reliant upon on myself to save us from this, because I did nothing to help the coconut. But God is more than willing to erupt in a battle cry, dive in, save us, nurse us back to health, apply for adoption, AND take all of our anxieties and guilt away. We can rest in Him. This is hope. The only hope that can make right what we have made wrong.

This is what much of the team has been struggling with, and perhaps this bewildered coconut can make it easier to understand. As we are thrown back into the rhythmic process of our lives in Madison, my only desire is that we don't allow our uncertainty to define us. Rather, I pray we all can find ways to rest in the hope that God has provided to us, to the kids of AFE, and ultimately to the world.

-JM