Do you ever have an experience where you see something and it is like a shock to your system? This one experience can change your perspective about life (as long as you remember but us frail humans tend to forget lessons that we learn - hence the principle of repetition). Tuesday we went to the villa dos pescadores or Fishermen's village. We had a list of recent converts/less actives that live there and we wanted to visit them and a recent convert works there. We heard it was a little dangerous there at night so we went right after lunch. As we were walking there we passed through one of the oldest parts of the city. The part that was obviously inhabited first by Europeans. There was a couple of big buildings with cool statues and cool architecture and lamp posts that were really decorated.
Then we crossed the street.
The Villa is literally house after house made up of random pieces of wood. They are small open shacks on mud paths that are almost on the water. They have almost nothing. But their happiness was apparent. It was a lesson in humility and gratefulness. I walked away feeling incredibly blessed and incredibly selfish. I have been given so much by wonderful parents here on earth and by a wonderful Father in Heaven. I have every reason possibly to just be beaming with joy.
That was one lesson learned this week. Of course there are others. Each week I learn a bounty of things that I often "learned" a week or two before.
I love you all very much and I am so grateful for your letters and emails and the little details I learn from each. I am glad that everyone is healthy and well if not a little busy.
Com muito amor
Sister Martin
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