After a busy year last year at the Finca and having to squeeze my annual U.S. vacation time into 9 or 10 days after the summer volunteers left in August, I am back on my normal vacation slot this year! I arrived in Kansas City on Tuesday, April 7th, and I will return to Honduras on Wednesday, April 29th. THREE FULL WEEKS THIS YEAR!!
It has been incredible to see friends and family, take a step back from the business and craziness of daily life at the Finca, and to simply reflect on how this past year has gone and ways that we can continue to improve as a missionary program and ways that I can improve as a service coordinator for my 7 long-term missionaries at the Finca. However, US vacation time can also be a really challenging thing, at least for me, for a couple of main reasons:
First, life in Honduras, particularly at the Finca, is CRAZY, CRAZY different from life in the US that my friends and family live on a daily basis. It is a cultural shock for at least the few days entering back into life in the US and learning how to be okay and simply accept the widely different lifestyles and standards of living that I witness and experience on a daily basis in Honduras and I experience in the US on my vacation. At least for the first few days, I find myself reflecting in awe at the money, resources, and employment opportunities that people readily have access to in the US. I find myself thinking about how much people in Honduras (especially rural Honduras) would give up to have this type of money and opportunities at their fingertips without having to immigrate to the US and leave their culture, family, and friends behind.
My family decided to go on a family vacation during the time that I was back in KC this year. It was our first family vacation where all of my siblings were able to go in the almost 5 years that I have been in Honduras! WOW!! IT WAS LITERALLY INCREDIBLE!! Having the opportunity to be under the same roof as all 4 of my siblings, brother-in-law, both parents, and my 3 young nephews (ages 2, 3, & 4) resulted in a week full of incredible laughs, lots of family time at the beach and at the pool, seeing LOTS of dolphins on our dolphin tour, and incredible family time throughout the entire week at Fort Myers Beach. It is a week that none of us will forget anytime soon, and it is certainly a memory that I will forever cherish. Life changes SO, SO, SO quickly, especially with young kids, so the only thing that I could do was live in the present moment and enjoy every interaction throughout my day.
However, it was not the easiest thing in the world going from living a life of simplicity in rural Honduras to a beachside home at Fort Myers Beach with the luxurious hotels lining the beach for miles and hundreds of packed restaurants at all times of the day serving $15 drinks and $30 seafood plates to every single customer. As I went for my daily walk (or more like hobble… injuries to come later) down the beach, it never ceased to amaze me at how much money is invested in a vacation landing spot along the beach, especially given how much money was used to rebuild the island over the last few years after Hurricane Ian. Yet, I have learned in my years of returning to the US for an annual vacation that you just can’t let yourself get caught up in the cultural and lifestyle differences between rural Honduras and the US. I have learned that I must accept life in the US for what it is and enjoy the precious time with family and friends!
Secondly, vacations are always a little bit tricky for me because of my health situation and the surgeries and doctor visits that endlessly take up a majority of my vacation. I am prone to basal cell skin cancer, and my dermatologist almost always finds at least two or three spots on my face and neck that must be removed through the Mohs surgery. This year was no exception, and I had to have three spots surgically removed from my face. Counting the surgeries and the recovery time, I always spend endless amounts of time in clinics/hospitals and not really being able to leave my house or go do fun things with my friends and family. This year is also a little bit complicated because I am still recovering from a torn MCL that occurred at the Finca in late March. I gratefully don’t need surgery to heal, but that injury has significantly impacted my ability to do the things that I enjoy the most in life.
This year’s vacation has been especially tricky for me because I am not able to be fully and authentically Nate with my friends and family, especially my three young nephews. It killed me on the inside not being able to swim with my nephews in Florida or chase them around whenever they wanted to play tag. My twin brother Nick is almost certainly beating me in the race for favorite uncle only because he played and chased with them endlessly throughout the week. For those of you that know me best, you know how important it is to me to have a light-hearted spirit and to simply be a child at heart, running and playing and screaming as loud as I can while chasing someone or playing sports. It has been virtually impossible to do any of those things this year on my vacation, and that has been especially tricky and difficult for me to feel like I am being authentically and fully Nate despite the incredible time with family and friends.
Please pray for all of our Farm USA board members that will be coming to Honduras in the coming month for the annual board meeting. Please pray for their safety and their wisdom in making decisions.
Please let me know how I can pray for you!
God Bless!