Vacation and Start of Year 2!
- Theresa Crawford
- Sep 11
- 4 min read
Its crazy to me how I spent so much time last year excited to visit home for vacation, and now I’ve already been back in the Finca for a month! The past 2 months of flown by(like every month in the Finca) and have been full of so much rest, joy, and love.
Vacation
I flew back to the US with Rachel on July 8th and had one month at home, visiting family, catching up with friends, stopping by old stomping grounds, and resting. At first I felt a little off when home – I couldn’t quite figure out why. There was a weird feeling of noticing how so much had changed and yet so much was similar. I felt like an incredibly different person yet exactly the same Theresa as when I got on the plane to Guatemala a year ago. This feeling gradually went away as I got more comfortable being back home, but I also recognize this is a big part of calling two different places home – always feeling like a part of my heart is somewhere else! I actually find that feeling such a gift!
My favorite part of being back was how much time I got to spend with family! Each week, I was able to drive up to Des Moines and have dinner or catch up with my siblings! My parents and I spent a lot of time cooking, watching movies, and hanging out in the barn =). I especially loved spending time with my niece and Goddaughter, Sophie. Sophie was originally pretty wary of the strange person that just showed up at her house and wanted to hang out with her. But little by little, she warmed up to me enough to even share her toys with me!
I also visited my college town, Ames, while back and was able to catch up with a lot of friends from college! That was especially crazy because so many of those people helped me a lot in my discernment for the Finca. Through conversations with them, especially with my college priest, I felt like I was able to reflect and really process my discernment, preparation, and first year of the Finca. I remembered how much anxiety I had while coming to the Finca and could also see clearly how much I’ve changed this past year. I felt a lot of peace in these conversations knowing that even though I worried, I still followed the Lord’s plan for me and have seen the beautiful results of that trust.
Me visiting home wasn’t the only big thing happening in the Crawford house in July! During the month, my mom was nominated to the Iowa 4H Hall of Fame(yay Mom!!), my dad retired(yay Dad!!), and my sister Amanda visited from Boston for her baby shower(yay Sis!!)! The month was full of celebrations!
Leaving at the end of the month was hard. Throughout the month, I came to realize how much I love spending time with my family and how much I miss being around them. I thought back to a year before, when I left having no idea what was ahead of me. This time, though, I did know what was ahead of me - a community and family that I love so much and that loves me so well. I know this next year will surely be full of hardships, and it will also be full of laughter, adventures, community, and love.
First month back!
One of the best parts of coming back to the Finca was two of my best friends came back with me! Elysse and Frances flew back with me and stayed for a week, getting to know the Finca. During their week, we went on lots of walks, visited a nearby resort, went on a tour of Mojoguay, spent a lot of time playing board games and simply chatting. It was such a gift to show them my life here and have them meet the people I love.
At the end of August, the missionary fam went on retreat in Comayagua! Typically, this annual retreat is a discernment retreat for missionaries at the end of their 2-year commitment to decide if they will stay another year or leave. This year, however, there are no missionaries at the end of their commitment, so we used the retreat to discern jobs for the next year and as a time of rest. We went to Comayagua to visit the Missioners of Christ and stay in their retreat house in the mountains. I had met the Missioners one time before when some came to put on a weeklong Vacation Bible School-style camp for the kids. This time, as it was last time, their energy and love for Jesus was infectious! It was such a joy to be in community with other missionaries in the country. Its especially fun to spend time in their mission, because most of the Missioners are Honduran and from the area, so their perspective of being a missionary in Honduras is so different from mine!
The mountain retreat house was so incredibly beautiful and quiet. We spent time with the MoC founder, Carol, and one of the missioners who came to guide the retreat, Maria. Their gentle presence and quiet wisdom were a huge blessing for the retreat. We went on a waterfall hike and swam, had incredible coffee, played board games, watched Miracle(!!), and spent so much time praying and in adoration! I honestly spent very little time discerning my jobs for next year and more time simply sitting in the Father’s presence and learning how to be loved.
I turned 24 at the Finca this year! Highlights of the day included decorations in the house, singing from my students, a surprise pupusa lunch at a friend’s house(although I actually ruined the surprised haha!), a beer on the beach with the missionary fam, praying a rosary to celebrate Mama Mary’s birthday while looking at the night sky, and getting not one, but two, eggs smashed on my head followed up by a bag of flour(a popular way to celebrate birthdays here). Throughout the day, I felt very loved and incredibly blessed to have an amazing community and family here in the Finca. I know the Lord has me exactly where He wants me.
I’m so excited for year 2 at la Finca del Nino! I know the year will bring plenty of struggles but much more love, adventures, and change in my heart!
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