Agros Blog

The following is from a letter written by a 23yr old college student who recently went on a service team trip to the village of Nuevo Renacer, El Salvador.

“I pray that this e-mail finds you well and at home relaxing. If you are at work and struggling to get back into the swing of the daily grind like myself, I feel your pain. I have learned, however, that my previous definition of hard work was severely inadequate. This El Salvador trip has been a powerful, life-altering experience for me, and it has led me to realize how many blessings I take for granted. Being able to make a living off of my skills in corporate finance, which adds pretty much nothing to the wellbeing of society, seems ridiculous to me now. If you’re in education, health care, or ministry, the transition may be less of a shock, since you’re continuing to serve those in need.

The images that the Lord has shown me on this trip have sparked a fire of thankfulness in my heart. Lance Armstrong’s statement of appreciation after his bout with cancer seems so fitting in this perspective: “I take nothing for granted. I now have only good days or great days.” For me, it’s usually a bad day if not the end of the world when my boss asks me to come into work on the weekend, or when my professor assigns and extra chapter of reading. When I woke up this morning dreading the return to work, I remembered the villagers and recognized what a spoiled brat I must be in God’s eyes.

The pursuit of happiness, prosperity, and wealth that has haunted my life experience thus far, seems rather trivial in light of the struggles that our friends in Nuevo Renacer deal with every day. Switchfoot has a song on their latest album called “Happy is a Yuppie Word.” When asked about the meaning behind the song, the lead singer replied: “In 1991, when Rolling Stone interviewed Bob Dylan on the occasion of his 50th birthday, he gave a curious response when the interviewer asked him if he was happy. He fell silent for a few moments and stared at his hands. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘these are yuppie words, happiness and unhappiness. It’s not happiness or unhappiness, it’s either blessed or unblessed.’” I love that. In our society, we too often confuse happiness with material accumulation and getting the things we want. I know now that the way to peace of mind and heart is to realize that the Lord has blessed me beyond my needs in order that I might be a blessing to others. This trip has been a great window into that realization…”

~ John

John’s words reflect the essence of what so many Agros Journey With A Village partners encounter when they travel to an Agros village. The restoration of hope, dignity, and gratitude is not reserved only for those living in a rural village, but it is also for those who are willing to serve and give of themselves. Gratitude is one of the highest and most healing of human expressions, no matter where you are on the economic ladder, no matter what country you live in.