Hazel...

Remember I told you about our friend, Hazel, “happening” to run in to us at the airport upon our arrival? And that we planned to get together for lunch and a good, long visit? Well, last Friday, we had that visit and that lunch and it was every bit as wonderful as I could have hoped.

Hazel lives some distance away from us and so we decided to meet at Metro Centro Mall where we would pick her up and then bring her home with us to have lunch. There was a slight confusion on our times, so Jim and I spent an hour just browsing through the mall…you know how I hated that! :0) It was nice to be able to have that kind of leisure time as usually, when we’re there, we’re on some sort of mission to find a particular item, but at the same time, I was a little worried about how our already prepared lunch back at the house was going to hold up. It was a very simple and easy lunch, nothing special, only spaghetti , corn and salad with cheese bread and ice cream for dessert, but I wanted everything to be nice for our guest.

While wandering the mall, we did discover a new little store that had opened up sometime while we were in the States. I suppose it is like a Nicaraguan Dollar Store in its concept. The most expensive items there cost no more than 30 cords, or about $1.50, with most items costing 20 cords or less. My kind of store…at least these days, anyway! We did find a few things to use at school and a few things for ourselves. So, when we finally met up with Hazel, I was still experiencing my euphoric shopping “high”. Funny how some days, just buying a few simple things can put a spring in your step!

It was so good to see Hazel again. At 23 years of age, she’s such a beautiful young woman, both in her appearance and in her spirit. There are many young women, both Nicaraguans and Americans, who fall in to the first category, but sadly, there are very few of those who also are equally beautiful in their spirit. Jim and I both believe Hazel is a breath of fresh air for us here. And although we don’t see her nearly as often as we would like, we have spent enough time with her to know she is a very special individual.

Hazel has such a gentleness and genuineness of Christ about her and while she is not abrasive or confrontational in her faith, neither does she compromise. She is a young, Christian woman who does not need to declare she’s a Christian, in order for one to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she is. I have never heard her resort to sarcasm or cover a mean-spirited comment with a laugh. I don’t hear her speaking poorly about someone else and disguising her gossip by saying she’s speaking the truth in love. She is willing to walk away from situations and places where she knows God does not want her to be or where He’s not being glorified. I add that second part as she is the only Christian in her workplace and as difficult as it is for her there, she believes that’s the mission field God has given her right now. That shows a real strength, wisdom and maturity that has nothing to do with years, denominations or legalism. It comes from a daily and a deeply personal and authentic walk with the Lord.

There was no need to worry about lunch…it was fine and Hazel seemed to enjoy it, eating more than I could imagine her petite little frame could hold but it was only a precursor for the feeding the Lord had in store for Jim and me. Conversations with Hazel may start out with small talk, but they don’t stay that way. Oh…I better remind you just in case you get the wrong idea about my linguistic prowess in Spanish, Hazel is fluent in English. That’s good because right now, I’m fairly certain that we couldn’t have the depth of conversation with her that we do. Someday, I hope to be able to do that in Spanish, but right now, that’s not the case.

We met Hazel several years ago when we first came down to find a place to live and were staying with Susanna for two weeks. Hazel, only 21 at that time, was translating at a conference being held for local pastors and because the location was close to Susanna’s house, she came to stay a few days there instead of traveling back and forth to her own home, which is in the heart of the city.

Hazel’s first evening there, Susanna had plans with her friends which left Hazel and us alone with an evening to get to know each other. It didn’t take long for us to recognize Hazel’s unique qualities and personality. Of course, we had the typical exchange of telling one another a bit about ourselves but then, without even realizing there had been a shift in the conversation, we were talking about the deeper things of God. Hazel shared some of the burdens on her heart with family, ministry and friendships and some of the struggles she faced as a young woman in this culture and wanting to live in a Kingdom culture. We were struck with her level of maturity and her hunger for the Lord.

Both of those characteristics have only increased judging from the time we spent together at lunch last week. Although Hazel has a degree in architectural design, she has chosen to follow God’s promptings in her area of work. God opened a door for her to get a job at the airport working for one of the airlines. Hazel has discovered there are many of her co-workers who are actively pursuing lifestyles which are in direct opposition to God’s Word. She has been faithful to demonstrate Christ-like love to everyone, especially those whose lifestyles are abhorrent, yet she has never softened what God’s Word says. She has courageously walked through the doors God has opened for her in regards to dialoguing with these folks about such things. She has shared scripture, she has prayed and she has remained open and approachable, never wanting to shut the door on the possibility of sharing God’s message of redemption which is available to
all of us.

Hazel’s areas of responsibility are great and her work ethics and integrity have been recognized so that she has been promoted over others who have seniority. Naturally, this has created some uncomfortable situations for her but she handles her position with humility and an attitude of serving others. She never speaks of her position with an attitude of arrogance or entitlement. I am in awe at the lack of crippling pride that this young woman possesses.

I want to share a story she told us at lunch. We were talking about the difficulty in fighting the pull of the world. In the past, due to her fluency in English, Hazel has served as a translator for many missionaries who host visiting teams. She told us that she got to the point where she didn’t want to do that anymore, even though it paid very well. She said that she was becoming very disillusioned with the conflicting lifestyles of both the missionaries and the teams of “Christians” who came. She said that she heard them talk the talk to those to whom they came to minister, but when it came to their daily living, their walk was much different. She recognized that all believers still have their daily battles with their flesh, but she said that much of what she witnessed was hypocrisy. She knows local Christians and American missionaries whose social lives and activities are no different than the same things the world seeks. They frequent the same places and exhibit much of the same behaviors. She said God told her in His Word we were to be different. She believes that's to be evident and evidenced.

By no means does she believe she is immune to the pull of this world or to the desire to be accepted by her peers. She continued on to tell us that a group of her friends are always going to the concerts and clubs that are very popular here. Hazel had never been part of that but she said these friends are girls who are Christians and they convinced her it was fun and no big deal. So, she said she decided to go one night. One part of her was a little apprehensive but the other part was excited to be going out and she was looking forward to having a good time. She was to meet her friend at the club and when she got inside, she said it was packed.

The look on Hazel’s face as she was telling us the story only helped me visualize the scene that was to follow. She said that the music was very loud and that people were yelling to one another just to be heard. She was looking for her friend and became aware that the yelling had become more than just people trying to talk above the music. Fights began breaking out around her with people shoving and hitting each other and then crowd seemed to be closing in. Instinctively, she began moving back towards the entrance. Suddenly, there were gunshots. She said that people began screaming and pushing. Hazel said that she knew she needed to get out of there right then. She said she turned and ran towards the door and was almost knocked down in the process. She said she believed she could have been trampled to death if she hadn’t been able to remain on her feet.

Once outside, she quickly moved away from the building. She said that all of a sudden, it seemed as though the noise had stopped although it was clear that the chaos was continuing. Hazel said she suddenly heard a voice saying, “You don’t belong here, daughter. Come home. You belong at home.” She said she knew it was God calling His wandering child home. Hazel said she left, scared to death, and couldn’t get home fast enough. She said the next day that she talked with her friend and she told Hazel that kind of thing happens all the time but usually, no one gets hurt. Hazel told her that the whole thing was crazy and that she realized that she really didn’t want to be part of that and that God didn’t want her to be part of it. As she was telling us the story, I thought about the verse in John 10:10 that says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” What a good example.

Now don’t think for one minute that Hazel is boring and scared of life. She is anything but! Several times, she has traveled alone to and through the United States to visit friends and family. She is feminine and gentle but isn’t afraid to get dirty doing whatever needs to be done. She just recently returned from a trip to Panama where she and several friends hiked three hours through the jungle and then took a small boat out on the ocean to go visit one of the more primitive islands. A few months ago, she was robbed on a bus at gunpoint. To have gone through that and still take public transportation is remarkable enough In my opinion. But the rest of the story is that Hazel proceeded to witness to the young man who had threatened to kill her. That woman is no shrinking violet!

Someday, Hazel wants to be married…but she’s not willing to settle. She believes God has the right man for her and he will be a man who shares her faith, her values and her vision for God’s Kingdom. She holds the bar high and I commend her for that. She has dated a few young men but none seriously. She is not naïve by any means but she is discerning and because of that God-given insight, she constantly seeks God’s direction in all her relationships, including those with members of the opposite sex. She very strongly believes in being kind to others and recognizes that using someone else’s body outside of marriage to gratify your own physical desires is anything but kind.

Our “luncheon” ended about 6:30 that evening. Hazel wanted to go to the young adult’s evening Bible study at her church so we drove her. It had been a delightful day spent with a delightfully remarkable, young woman. I told her we would love to have her come back anytime and didn’t want to wait so long between visits. She told me she would love to come and just spend the night so we could talk and talk. I loved that! When I hugged her and kissed her cheek good-bye, it was with such affection and appreciation for the time she had spent with us.

As if you couldn’t guess, Jim and I think the world of Hazel. I realize I have sung her praises quite highly. I am not so foolish as to think Hazel is perfect nor would she want me to do so. But I am astute enough to appreciate the fact that the teachers God puts before me in this life do not all have to be older than myself. I think one of the things I enjoy most about Hazel is that after every encounter with her, I find myself taking a mental inventory of my own faith walk. She is one of those people who makes me want to be a better “me” and I find that when our time together is over, I feel rejuvenated about our days ahead here.

I know in our church, as in many, most Sunday school classes are classified by ages. I understand and appreciate the thinking behind that…like interests, similar places in life, commonalities, etc. But, I also have learned so much from people who have walked with Jesus much longer than I have – their wisdom and life experiences are invaluable. But I have also found, that when I am open to instruction and committed to having a teachable spirit, I have learned an immense amount from those who are chronologically much younger than myself. Their passion, enthusiasm and commitment to the Lord are inspiring…just as Hazel has been for us. She definitely goes in the Plus column of life here in Managua.