Dear Readers: Since I’m still on vacation, I asked Dane Dowell to guest write a column. Dane recently volunteered with the Chispa Project. He’s a life coach who loves to explore the intersection of spirituality, psychology and culture. He’s also the author of the upcoming book, “The Light That Beckons.” Find out more about him at danedowell.com. – Chaplain Norris Burks
I grew up in the Methodist Church as a teenager: I sang in the choir, played handbells, was in youth group, was on the finance committee; I was a “Christian.”
In my 20s, I moved to Denver and began traveling the world. As I experienced different cultures, I began to question my faith. I learned to embrace who I am and rewrite my beliefs based on my experiences. I called myself an “ex-Christian.”
In my 30s, I began a spiritual journey learning to acknowledge my inner light. Organized religion seemed to emphasize an external God. Through spiritual studies, I also began to see the divinity within us. Christians believe that God is love.
While not necessarily affiliated with any particular faith, I believe that love is God. I began using the term “Recovering Christian” because of my upbringing.
Now in my 40s (by just 2 months), I traveled to Honduras last month with the Chispa Project and now call myself a “Catholic” — not Catholic as a religion, but Catholic in the true sense of the word: as a universal, undivided Church.
The Chispa Project’s mission is to partner with schools across Honduras to set up libraries and bring books into classrooms.
Books give children the power of words. They learn to tell stories. They read about different subjects. They learn critical thinking and use their imagination. The project is mostly run by Hondurans, but is occasionally assisted by a group of volunteers who help local staff set up new school libraries.
In April, I spent a week with Project Chispa along with about 20 other volunteers. I met the group at the newly modernized Comayagua International Airport. We were a strange bunch, but I was interested to hear everyone’s stories.
After a two-hour drive through lush, rolling hills, we arrived at our destination near Lake Yojoa. Honduras is a beautiful country, lush with vegetation and life everywhere. This experience felt like a representation of the abundance of life I hoped to experience during my week in Honduras.
We sat in a circle and introduced ourselves, and within a few minutes it became clear that we were a diverse group in terms of origins, ages, occupations, faiths, sexual orientations, political ideologies, and life experiences.
Back home, it would have been easy to draw a line and isolate ourselves, but we spent a week volunteering together in Honduras, and it was an amazing week.
I painted walls with Robert in Colorado, stickered books with Melissa in Florida, built bookshelves with Bob in South Carolina, and organized classroom activities with Marianne in Tennessee. Throughout the week, I got a glimpse into the lives of over 20 unique people.
Yes, we were all incredibly different. But as volunteers, we were united in our actions as one collective family. There were many moments of light-heartedness and laughter, as well as deep moments of sincerity. As I spent a week with these people, I realized we were more alike than we were different. We all had an inner light – Christ.
In rural Honduras, I was reminded of a passage from the Apostles’ Creed:
“I believe in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Catholic Church…” Truly, kindness and generosity bound us all together that week. We were each bound together in a spirit of love. Though a stranger in a foreign land, I found a family. Though a “recovering Christian” of various faiths, I found a new home in the “Catholic Church.”
Donate online now at Chispaproject.org/chaplain or send a check payable to “Chispa Project,” 10556 Combie Rd. Suite 6643 Auburn, CA 95602. Email us at comments@thechaplain.net or send a message to (843) 608-9715. www.thechaplain.net
