“I may be absent in body, but I’m with you in spirit.”

Colossians 2:5 (Inclusive Bible)

This phrase from Paul’s letter to the Colossians kept coming to mind for me last week. Paul encouraged the faithful while in prison and unable to be with them in person.  While our team of EXIT Educators led an intensive training for the newest cohort of facilitators in the Expressive Arts in Transition program in Holguín, Cuba, I was at home in Olympia, WA, supporting from afar. Four graduates from our first cohort in Cuba are now taking the lead in training our fifth cohort of community, health, faith, and educational leaders to use the expressive arts for support and healing during these extraordinarily stressful times in Cuban life. Supporting from afar was not my first choice because I love working side by side, in person, with my colleagues there. Still, after much prayer and conversation with our partners, International Ministries leadership, and family, it seemed best to proceed with this hybrid training style. Our goal in this project and partnership has always been to build capacity.

Last week, we built capacity. Being physically absent forced me to learn new skills. I learned by thinking through numerous possible training scenarios, distilling teaching points into videos in advance, and practicing what I preach by trusting the process and others to do the work they are called to do. Our EXIT educators, Aida and Alicia, increased their capacity in organization, communication, and creative solutions on multiple levels. Ernesto and Marybexy, our two other EXIT graduates, supported their colleagues and the training with their presence and logistical organization. Together, we learned to listen to the wisdom and experiences of the new cohort participants as they begin their own journeys of supporting their communities with creativity, companionship, and practical coping tools for stress management amid uncertainty. Though absent in body, we were and will continue to be together in spirit.

If we are with each other in spirit, what happens to one happens to all of us.  Whenever we encounter another, whenever their lives touch ours, we are changed. We carry in our own bodies the marks and imprints of theirs: their burdens and their beauties.  Even though absent, we are in some way with them and they with us.

Whenever I am away from those I’ve come to know and love, my soul aches with their absence, yet is nurtured by the expanded perspective that lingers. I am reminded that we

are inextricably connected. What I touch, touches me. Who I touch, touch me. What touches them, touches me.  If we have an embodied relational experience with someone or somewhere, they seem to matter more to us. We tend to pay more attention to what we know and are more likely to ignore or dismiss what we don’t. It’s normal. I wonder, though, if we could challenge ourselves to pursue more proximity, both in body and in spirit. What might happen if we explored more of our unknowns that we are inextricably connected to? How might our perspectives change, our hearts open, and our lives be transformed if we moved closer, welcomed the unknowns, and learned from them?

My spirit is with my sister, who is experiencing significant physical, mental, and emotional challenges right now. Although I would prefer to be with her both in spirit and in person, sometimes our only option is to love from a distance.  I am living several states away from her and her adult children, who are navigating her time-consuming care. I hope and trust that they can feel the spirit of my love and care through my texts, encouragement, and prayers for her and them from a distance.

If you are receiving this note, we have met, you know me, and I know you. In some way, your life has touched mine. We have shared ministry, meals, and memories over the last 26 years that I have served with International Ministries. You may have met, become friends with, or read about some of the dearest people on the planet that I have had the privilege to serve alongside in Costa Rica, Cuba, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Lebanon, Ukraine, the Philippines, Thailand, and Kenya. You may be living in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, or another state, or across the pond. We may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit. Thank you for being with me, for touching my life with yours, for giving of your time, talents, and treasures in solidarity and support. Although our everyday lives may feel distant from one another, I hold you in my heart and thank God for you every day. 

Inextricably connected and grateful,

Mylinda