Alejo is a consecrated religious brother with the Christ Life Movement. He has been serving the people of Pamplona for 17 years. Today I had the privilege of hearing him share a part of his discernment story with 4 young men over lunch. Alejo referenced the prayer of Solomon we find in 1 Kings 3:7-9
“And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”
Alejo encouraged the young men to approach discernment with the docility of a child and ask the Father: “What do you want me to do?” He encouraged the young men find the still place in their heart by becoming aware of their attachments: Where will I live? What will I do? How much of this or that will I need? And then simply laying those concerns aside and placing them at the feet of the Lord and first asking “Lord, What do you want me to do?”
I often have a tendency to over complicate the process of asking this question. Frequently I come to the Lord with a five step plan and ask him if it’s a good idea… It seems that Alejo would remind us to first sit with the Lord and ask him for the wisdom we need. Let his heart lead our heart.
Being here for the last 6 days, it is easy to see the need in Pamplona. It is easy to see the necessity of the work that we are doing. It is also easy to see the fruit of relationships that have sprung out of simply pushing forward with basic infrastructure needs.
Today I am deeply aware that, like our Gospel said on Sunday (John 4:38) “Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” I have entered into the labor of another and I have been reaping a profound harvest. Almost all of my conversations have been pregnant with depth and meaning and significance… I have engaged collegiate missionaries from at least 5 states… Worked shoulder to shoulder with countless heads of households in Pamplona and delighted in seeing an entire hillside covered with laborers rejoicing in the goodness of God as we mixed concrete by hand on the ground and formed concrete steps one small bucket of concrete at a time.
I wonder if I would have seen what was possible 17 years ago when Alejo first started pushing into the vaccuum. Would I have been able to see the profound opportunity that is now being realized in the Kingdom, the countless families bless, the countless missionaries received? If I’m honest, I think the answer is no. When I still my heart and recognize what the Lord is doing here, I find myself asking the question: Lord, where is my Pamplona back in Panama City? What do you want me to do there?
For at least this once, I’ll leave the brass tacks for later…
John 4:35 “But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.”
Dr. Nic
St Dominic Peru Mission 