Lovers and Fighters

I feel like I'm five.
No lie.
I've been away from this country for a year and a half, and tonight I reunite with people I greatly love.
Clari tops the list. Since the first day I entered this country in June of 2009, Clari struck every chord I had.
She's hard to get to know, or then she was, and those are my favorites, the ones, who, like me, offer their reservation on a platter, and only want to be found by the right people. I don't pry, I don't beg, I just let them do what they will, and they either trust me, or they don't, she did.
Last time I was here, I dedicated Clari and Javier's five week old daughter, Dalia Alexia *Alex* to the Lord before the congregation, and I haven't seen Alex, Clari, or Javi since the night my tears hit Alex's five week old face as I kissed it goodbye to start my 1L year.
Until tonight.
Tonight I will see that face, now nearly 18 months old...to her, I am "Tia Courtney" and to me, she represents the reason I'm in law school.
Clari called here last night, her Spanish so rapid and excited I couldn't HEAR her, much less understand. This is how God responds when we show ourselves to Him, too. He gets so excited we have to make sure we heard Him right :). Funny what will happen when you ask yourself to be used. ;)
Two kinds of people exist in this world, two. Lovers and Fighters. Each heart has within it the capacity to do both. I am a lover. I just am. But, here's the catch. Lovers are not natural fighters, and fighters, not natural lovers, but once you bid a lover "fight!" or a fighter "love!" You receive the stronger of each, because it's harder to evoke. There's nothing like realizing that a fighter among them has chosen willingly to love, or that a lover among them has chosen to fight.

I am a fierce lover, and a fiesty, passionate fighter, but when you bring a child into the mix, I become an entirely different human being. I cannot wait to hoist that precious little one into my lap and hold her close, cover her with kisses, and cry til I laugh, or laugh til I cry, either works.
The walls, the ceiling, all could fall, and I would smile, for my very life revolves around the King who became a child, and then grew up to die for them.
This place is different. I know no other like it.
It's not about any THING at all. Here I am reminded that seeds grow, even if we aren't watching.
El Salvador reminds me of my fierce desire to be intentional everywhere I go.
From these walls, to the shelves and carrels of the law library, in every life God has chosen to bless my life with.

I've made a list of things about El Salvador I missed:

• The people





• The fact that the water faucets say "C" and "F" instead of "H" and "C" and that the "C" is the hot one :)





• Washing my hands in the Pila





• The signature Salvadorian dish- pupusa *look it up!*





• SALVA COLA!





• Sharing the road with cows





• Singing in Spanish





• Tropical Fresa





• Women carrying baskets on their heads but cell phones in their hands





• The humility of the people





• Platanitos





• That moment where I forget I'm not supposed to use tap water on my toothbrush and I say "OOPS!" and laugh super hard.





• Being constantly surrounded by children





• Finding an ant in my tea





• I just missed it.

Also, being here reminds me how blessed I am to have the capacity to love, and to fight, and to keep the trust of others safe, sound, and close to my heart.

I pray that all the people I love would come to a knowledge of the fact that loving, and fighting, are equally important, and to really change the world, we must really love something, and fight for it, too.

Love, and Fight, and enjoy every second!

Courtney