Friends of Manos

Going Together

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Manos & Friends Team Up!

“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Going Together

“What did you do this summer?” A classic question that is often exciting to answer and for me, that excitement comes from having spent my summer with our partners in the Diocese of West Texas.

Manos de Dios has spent the last couple of years strengthening our bonds with friends in Honduras and at home and that means walking in Christ together with fellow ministries in our diocese. What might that look like you ask? Sometimes it looks like sharing about Manos to fellow staff at Camp Capers and other times like literally walking together as pilgrims in the Camino de Santiago. The important thing is spending intentional spiritual time together as a community - something I got to do in depth this summer.

So, take a few minutes to reflect with me on what I did this summer together with friends of Manos and learn why it's important to go together and not alone.

From Left to Right: Camp Capers Staff Training, Camino de Santiago, Camp Capers

College & Young Adults Ministry

The College and Young Adult Ministry of the DWTX organized a pilgrimage through northern Spain following the Camino de Santiago’s French route. After a year of planning, the time came for the team to take their first steps. Every journey no matter how long (or small) begins with the first step and what I was blessed to learn is that these first steps begin long before the actual “journey” itself. God had been working behind the scenes to put this amazing cast of adventurers together before any of us could realize.

From Walt Buzzini and Tami Woods (DWTX Campus missionaries) to Fr. Kevin Schubert (a priest in the diocese) and Susan Lindstrom (young adult minister at Christ Episcopal Church) and all the young adults and college students involved, God was guiding our steps so that our walks would coincide in this “Camino”. By saying “yes” to this adventure, I was joining so many others faithfully responding “yes” as to something bigger than just a hike in rural Europe. Walking together, we learned how to experience God and his mercies and how these are renewed every morning, seeing how every day presented its own challenges and rewards.

Upon reaching our destination in Santiago de Compostela and even going as far as Fisterra, “The End of The World”, we learned that our pilgrimage didn’t just begin long ago, it will continue for the rest of our lives.

Serving Together

Camps & Conferences

All of us on that team continued our camino in separate ways upon departing from Spain, but a few of us reconvened at Camp Capers to continue walking together in ministry. Joining me in the second half of my summer were old friends and new friends and together we would serve in a time that was critical for the church to unite as one. On July 4th, tragedy struck communities in the Texas hill country when overwhelming rains brought disastrous floods across various cities and campgrounds. In a gesture of solidarity, Camp Capers decided to keep their gates open and welcome campers in order to offer comfort and support to demonstrate that God’s love was still present in the hill country. 

Alongside incredible people and in the presence of God’s creation, I was able to serve God’s children for 5 wonderful weeks. During those weeks I was able to step out in faith, not alone, but together to boldly uncover God’s mysteries and how living in community can transform our souls. Together, my friends and I were able to overcome the shadows of fear and pain and walk in light and love to marvel in God’s unending love for his kingdom.

Staying Together

The opportunity to be co-laborers in Christ has been taking on a new meaning for me in recent years. I think that sometimes those of us who labor for Christ and His Church get hyper-focused on the results of our “work”, but maybe there is reward in the “work” itself. During the Camino de Santiago, reaching our destination is not what transformed us, but rather the pain endured and smiles shared were what made the experience life changing. Likewise at Camp, we didn’t work towards the end of the week, we worked to make the week fun and full of joy. In the work, there is life but probably because together we believed in bringing “Life” into our work. I believe that is something that can only happen when we do things together.

I invite you to come work with us sometime and experience what it means to walk in life not one by one, but two by two and maybe even more!

                - Daniel Jaime