A Missionary's Perspective

About caterpillars and butterflies

We have a milkweed plant in our yard. This is the only plant on which the Monarch butterfly lays eggs. These eggs become caterpillars and these caterpillars eat all the way around the plant. When they have eaten enough, they pupate into a beautiful cocoon, green with a golden edge. The potential is there and we know that if the cocoon survives eight days in a row, a beautiful butterfly will emerge. We've seen it happen. So beautiful!

We also saw several times that the cocoon had been eaten by flies. The beautiful and promised potential was never born. And honestly, that feels pretty bad. Even if it is just about a single small butterfly. That is why my wife came up with something. As soon as a caterpillar had pupated, she removed the cocoon from the plant and hung it on our wooden notice board. This way, many caterpillars were spared and we saw beautiful butterflies emerge from their cocoon day after day.

We know a girl in San Nicolas who regularly comes to the teen club. It is the only place where she can and is allowed to be herself. Of course, there are limits on her behavior, but if she wanted to wear a hood, that was okay, and if she did or said something strange, it was handled well. She often spoke in a dark, extra tough voice and maintained a tough and semi-shy attitude. It was not easy to communicate with her. Although she understands English and Dutch perfectly, all her answers came back in aggrieved Papiamento mumbling. Or she hid in her hood and looked away.

Last Saturday, I brought her home and I noticed that she had taken good care of herself. She no longer wore that eternal hood and she had beautiful dreadlocks and neat glasses on her head. Her eyes were bright and she talked to the other kids on the bus in a light tone that I had never heard before. Of course, I have no idea what exactly made her change so much, but what struck me is that she felt free and made contact. And when I dropped her off at home and wished her a nice evening, I actually got a smile back. It's nice to see how the teen club can function as a kind of notice board for young people who still have to develop themselves. For me this was an evening with a golden edge.

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