My human side—Mi lado HUmana

(more testimonies from the IFI-3)

Patricia Heredia from Argentina spent a couple of weeks in our home before the IFI-3 started and she was apt to jokingly say: “Lisa, at last, I am seeing your human side” whenever she noticed a flaw, which I tried my hardest to show her, ha, ha. For example, when I lost my temper with the kids.

Gladys (whom I hadn't seen since she attended our first IFI in 1992) and Patricia on the right

What makes this particularly funny is the play on words in Spanish since my married name is UMANA which has the same Spanish pronunciation as HUMAN.
Several other people joked similarly during the IFI, Alvaro from Bolivia said the same thing when he realized I had missed the IFI’s opening program due to watching the Steelers win the Super Bowl. (I mean really, if you are from Pittsburgh, wouldn’t that be considered a virtue and not a flaw? Besides, Robert, my boss, is a Steeler's fan!)

Having our “human side” visible is a core part of what happens during an IFI. Two weeks of communal living 24/7 where you exercise together in the morning, have your individual quiet time, breakfast together, then meet to learn from 9:30am to 6:30pm, broken up by lunch time, snack and small group Bible studies; then dinner at 6:30pm, “share your story” interview after dinner followed by an evening of some work you might not have finished in the day and then good old fun and hanging out together in the evening until bedtime.

How long can you wear your “Sunday Best” in that environment?

Tell me about an environment where you get to be real!