I don’t really know what to write. I haven’t written a blog in a while. My skills are rusty and my enthusiasm is a bit on the low side. It’s not that I haven’t had things to talk about. It’s just that those things have either been too mundane to hype up, or too in-depth and real to share with the cyber world.
Soooooo anyway…
This month in Ukraine has been very interesting. And surprisingly difficult. Our team is stationed in Odessa on the coast of the Black Sea. It’s like the third largest city in Ukraine and has alot of international students.
We’re working with an organization called CCX (it is the equivalent of Intervarsity in the States). And basically our task is to build relationship with the college students here so that we have an avenue to share the Gospel.
Here’s where the difficulty comes in: these students are very busy this time of year, our ministry contacts are busy this time of year, and there is no “big project” to work on (you guessed it!) this time of year.
So the predicament we’re left in is not a very appealing one. We have more free time than we ever wanted. Sure the occasional free day is nice, but not when it characterizes your month. Fortunately we have been able to fill some of that space by helping nearby churches.
Honestly I wasn’t expecting any month to be this way. And I didn’t realize that a silly thing like “too much time” would present such a challenge to me. But it has. Probably because I feel like this month is slipping away with not much to show for itself.
But in the end, as usual, God is working behind the scenes to do something that I don’t really understand but will try to explain anyway. During these times of empty space He has been showing me that:
- My team (AKA the Body of Christ) is my first field of ministry even before unbelievers (John 17).
- It is better to be unapologetically myself, than to be tiptoeing around as someone I’m not.
- Change happens now. It doesn’t happen when I reach some imaginary point in the future.
- Sin is an intruder in my life that wants to kill me (literally and figuratively) so it can’t be taken lightly.
- I need to not just run from sin, but run to Jesus.
- More than anything at the end of the Race I want to say that I’ve learned how to really love people.
I guess the “empty space” hasn’t been so empty after all. And I guess this month isn’t that bad after all.
Sneaky Jesus!
P.S. For any of you out there that might want to do the World Race: just know that it probably won’t be what you want or expect, but what you want and expect kinda sucks. Trust me.
