We knew we would be returning to our tents after our week at the team house so we left our tents set up with most of our gear inside.
We are able to check on our tents everyday during "work". On Wednesday afternoon, we did just that; we checked to ensure everything was orderly.
I checked out my tent – I signed in relief after seeing that the ants hadn't gotten inside, but noticed mildew underneath my sleeping pad and pack! I was disguised but cleaned it off quite easily!
Others weren't so lucky! Becky's, Jess', and Ashlee's tents had been invaded! The ants had actually eaten through two layers – the footprint and the tent floor! The ants had taken up residences in such a short period of time – they were in every little nook and cranny.
While I felt the Lord speaking to me through the problems I encountered, I don't feel like the Lord is trying to teach the other girls a lesson – it's simply a result of living in a fallen world 🙂
Expectations.
I did just that and quite honestly, I thought I had dealt with all my expectations; I thought I had surrendered them to Jesus.
In my first 5 days in Thailand, God has revealed several expectations that I've been carrying around the world with me in my already heavy pack.
My expectations for our month in Thailand looked something like this: A house with beds, access to laundry service and wifi.
Instead, we are living on an ANT INFESTED plot of land, sleeping in our tents, washing our own clothes (with an actual washer, PRAISE JESUS!), and using extremely slow internet by means of a 3g internet stick.
These expectations were revealed in ways I can laugh about now, but weren't quite so funny at the time.
When I found out that we would be camping this month, I honestly wasn't too excited. Training camp was my first encounter with camping; though I survived the week, I hoped and prayed that I wouldn't have to live out of my tent while on the race. I would be perfectly content lugging a tent around the world and never have to use it!
Since I had to camp, I decided to make a deal with Jesus. I told him I would be fine with camping as long as it never rained. I discovered that my deal with Jesus was one-sided and he never agreed – It rained night #1.
I first heard the rain around 4:00 am and I almost instantly began praying that my belongings and myself would remain dry within my tent. Everything within the tent fared pretty well; everything outside of the tent was soaked including my large pack and airporter.
That morning, I hung the two items from a nearby tree to dry in the sun.
The next morning when I woke up, I noticed a swarm of ants on the outside of my tent. I asked Ashlee to unzip my rainfly so I could get out of the tent quickly without letting any ants in.
When she walked up to my tent to unzip the rainfly, she quickly exclaimed, "Karen, you'll want to get out here quick!"
I quickly retorted with "Why, what's the matter?"
"There are ants all over your shoes!"
She unzipped the rainfly and before I could get out of my tent, I immediately
noticed a HUGE mound on ants where my shoes used to be – I could barely see my shoes!I nearly cried in frustration!
I finally got out of my tent and looked at the mound a bit closer. I finally walked away, unable to deal with it in that moment. I walked towards my pack and airporter, which were still hanging from a tree, when I noticed ANTS covering both items!
"God! What are you doing to me?!" quickly played on repeat in my mind.
Over the last few days, I've discovered what God wanted to teach me. First, he has been teaching me to find joy in all circumstances. If we allow our circumstances to dictate our moods, we'll never be happy.
"People tend to think their circumstances determine the quality of their lives. So they pour their energy into trying to control those situations. They feel happy when things are going well, and sad or frustrated when things don't turn out as they'd hoped. They rarely question this correlate between their circumstances and feelings. Yet, it is possible to be content in any and every situation." Jesus Calling, November 5.
God has also been teaching me to rely on others for help. It can be hard for me to ask for help because it may be viewed as a weakness.
My teammates helped me overcome the ants by pulling my shoes out of the mound and killing the ants living inside my airport! Praise Jesus the ants are dead – there are no longer ants swarming my tent, shoes or other belongings and I am learning to find joy and contentment in the midst of any circumstance or situation!
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:11-12
