Every night, after a full day of ministry, (pulling weeds in the garden, giving countless piggy-back rides and serving lunch to 60 kids) our team has decided to seize every moment and get familiar with the city of Quito. We leave our ministry at 4:30 and either go to a cafe on the way to our bus stop, split up and explore the city, or head to our host home for the night. We have about an hour bus ride home every day which is so entertaining for this Dallas metroplex girl. I’ve always wanted to take public transportation to work every day, so Bucket List – check! It’s usually pretty comical being stuffed in the bus with one teammate’s elbow in my face and another teammate’s foot between my legs and one leaning against me for support. I have blisters on my hands from holding onto the bus handles too tight to keep from flying to the front of the bus and knocking down old men in my path. We have counted 50+ people standing on the bus when the standing max is 24.
[Laura and I crammed in a bus. This bus actually was very spacious.]
At some point in the night, usually all piled in the laundry room or in a corner of a cafe, we sit down for team time. The World Race structure is very intentional about breaking down walls between people and giving constructive and positive feedback to help us look more like Jesus. Our team has so much fun together, but we have not quite crossed the barrier of being vulnerable together or feeling like one family unit. Several of us have expressed feeling extremely lonely even amidst a large group of people.
[Most of my team on our beautiful walk on the way to Covi, Photo by Eva Cranford]
Two days ago, we had team time in Cafe Ruisenor, where we are regulars now. We were challenged to be real and live a life of constructive feedback to push us to be more like Jesus by our squad leader, Dustin Mick. One of my teammates, Eva, gave her testimony and not just the cliff note version, but the parts that are hard to tell, especially to people you’ve known only 4 weeks. Through fear and hesitation, she finally told us her struggles, her pain and her heart. It is crazy how telling your story and bragging on God’s redemption in our lives suddenly bonds people and creates an atmosphere of freedom. Once Eva shared, several people in the group mentioned they have similar stories. I love seeing people’s faces once they share something personal and realize that nothing has changed. They are still loved. They are still forgiven. They are known. We serve a God who wants us to have freedom, power and hope. Shame and fear have no place in our hearts or thoughts. Part of my testimony is that once I confessed sin in my life and told my story, God healed my past and gave me confidence to share my story so that others can have freedom in their lives, too.
Share your story. Even the dark, secret junk that you think no one else deals with, tell someone! The relief and peace that comes after are so worth it. Don’t wait for a counselor, trip or a retreat to get real. Please pray for our team and squad, that God would bond us so tightly and give us a family here to live life with. Pray for vulnerability and honesty so that we can each grow to be more like Jesus.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
