Put 7 people together with different backgrounds, personalities…send them to 11 different cultures, processing through life, getting world views rocked, and having to make decisions together a million times a day…
and you have a recipe for disaster… UNLESS you add the love of Jesus to the equation. Then it becomes beautiful.
From what I´ve observed from American culture, it seems pretty easy to get by on your own without the help of others. At least it´s been easy for me…but often lonely. I´ve noticed I´ve spent a lot of time with superficial conversations and other times trying to find ways to avoid uncomfortable ones. I´ve gotten tastes of true community the past few years. Raw times where people were vulnerable, truly themselves and I was able to reciprocate. Those times while hard, have been some of the sweetest moments of my life. It´s amazing to be exposed for who you really are and to be loved in spite of your mistakes. I´m thirsty for more and I´m willing to fight for it.
The reality is that things are going to be tough this year and they already have been! Our team has been in the town of Arroyo Palenque in Mexico (a small town where it´s normal to have a chickens and pigs roaming the streets) for one week now. We´ve struggled with natural tensions of how we do ministry as a team, how are we to be culturally sensitive, and how our personalities really are different.
I´m thankful though that I have a team who is willing to bring their junk to the table and sort through it. I think we all know that Christ has forgiven us of our wrong doings, so through His strength we can forgive one another. We could dance through the year dodging issues, avoiding conflict and being miserable, but we are choosing to love one another! I know there are going to be days where I want to throw the towel in, but I don´t believe my teammates will allow it. It´s going to be messy and hard…and I can´t wait!
