***If you would like to support my trip, click the “support me” link on the left :)***
El Tunco, El Salvador
What’s going on:
Welp! Another one bites the dust. 3 out of the 8 of us have suffered the effects of some El Salvador flu like bug. Luckily, the symptoms only last about 7 hours. 7 hours of diarrhea and vomiting never killed anyone, right? One perk of being a squad leader is you get to stay back from ministry when a team member is sick, yay! So here I am, holding down the fort. Today, “holding down the fort” looks like circling the yard and picking up everyone’s belongings, which have blown from the clothes line to every which direction of our compound (we’ve been having some violent wind storms the last couple nights), keeping the toilets flushed and the waste buckets clean so my sick teammate has empty toilets and fresh buckets to put her face in (Maintaining the toilets & buckets means repetitious trips to and from the well; pumping water and carrying it back).
Where we’re at:
Reading through that first paragraph you may be thinking things are pretty rough here. Let me clear that up. We’re staying in one of the top ten surf locations in the world (El Tunco); we actually can’t complain about anything. I mean, as always, there are many things we could complain about. It’s really hot, and I appear to have a permanent case of the chicken pocks, BUT we have really great tans, and the beach is only a 3 minute walk away. We have fresh smoothies and delicious fried plantain chips everyday. Just yesterday, I was sitting in the sand (tanning in my super conservative missionary bathing suit) low enough to where the ocean foam could sneak up and grab my toes thinking, “if not here, where else would I rather be in the world right now?” I couldn’t think of anywhere. What’s even more assuring was that I couldn’t think of anywhere else God wanted me to be either. How blessed am I to be called to disciple 7 lovely women on the beaches of El Salvador? “Thank you Jesus!” Can I get an “amen?!”
My struggles this month:
In addition to being our first month race, my team consists of 5 introverts (2 extroverts), which makes things like vulnerability and opening up twice as challenging. Being an introvert myself, constant efforts to pull others out of their shells has been quite draining on me. Another struggle I’ve been facing is due the fact that for the past 6-7 months or so prior to leaving for this trip, I’ve been reading books on topics such as Angels, documented near death experiences (where the individuals spirit visits heaven and then returns to their body), and other stories of encounters with the spiritual realm. My desire to see these unseen things for myself has made simpler ministry seem lack luster. With those two struggles mentioned, some lies I’ve been battling are that, “my lack of patience has created an unsafe environment for my team to be vulnerable,” and that “maybe the girls lack of enthusiasm or willingness to open up to one another is because I’m not excited enough for ministry” and “maybe I wasn’t actually called to lead this trip in the first place.”
What I’m learning:
With those thoughts circling my head I’ve been praying for God to help me to have greater patience and gentleness with my girls. I’ve also been praying for a glimpse of the fruit to come, and for a new outlook as to why God has me here. As always, God has been faithful. With continued prayer and some time for the girls to settle into this new “world race life style,” things have been looking up. One of our ministries is a local orphanage down the street from where we’re staying (REMAR). We go twice a week to disciple a group of about 15-20 girls, ages 13-18. Not only has my team been opening up to one another, but they’ve also been sharing with the girls on the topic of identify and have presented different activities with the REMAR girls, similar to those which I’ve brought to them during our own team’s meetings. At first I selfishly thought to myself, “they’re just taking something I’ve done with them and copying it…” Then I realized, duh!? They’re not “copying me!” They’re simply taking something they’ve learned and are now teaching another group of girls. From my squad leader to me, From me to them, and from them to the REMAR girls! Like the ripple effect… A glimpse of fruit!
Yesterday, as I was watching the waves wash up and down the shore, I observed how each of the ripples started small, but slowly grew in diameter. I was reminded how Jesus, one man, only discipled 12 men in his life time. It wasn’t until after Jesus died, rose, and returned to the heavenly realm, that those 12 men began to spread God’s good news themselves. As more and more people came to hear of our hope in Christ, the circle of believers continued to widen. The ripples started small with one man, but they are still growing wider and wider today as more people become discipled and choose to disciple others…A new outlook as to why God has me here!
For you:
Yes, we all want to see the BIGGER things happen. Or, maybe you’re like me, and you long to uncover the mysteries of the unseen realm all around us. But God often calls us to start with tiny ripples. We underestimate the power of loving those who are looked down upon, or encouraging a stranger in the street that they are enough, but these are the tiny ripples that spread outward causing bigger things for the Kingdom. Because love is a choice, it is also an action, and action is energy. A little science for you: energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only decreased, increased or transferred. The tiny ripples we choose to make are actions of love that either decrease, increase, or transfer. As believers, we are all called to play some part in this ripple effect. Whatever part you play, know that ripples are reaching the nations today and the eyes of all people will soon open to the light and love that bring life to all who believe.
“And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.” -Matthew 24:14
It’s a promise! So catch a ripple, build a wave, Brah!
