In my first month on The Race God started to show me that beauty and blessings can be found everywhere. So often it is easy for us to highlight the negatives in our life but neglect to give praise to the small gifts God is placing in our lives. In the first couple days on the Race I was on a mountain top of excitement, but as the initial excitement started to wear away I found my self complaining about things that were uncomfortable to me. I wasn’t thrilled about showering from a bucket. I was horrified when I heard rats stampeding around the ceilings at midnight as I lay in bed. As expected, I’ve been out of my comfort zone and have needed to adjust. However, I know that my ability to flag negatives is not situational. Unfortunately, no matter where I am in the world I will always have something to complain about. This is not how I want to spend my Race. I want to be someone who strives to see the good in all situations, and trust me, God was so good to me and my squad in India. As a way to shine light, in the midst of the unfamiliar and constant changes, I’ve decided to share 11 blessings that God gifts me with each month that I am on the race. I encourage you join me and record 11 blessings that you encounter each month. As I share with you, I’d love for you to share with me, through comment or email, the things that you have been blessed by each month. God is so good, let’s praise Him and be thankful in all circumstances!
Month 1 Blessings:
1. Hosts and hospitality- This past month our hosts went above and beyond to care for and love on our group. We stepped into the unknown and our hosts made us feel so loved and welcomed. They taught me many valuable lessons throughout the month of what it means to serve and love others well. I hope our squad was able to bless them as much as they blessed us.
2. Kitchen ministry- The team who prepared our food are amazing and prepared the most delicious food. I loved spending the day getting to know them and serving our squad by helping preparing our meals. This day really showed me that even simple, everyday tasks can largely help and impact another person.
3. Hymns- All day on Sundays I could hear distant music from several churches surrounding our host site. It was beautiful to hear this music echoing throughout the hills all day.
4. Chai tea and cookies- I think I consumed my body weight with these sweet treats. People were constantly trying to serve us tea and cookies as an act of gratitude. It is a way the locals showed their appreciation and love. Every time someone would bring me tea during ministry I was humbled because I felt that I was supposed to be serving them, not the other way around.
5. Bamboo huts- my team had the opportunity to sleep in bamboo huts for a few nights and it was awesome! We would have gladly slept there the whole month if we could have.
6. TCS English mentor group-as I’d described in an earlier post, these students are so inspiring! I loved getting to know their hearts and see how deeply they delight in the Lord’s plan for them.
7. Community living-! I’ve loved getting to know the unique personalities of each of these people. We are all so different but God has placed us together like puzzle pieces that create a whole. It’s definitely difficult but everyday is a chance to put someone else’s needs before your own.
8. Listening to 2,200 kids sing praises to Jesus at a VBS children’s retreat. This experience was so powerful and really showed the great work that the Lord is doing in Manipur.
9. Experiencing old things in new ways- Showering from a bucket has been a challenge, but trying to figure these things out is creating great memories with my teammates. It’s also made me realize that there are so many things (like warm, running water) that I take for granted at home.
10. Colorado connections- Our ministry host has their ministry headquarters, Bibles for the World, is located in Colorado Springs. One of our hosts and his wife lived in Littleton a few years ago while he attended Denver Seminary. I was very nervous about coming to India initially, but God gave me a nice home away from home.
11. Fond farewells- On our last day in India our hosts held a farewell party for our squad with dancing, music and wonderful food. Some of the locals performed tribal dances in traditional Hmar clothing. It was a beautiful send off to an amazing first month. Our squad made connections with so many amazing people in Manipur and will continue to keep them in our thoughts and prayers for years to come.
