This week we had a VBS at Deliverance Church, and it was different than any I have experienced before by far. Compared to the many I was a part of growing up, and the few I have helped out with on other mission trips, I didn't realize how much stuff is used in these types of situations that I often took for granted. The ease of access to sometimes rooms full of arts and crafts supplies, many different sports and rec equipment, and many different songs and skits that often go along with some kind of theme.
Here we have some crayons, paper, a poster board with a verse written on it, two balls, and a keyboard that not all of the keys work. That is just how life works here, yes they still have stuff, but they don't seem so tied to it, the way we as American's are, the way I am. I find it inconvenient to walk 15 minutes to a internet cafe to check my email, blog, and Facebook, and that is assuming that there is not a blackout that day. I would love to take a warm shower instead of using a basin of water to takke a bath. Somedays it would be nice to be able choose what I eat, instead of having many of the same few options of ugali, rice, beans, or chicken everyday. Yet I wouldn't trade this experience for any of those things in a second, day by day I'm being reminded, it's not about the stuff.
The fact that I have the opportunity to live with a community of people who are encouraging each other and challenging each other to be the best version of themselves, who are walking daily in prayer, worship, and service, and who are growing together and individually, is an amazing thing to be a part of. In addition to all of that this is only month one, and I have really just scratched the surface. I am not sure what is going to happen with the next few months, but I know that there is so much more for me to learn. Learn not only about myself, but about how God works in my life and the lives I meet around the world.
