Today is my last day in Ireland. I am sitting in a campground I’m not even staying in, waiting for 8 loads of laundry to be done. Nothing says love like folding your teammate’s underwear. I’m stressed out because there’s only one dryer here and this is taking entirely too long. I’m cold and wet and I think I’m getting sick because I have a sore throat and a headache. Living in community is hard. It’s challenging me and stretching my capacity to love and it hurts sometimes. There’s an internal battle within me when it comes to genuinely preferring one of my teammates over myself. I realize how selfish and prideful I can really be. This is me trying to be real. That’s not something that comes natural for me. The greatest thing God has taught me this month is just how important being real is. I’m blown away by how honest my team is with one another. Not just honest, but loving. I think it’s all about speaking the truth in love, right? God is using every one of my teammates in such an immense way to speak life and truth into me. More than even that, God is using them to bring healing to my heart. It’s indescribable, really, how in love I am falling with these six crazy Jesus-lovers. I mean, these people just gave up a year of their lives to radically live God out. I’d say this is good company. I’m looking forward to so many more laughs, tears, truth, and love in these next 10 months.
