Philippians 4:12-13
“I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, weather well fed or hungry, weather living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Life has been very interesting here. Quite the change from the ordinary.
I have heard from several people, “Why are you here?”, Did you get fired fromyour job? In an abusive relationship? Family issues? Social outcast? Nothing better to do? The truth, is I loved my life at home. I had everything I needed and an abundance of things I wanted and certainly didn’t need. Still, I believe true contentment only comes in the deeper spiritual fulfillment which can’t be found in the glittering entrapments that the modern world has to offer.
My life has been blessed so abundantly. I am loved by family and friends, a successful career, opportunity to travel, health and a love for life. My typical day usually looked like something like this:
Virtually every morning I would wake up in my big fluffy white bed. Look over to see my warm fur ball cat, Bijou, sleeping lovingly by my side. Look in a full fridge full of my favorite foods. Make a selection. Take a nice hot shower. Put on my favorite make-up and perfumed lotions and potions. Stand overwhelmed in my closet full of clothes. Finally find the perfect suit with heels, accent it with jewelry and my favorite diamond encrusted gift watch. Grab my alligator briefcase, jump into my Jaguar headed to the office. Keep in communication throughout the day with clients then later to my loved ones. End the day with a scrumptious dinner maybe a nice glass of wine. Possibly see a movie or some other form of entertainment and retire for the night just after making a mental list of all that needs to be done tomorrow.
Or at least that is what I used to do. Today, life looks very different. We have been working in the rainforest on an orphanage in Chapare, Bolivia. So now I wake up in a damp sleeping bag, resting on the floor of my tent. Turn to my side and read some scripture to spiritually prepare for the day. Rummage through the few clean-ish articles of clothing I have in my backpack and find something that’s only been worn a couple times in the last week or at least something that doesn’t smell like mildew. Hit the opening to my tent to scatter the resting mosquitoes and emerge to face the day, sans the make-up and lotions. Head out to breakfast with the other 25 of my teammates chatting about everything on their minds… I eat what is available, usually a roll, maybe a fresh banana. My teeth get brushed in the spigot in the yard, surrounded by the attack roosters and mud puddles.
At about 9 am we get back to work on the orphanage. Grab a half of an old 2 liter pop bottle full of varnish and a sticky brush. As the smell of the gasoline and varnish mixture fills my lungs, the wood and bricks start to look beautifully shiny and finished. I think of all of the beautiful abandoned children who will grace these rooms. I pray they sense the love and time we have poured into their new home and that they feel a sense of love and belonging by their house parents. I start to forget my selfish thoughts of how home would be so much better and start to think of how blessed I am to have less drama here. I have the ability to work hard and make a difference in these people’s lives, by helping, giving and loving them in my actions. I move on to sewage ditch digging. I discovered that I actually like using a pickaxe! With sweat dripping from my every pore, they call us to lunch. Steaming hot soup. At about 5 we finally rest and take a bath in the river. It is a beautiful river wide, clear, not too deep and a quick current. We wash our hair and other unmentionables. For some fun we struggle upstream to float back down. It was so hard to walk upstream; it took all of my strength just not to be washed back to the starting point. When we finally reached finish line, I lifted my feet to the surface and started to float. Yes, float, it sounds like something but is really the epitome of consciously doing nothing. I struggled with the idea of not moving a muscle and relaxing and trusting the current to take me. I started to pray and heard God say “Just let go Tam, I’ll take care of you!” At that moment, I decided to trust and relax. The frustrations of the day were all washed away. As I lay motionless in the water, I watched the tree tops pass by and my eyes fixed on the bright blue sky accented with pure white brilliant clouds. I walked from the river refreshed and feeling alive! I may not have my favorite glittering entrapments of home, but those things never made me feel as alive as I do here.
Finally, at the end of the day, I retire to my tent. At last count 243 little red bug bites on my legs. Crawl into my sleeping bag and thank God for another beautiful day to grow and be content in all things.
I love you all and miss you so much! 🙂
Cuddling our neighborhood nino (fast asleep).
Becky, knee deep in muddy waters.
A captured moment of the countless hours we spend on busses.
