Some of you may be thinking, “Wow Claudia, you’re doing nobel work around the world” or “Claudia, you must be having a lot of fun visiting many countries.”
To all of these I say, yes you are right, I am.
It is a privilege to be used by God, to be given the opportunity to travel the world, to learn about other cultures and to serve others.
I am fully aware not everyone can do this. I get it from people I meet abroad all the time. They say, “Claudia, we can’t do that here. My family would never let me leave my country” or “Claudia, I would never be able to afford the cost of your trip, how did you do it?”
I get it. This was me. This was my family too. No one in my family has ever done what I have done before. But see, then God happened in my life. God says that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Ever since then, I believed I can do anything my heart desires, if I ask God for guidance. He has my back every time. He won’t let me fall.
It’s this crazy supernatural faith that keeps me striving for more. To do more. To be more.
But, then there are months like these. Month 7. Where my energy is being sucked out of me. Where I am losing motivation to serve. Where I am counting the minutes until lunch time. Where I am losing interest in going out.
This month we are working in a nonprofit who serves the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community. The vision of this organization is great. The BVI community is so sweet and welcoming.
It’s the everyday work that kills me. They have us clock in from 8:30-5:10, on the dot. We are given tasks, deadlines and are being micromanaged. There are video cameras all around the premises watching our every move. We are in a workaholic environment for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. It’s tiring. It’s stressful. It’s unmotivating.
It reminds me of home, of American companies/nonprofits. The exact thing that I was running away from.
Never did I think “this” would be ministry.
But it is.
God has shown me the last few months that everywhere you step is ministry.
So here I am. I am here to serve. In this environment. I choose to serve.
Everyday, I have to say “yes” to the day.
Everyday, I have to ask God for supernatural motivation & joy.
Everyday, I have to ask the Lord to allow me to be the light in the darkness.
It is months like these that remind me that it is not my strength that will get me through this trip, but truly God’s Himself.
Yes, it would be easy for me to say ” I got this” but in all honesty, when you are away from all you know; culture, language, food, comfy bed, car, cute clothes, etc., it is hard to convince yourself that’s you do “got it.”
It’s not over. I have a few days left here. I’m going to do my best!
I want to finish strong. I don’t want to get by. I want to be able to say that I did my best and have no regrets.
Pray for me. Pray that I continue to push strong through the next 4 months! At the end of the day this work is not for me but for God so I want to make Him proud!
Thank you for reading my blogs. Thank you for your encouraging words. Thank you for loving me.
I Love and Miss You All,
Claudia
“She pulled back her hair, set her sights on God and vowed to finish her race in victory.” -Anonymous
