Here we are…nearing the end of month 7. How did I get here? Not sure exactly how it happened, but we are now more than halfway through the race. There are now much fewer days between me and home than there are between when I left in January and now- a thought that is quite bittersweet.
I wish that you could be here to live this life with me because my words and posts are merely just a glance into what I’ve been able to experience and what the Lord has been doing around the world and in me these past few months. One thing that I have realized and thought about multiple times over the last 7 months is that it’s truly the little moments that have made this experience what it is. The “big” moments and the crazy adventures have been great, but it’s the little daily moments of just living this life that will be what I remember and what I will miss most. My goal has been not to take them for granted, not to wish them away, and to not let it become “normal”. I may not be successful at this 100% of the time, but I do know that I’m blessed to have these moments and these people as part of my story. So here are reflections of some of the little moments of this journey that are imprinted on my heart and that I don’t want to ever forget.
We arrive to our location after a full day of travel. We aren’t sure what to expect…no team has been here before. We know it’s supposed to be farm land near the beach…but what does that exactly mean? We arrive and find ourselves amidst a small plot of land in the middle of nowhere India. It’s a 3 minute walk from a gorgeous beach that might as well be our own private beach. We are eager and excited to start this first month- even when that means we’ll be sleeping in tents all month. It’s the first day and we discover that the bathrooms and showers are not built yet…so shower in the cornfields covered by an Eno it is! The first month was not anything that I expected, but one that I fondly look back on and would never change. It taught me a lot about flexibility, choosing to grow out of my comfort zone, and community.
The van arrives and we load up. “Alright everyone, every other Chaco!” This is a common sentence at the beginning of our journey each day. It’s what happens when you know that there are going to be at least 12, sometimes 15 people in a car that’s made for 8. The travel today is expected to be 2 hours…so probably 3-4. The hours fly by with shared headphones, games of ‘Make it or break it’, and Chai Chats (where we discuss anything and everything). Today, we are headed to a village where we will walk around with the church and we will be asked to give the Gospel at several street corners to hundreds of people. At the end of the day, we’ll load back up to make the trip home…this time with less conversation and more sleep. India consisted of long days and these van trips were never comfortable, but provided some of the most cherished memories and moments of team bonding. So yes, even they will be missed.
The sun is starting to set, so members of the team start to mosey on to the beach. Some are enjoying the view, some are having conversation, and some are searching for firewood. Everyone comes together and Matt and Jonathan teach Allie how to build and start a fire. It’s now dark and the stars are starting to come out. Brant starts playing guitar and the sound of the music mixes with that of the crashing waves. The team sings and worships together…praising the God that brought them to this side of the world and who continually amazes and provides for them. They are quiet in reflection now that their first month is ending…praising the Lord for a team that became family, promises that were always kept, and for lessons learned. It’s in these quiet moments set aside to worship that my mind and heart were quieted and there was room for the Lord to speak.
Month 2…all squad month. We are in Nepal and we’ve been led to a nature center/park to hear a speaker. But first, we’ll spend an hour in our own personal quiet time with the Lord. I find a place away from people and sit beneath the shade of a gigantic tree. I put in my headphones and start to journal. The Lord intercedes and asks me to stop reading. Stop writing. And listen to him. “We Dance,” comes on my iPod and He asks me to put away my plans and to stand up and dance with him. It’s in that moment that I’m asked to put aside my fears and to just listen. So that morning, Jesus and I dance as He spoke of his love for me.
It’s mid-afternoon and we are heading back to the church that is our home this week after a full day of hiking in this remote area of Nepal. Everyone groups up and the sound of conversations, laughter, and singing fill the air. People stop to take pictures and admire the mountains. Bryce, Amanda, and I walk along discussing what we’re learning, what we’ve been reading, personality types, and anything else that comes to mind. Later, we run from the sound of musicals being loudly sung…the trip is long but filling. It’s moments like these- filled with the beauty of the Lord and sweet conversations with even sweeter friends that have taught me the most and have filled my heart and soul.
“Oh! Good Morning, Sylvia!” This is my typical morning greeting along with a hug from Hien. She is busy making sure customers are served at her cute coffee shop that sits on a main street here in Da Nang, Vietnam. She brings me my favorite tea and sits to chat in between her tasks. She asks about what I’m reading when I come to do quiet time, says hello to the friends back home that I facetime while I’m there, and she consistently offers me a place to come back to stay in Vietnam if I ever wish. I learn about her heart for her family and her business. I learn a lot about hospitality by watching her interactions with customers and staff. The last day, I’m sent off with treats, a lingering hug, and photos to keep remembering. It’s these friendships that are formed in the span of a short month that make leaving each month so hard, but make the sacrifices worth it.
It’s hot and all of us are tired, but worship starts and the Holy Spirit takes over. We’ve met together at the end of our month here in Vietnam. All 55 of us are crammed in one hostel room for this session, but we sing out our hearts and pray for one another…no one in a hurry to go anywhere. Each individual is met by Jesus in the way that they need and it’s an evening of refreshment. It’s corporate moments like these that make me grateful for this family that I get to travel with and it’s in these moments that the Lord has chosen to show himself to me time and time again this year.
I walk out of our “Disney Manor”- the name we’ve given to our little home in Albania- and am consistently met with the faces of the neighborhood children and the sound of “Sophia!!”. These faces are the ones that made my month and filled and broke my heart at the same time. Dance parties. Hugs. Lunch and Gelato dates. Sweet moments with these precious little ones reminded me of how much children (and all of us really…) just want to be seen and loved. It was this month that had me asking God the hard questions. It was this month that made me realize that I won’t always get the answers or at least the answers that I want, but that God is good and He keeps his promises.
These moments just scratch the surface of the memories that play through my mind. The seemingly simple walks with teammates, the people that I get the privilege of meeting and learning about each day, the views that my eyes get to see, the hard moments that make me question, the tears that have been cried, the laughs that have been had, and the ways that this world becomes so big and so small at the same time. There’s not enough time or space to tell you about all of the small interactions that have made up this year as well as the big, adventurous, and glorious things. But these snapshots give you a good idea of what my days can consist of and of what I’ll be leaving behind when I come home in November. It’s these moments that can be easy to look over and to take for granted, but I don’t ever want to. The small moments make up the big ones.
Don’t take the small things for granted. Look around…what are you thankful for this week? What small things this year have added up to make you who you are?
