What you do when your in the Trenches:
Last week I found myself with six of my teammates on the side of the mountain in the rain forest. We were filling in a deep trench we had dug out for the end hope that, the pipes that once sat on top of the surface of the ground, would soon be underground safe from the goats who walk on and break them.
Now I stand here in the trenches after we are told to fill the trench back up so the pipes are resting on the mud underneath. I look at all we had done just to undo what we just did. I start putting the thick mixture of clay and mud back in the trench. When I started, in only a few moments the clouds gave way to the tiny water bombs all at once.
The rain had came and it hadn’t been shy. For days now we have had to stop early or take brakes because of this rain and today of all days it was personal. I looked at my girls and with a sigh and said it was time to wrap it up and we could start again another day or wait for the rain to stop. Cortney looked at me and asked if it would be ok if she kept working. Everyone in the trench was on the same page and all wanted to stay to keep working. It was then that I gave the “ok”. We all looked down at the earth and I found it to be humorous. I was standing on the side of a mountain in the torrential down pour in the Dominican Republic filling a trench we didn’t even have to dug. Or did we?
The Lord works in funny ways. Staring at the mud I started to laugh. It started low and then I got a little louder. I looked up to the heavens and knew the Lord had to be laughing back. The Lord doesn’t promise us an easy life. He said we would face struggles and trials in this life but to take heart for he has already overcome this world. Even though the trench wasn’t dug for the original reason, the Lord revealed what the true reason was. In the time we spent digging this trench, testimonies were shared with squad mates who had climbed down to help us dig, fears where faced when we stood on slippery ground in the rain on the mountain, character was built, skills where learned, stories were shared, dance parties were had, muscles were built, prayers were made known, friendships were started/got deeper, there was trust that was put in the Lord, and the unity on my team grew from the first day we all picked up our shovels to this present time.
Sometimes the process of growth is painful. Through blood and sweat we dug that trench, but in the process the Lord did something. He refined us and grow us in more ways than I named up above. He built an even greater understanding of trust, faith, endurance, obedience, love, friendship, vulnerability, strength, and reckless abandonment. We have abandoned many things this year to serve the Lord. Even in the two months we’ve been out here there have been parts of our old-self’s we have left behind. Only to take up more of Christ. “He must increase but I must decrease”(John 3:30). We all could have chosen to whine about the situation, but I saw everyone actively choose joy in the growing process.
In this time in the Dominican Republic I have seen a lot of reckless abandonment. I’ve seen D-squad walk in more freedom sooner than even my past squad did. D-squad is hungry and ready for the Lord to show up wherever they are. Their trust in the Lord is inspiring, and I sit back in awe of what He has done in this short amount of time. Not only in this squad, or the countries we’ve been too, but in my heart as well.
Only two short weeks till I’m back in the States. Even though I’m excited to see everyone I still have some support raising to do ($851). Which means if 18 people donate $50 I’ll reach my goal. Thank you for everyone who has prayed and been supporting over this past year.
