Hi friends!
I have finally found time to sit and process things from the last few months, which is why this blog and my last one, are thoughts from month 4.
But I wanted to share these thoughts with you all, in hopes that maybe it will resonate with you in some way.
The beginning of month 4 (WOMANistry month) started off rough for me. We got new teams for the month. I went from being on a coed team to an all girls team. We had been traveling for many, many hours when we finally reached Malaysia. Then, we found ourselves having to sleep in the bus station for the night, and for some reason I had hit my limit that day and just completely broke down. It was my first time questioning being on the Race and wanting to be done with it. It was a difficult night. It was a night spent talking to the Lord, a lot of time spent reading the Word, and being covered in prayer by one of my dear teammates.
I’m not a huge fan of traveling. And month 4 was going to be spent traveling A LOT. We would be traveling to a different city every 5-7 days. Looking back on month 4, my team and I, ended up getting to visit 5 different cities in Malaysia. But I don’t particularly enjoy being on busses anywhere from 6 to 12 hours at a time. The thought of being on a bus or train for that long causes me to become anxious. At least that’s how it was for the first 3 months of the Race.
Until month 4, when my TL Erica, said something that hit me hard. She said, “Madison, lets just enjoy the journey.”
I got to thinking about what that meant. Enjoy the journey. This journey that I’m on right now. Truly enjoying it & every thing that comes with sharing the Gospel, language barriers, facing fears, experiencing growth in ways you never thought possible, being away from home for a year, traveling to a new country every month, abandoning comforts, and living uncomfortable lives.
ENJOY: (v) take delight or pleasure in.
That’s what I want. I not only want to enjoy all of the wonderful things that happen on the Race, I also want to enjoy the things that we may often classify as mundane on the Race.
I want to enjoy the long travel days. the bus rides that seem to never end. the train rides that last 20 hours. the pillow talks with my teammates, while we’re laying on an 1/2 inch mat, that feels like a brick. allll of the walks to 7-Eleven. the bumpy, rough, squished, and hot tap tap rides. the moments that break you. long ministry days, when you’re exhausted, and you have no idea how you’re going to make it through the day. the bus rides that are supposed to be 5 hours, but end up being 10 hours long. the freezing cold showers. eating rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. being vulnerable when you may not want to be. preferring others. getting to use squatty potties. bucket showers. and all of the uncomfortable moments that come with this journey.
This is an experience of a life time!!! And I don’t want to miss these moments that will be apart of who I am forever, by complaining my way through and writing them off as mundane and frustrating. I want to ENJOY each and every moment of this crazy journey that I’m on!
Month 4 easily became my favorite month of the Race. I truly loved every moment and all of the traveling that came with it. I found myself relaxed and able to enjoy travel days and bus rides. We got to see so much of Malaysia! It was incredible.
Some of you may find yourself complaining your way through the mundane tasks of every day life, whatever that may look like for you during this season of life, but I want to challenge you to stop and take a moment to just simply enjoy the season you’re in right now and to enjoy every single moment of this life you’re living. I promise, no matter what your life looks like right now, you are blessed beyond measures. Take a moment to enjoy it.
Recklessly,
Madison
