So this month we were placed in an indigenous village in the Amazon jungle for ministry.
Our living circumstances were a house with a dirt floor, mud walls, beds, and a stone toilet that was basically an outhouse. Our team had the opportunity to harvest rice, paint a school, move some trees for electricitiy, and clear a field for a couple to plant coca (what they make cocaine out of) but they used it for medical purposes. It was one of the most difficult months simply because there were so many bugs, and there was not very much for us to do everyday. However, we were able to minister to one another as a team and the Lord still provided everything that we needed.
Friends, this month was exhausting. I am tired and there were several days where I missed home more than I have on the entire race. But I feel as if the Lord wants me to slow things down. I keep saying three months left! This is a true statement, but I don’t want to be so focused on going home that I lose track of the present moment of where I am and what I am doing for the Kingdom.
A few of us would walk/run around this patch of grass that we called the square to exercise, or just when we got bored. One day I was running around the square, and these two little girls asked me if they could come with me. So I told them yes, and they ran every time I ran and walked every time I walked. It was adorable and really encouraging.
I feel like this is how Jesus is with us.
He will run with us when we run and walk with us when we need a change of pace or get tired. He won’t ever leave our side no matter how fast or slow we are going through the motions of life. He will even carry us if we get too tired to walk. He wants to be the one we always one to for guidance, wisdom, and encouragemen. He is our friend and wants to be who we always come to.
There have been several times in my life where I have felt the Lord tell me to slow down. He desires time with me without distractions. He doesnt’want us to have expecations or desires for things that are not from Him. He wants us to run everything by Him, and just spend time seeking Him in every single moment.
This race has gone by so quickly, but yet it feels like I was in India years ago. However, Jesus has not left my side no matter how many times I day dream about sleeping in my bed at home. The Lord is proud of me for obeying His call to come alongside the beautiful people serve in each country.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a greach cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us”
