Pizza. A staple American food for hang-outs, parties, baseball games, and everything in-between! I never thought in my life I would be nostalgic over pizza – but that is exactly what happened when we were sitting in Dominos on our day off eating pizza yesterday! It brought me back home – sitting around chatting and laughing with friends and family, who are now thousands of miles away. It was a bittersweet feeling. Remembering and missing everyone from home and telling my team about my friends and family and hearing about theirs but also recognizing where we are now.
We have the opportunity of a life-time. Traveling the world to serve people and show them that they are loved by Jesus, just as my friends and family from home had shown me as I grew up eating pizza with them!!
I know it is crazy to think that pizza could teach such a valuable lesson but for me, it did. It reminded me where I was and where I came from.
I came from a home where dreams were encouraged, love was unconditional, support was on every side and pizza was a favorite meal. This is a great foundation. This is a foundation that is abundant. I am still learning why God blessed me with such resources but to whom much is given, much is required. God has ample resources for us to use no matter what circumstnaces we come from – but we gotta tap in. Pizza was showing me all that I had to tap into and give to others! So…
Currently, my team, the nannies, and I are helping kids with special needs learn how to walk and eat indepently, helping to clean the orphanage so it is a safer environment, trying to learn Spanish (us) and teach some English (to the nannies), playing with the kids, and doing our best to love them like they are meant to be loved.
Currently, the kids are teaching us how to laugh uncontrollably, be ok with making mistakes, have a passion for Jesus like never before, sing like no one is listening, and that it is the little things that matter most. That child-like faith is truly what we should all be going back to.
Currently, the Lord is teaching me that it is the people you surround yourself with are the ones that help refine you. That my identity is found in Him and that if looking silly with a bunch of kids brings people closer to Jesus then it’s worth it. And most importantly that joy can be found in every circumstance.
Currently, my team and I have two days off every week where God gets to show off His glory in creation to us. We have ventured to mayan ruins, Lake Atitlan – the 13th wonder of the world (literally), and hiked a volcano. And in each of these places we have the opportunity to show Jesus to people as well through conversation and actions. Many people we run into here are just traveling the world for fun, searching for an answer we have!
Currently, God is giving me more resources to tap into later. Also fun fact: triangles are scientifically the strongest structure and pizzas are triangles! Probably not a coincidence.
So pizza has taught me some very important lessons and shown me some very important resources that I need to start pulling from.
Lastly, the pizza has helped remind me how much God loves me because it didn’t even make me feel sick after not eating much greasy food for weeks! Woo!!
