Yesterday, began with some early morning sprints, then hand cooked breakfast, like always. We played a fun game of volleyball where my team first dominated and then not so much. We went to the beach. I played. I swam, I dove into the waves, I floated in the waves. I laid down on the shore and enjoyed everything that was going on around me. The waves crashing and my team’s laughter were a distant sound while the popping of the foam surrounded me and seeped into my hair. I felt like I could lay there for a long time. It was all pure joy. My sisters told me later on that they received a lot of freedom while watching me at the beach.
When it was time to go, I waved back at the waves and we hopped in the bed of Kuya Ferdi’s truck.
Pilling in the back of a truck like that, reminded me of stacking in the back of my dad’s red truck as a kid with my siblings and childhood friends. You guys know who you are. I thought of you yesterday while my eyes marveled at the plush green acres of grass. I joked with my team about the scenery looking something like a scene from Jurassic Park. I could just picture a T-Rex dinosaur breaking through the tall trees at any given moment. We laughed. We talked about Heaven and what we think it will be like. The bed of Kuya’s truck quickly turned into a float, parading us around. As we drove through the remote streets, people performing their daily tasks literally dropped what they were doing to stare at us. They would say “Wow!” and get their friend’s attention just to admire us. We watched this happen over a dozen times. We smiled and waved and almost got use to the feeling of being foreign.
When we got home we showered, enjoyed another home cooked meal, and sat in on a young men’s bible study. They didn’t converse with us until they were motivated with ice cream. So, we had more ice cream 🙂
This is what most of our days have looked like. They start off simple and end in the same. This all may seem silly, or even meaningless. But the big fat fact of it is that God thought of this day. God thought of it and He thought it was a good idea. My team is learning that ministry doesn’t have a certain look. Today we spent 45 minutes in an elementary school where we smiled, introduced ourselves, gave high fives and prayed over the classrooms. In an hour we will join a local baseball team for their practice.
I am learning how meaningful a gentle touch or looking into someone’s eyes can be. To let them know you see them is a big thing in itself. Or attending a baseball practice to communicate that we are here and we care.
God has given my team and I so much fun in these days. Fun and stillness and lessons about ministry. And we are learning to receive it all as it comes.
As always- Thank you for reading along! Stay tuned, friends.
