Let me start this blog by telling you that I’m an only child with quiet parents who has lived by herself for almost 10 years. I’ve almost always been able to eat, sleep, shower, etc. when I’ve wanted to. For the past few weeks, I’ve lived in a house with 9 other people.
Shalom Sisters with our “brother roommates” that lived with us during our time in Ukraine.
When people would ask me what I was most nervous about on the race, my answer was always living with so many other people. Before we left for Ukraine, I shared with my team that when I feel overwhelmed or overstimulated, I tend to want to escape. I will literally leave the area to go in to a room for a quick break to compose myself before returning. I’ve decided to stop doing that and just press through the discomfort. Part of the reason I wanted to do the race was to get out of my comfort zone so that I could grow and change. And here we are folks…
I’ve had so many instances over the past few weeks where I’ve been in a room with 40 or more people and when I felt overwhelmed and wanted to leave the room, simply because of the number of bodies, I’ve stayed. Maybe I just sat there quietly and zoned out, but I stayed. That’s progress, right?
God has been reminding me this month that we were built for community. Our ministry host’s wife told us recently that she, her husband, and 4 children fit in 2 of the chairs at their dining room table because the other spots are for family or friends. This was such a great reminder that we were not meant to do life alone and that we should be sharing whatever we are blessed with. Also, side note, this family has been praying for a bus so that they can fit their entire family, plus any other people that need a ride to church or just want to hang out with them.
“Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all of the people.”- Acts 2:46-47
This month I’ve learned what it’s like to stay up until 4am playing hide and seek with other adults, let 5 people take a shower before me, and have a teammate put drops up my nose when I was starting to get a cold. Yes, that actually happened; sorry if it’s TMI.
God has asked me to give up the selfishness I’m used to back home and I’m getting more used to living in community. While I’d love to have my own place back, there’s something so sweet about the relationships being formed and the fact that I have these women to do life with who completely understand what I’m going through. I’m beyond excited to see how my community deepens within my team and with those I meet in different countries this year.
