Hello! For those of you who do not already know, I AM BACK HOME IN MY BELOVED CHEESE STATE, WISCONSIN!
Honestly, all of the emotions are surreal. I can’t believe I am back home with my friends and family and I cannot believe that this 9 month journey has come to a close. Final debrief with my squad was a bittersweet time of celebrating the past 9 months- our favorite experiences, places, the challenges, the ways we have grown as individuals and as a family, and we just reminisced together… that one time someone peed their pants in a hammock, that one bus ride that was 75 hours long and caused salmonella and altitude sickness ( still too soon, Gap L?), when we pulled an all-nighter worshiping for 12 hours straight, the relationships we built with locals, and just “ALL the things”.
It really was a wild ride.
I learned so many different things about myself, about community, about how to build relationships, about conflict resolution and healthy communication, about what it really looks like to pour yourself out for the Lord, and the list goes on and on and on. I could talk and write for hours and pages about what the Lord has done, but the biggest thing that I have learned that I want to pass on to you all is this: how to actually love people each and every day for the Lord and share who He is to everyone we come across.
This is something that I have become very passionate about on the field and also since I have been home in America. Here’s the deal, pretty much everyone in America has heard of Jesus. In a society with churches of many religions and denominations on every corner and all over billboards and the internet, not many people haven’t had some exposure to religion. If you look up the phrase “ Why are Christians so…” on google, the first things that pop up are: “Why are Christians so negative and judgmental?”, “Why are Christians so cruel and intolerant?”, and the majority of sites are pointing fingers concerning being a Christian. I believe a lot of this is because 70% of U.S. citizens claim to be Christian, but don’t actually show it to the people around them. The thing is, we don’t need more converts. What we need is people actually understanding what a relationship with Jesus truly looks like, and demonstrating that love to other people. How many times during our day do we drive past homeless people on the street or just give them $5 with a smile? What if more of us were actually willing to pull into a parking lot and spend an hour with that person learning about their life and building relationship with them? Don’t get me wrong, I am sure they would appreciate the 5 bucks… but what if we could do more? Take them out for lunch, start a friendship and offer them more than just money, the love of Jesus and share how He is working in our lives.
“I don’t have time.”
A common phrase we use, but that is actually not true. The thing is, we make time for the things we truly care about. If we value a good night sleep, we go to bed early. If we value spending time with Jesus in the mornings, we sacrifice sleep and get up early before work. If we want to live life on mission and impact the communities around us, we might need to sacrifice a few hours out of our schedule to do that. Sometimes this can be so simple: smiling at the waitress and leaving her an encouraging note along with her tip, asking people in the line of Walmart “ how are you?” and being willing to be there an extra 15 minutes if they are honest and say, “actually not that great”. All we need to do as believers is treat each and every person we come across like they are Jesus. Talk to strangers, smile at people, build relationships, and go above and beyond in order to truly be different. I was reading an article about the relevance of Christianity today and the author made a statement that caught my attention. He was talking about the fact that knowing Jesus is attractive to others when we show people that we are actually different than the stigmas Christianity has today. He says, “So while Christianity may never be relevant or cool, here’s what it will be: Attractive. People will be curious why you were kind to them when they may have been a jerk to you. That’s attractive. People will wonder why you value the broken, poor, and marginalized and use your finances, life, and time to help them (even if they never change). That’s attractive. People will marvel that your friend group doesn’t just consist of people the same color or nationality as you, but it spans different beliefs, races, and political views. They’ll be shocked you serve, love, laugh, and mourn with them. That’s attractive.” (Sledge, 2017) I believe this is so dang true. The only way we are going to reach the people right in front of us that have been burned by “Christians” in the past is by continuing to walk alongside them in good in bad. By telling and showing them that no matter what they struggle with or go through, they are known and dearly loved by a heavenly father. We are all equal and we all struggle with the same things and God loves us unconditionally through all of it. All we need to do is be willing to admit we need help, and we need Jesus.
Sorry for that long rant, but I have seen the fruit of this time and time again over this past year. (My favorite story is found in this blog post : https://alexisballard.theworldrace.org/post/we-met-an-angel1. Lucio still calls me to check in on me and my journey and I can’t wait to see him again one day! If not in Peru, at my wedding! ) If we had not walked into his shop, that relationship may have never happened…. And the thing is: being a light for the Lord in the midst of this world is infections. Just the other day at Walmart I stopped to tell the greeter that her smile and joy made my day and she was shocked that I was willing to stop and tell her that. “You just made my day, honestly thank you!”, she replied and we both left with brightened spirits, because by encouraging her, I was also encouraged. JOY spreads JOY. If we want to see more positivity and joy in this world, we have to be the ones who are different, the ones who are willing to go out and bless others while wanting nothing in return.
Someone has to be the first one to reach out… will it be you?
(Cite: Benjamin Sledge, 2017 https://blog.heartsupport.com/lets-stop-pretending-christianity-is-actually-relevant-okay-ade4c00dabcc)
