Be Where Your Feet Are

 

All of this feels so normal.

 

Being on the World Race, being in the Dominican Republic, living life here… It all feels so normal. 

 

But I know that it isn’t. 

 

It isn’t normal to wake up every morning in the middle of a Caribbean jungle. It isn’t normal to see the sunrise over the mountains every morning from the rooftop of my house. It’s not normal to live with 41 people that are my age. It’s not normal to be doing ministry – cleaning, helping cook, doing manual labor, local outreach – it’s just not something that’s normal. 

 

I don’t want to become immune to these things. I don’t WANT it to feel “normal.” Rather, I want to wake up every single morning in absolute awe of who the Lord is and what I have the privilege of doing for an entire month. I want to be like a blind man who’s seeing everything for the first time; completely awestruck. 

 

I really want this phrase to define my time here this month: BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE.

 

I want to be present. 

 

I want to soak in the views.

 

I want to remember the way the rain hits the leaves on the trees.

 

I want to remember the beautiful houses and colorful walls. 

 

I want to have a 100% recollection of what it feels like to hear people laugh and live in community together. 

 

I want to learn from my ministry host and his family. 

 

I want to take intentional time to build relationships with my squad and fight for them.

 

I want to remember the way that the local girl I met smiles and laughs. I want to remember the way her eyes light up when I spend time with her and play with her. 

 

I want to remember names, and faces, and places, and moments, and sunrises, and sunsets, and clouds, and sunlight, and showers in the waterfall, and hand-washing clothes, and the way the wind blows through the trees… I don’t want to let these moments slip through my fingers. 

 

I want to invest. I don’t want these next 9 months to swing by without me actually LIVING them. I want to actually experience my life rather than looking at it. 

 

Ever since I set foot in the Dominican, I’ve found myself frequently closing my eyes and remembering little moments that I want to hold onto. I’ve found myself choosing to leave my camera on my bed so that I can be fully present. 

 

I also felt the Lord prompting me to give up social media for my first month. 

 

So that’s what I’m doing. 

In order to “be where my feet are,” I need to feel the ground beneath my feet. I need to actually know where I am. I need to process. I need to be fully present.

I want to invest in the people that I’m surrounded with; at the end of my Race, I don’t want to have all of these meaningless pictures filled with the faces of people that I don’t even remember. You can’t tell a story that you didn’t take the time to know.

 

BUT DO NOT FEAR, I’ll still be writing tons and tons of blogs! I might even do a few photo blogs on occasion (wink wink). 

 

I want to be intentional with my time here. I want to be more concerned about caring for people, loving on them, and really getting to know them. I don’t want to be so sucked into my phone that I miss out on everything that the Lord is doing. I don’t just want to post pictures on Instagram for the sake of likes or making people jealous. That isn’t my intention; my intention is to make a mark on people’s lives. My intention is to be a light to people. My intention is to further the Kingdom of God. I can’t do that if I’m spending all of my time concerned about my next Instagram post. 

 

I encourage you to take a step back this week. When you’re experiencing a really sweet moment, close your eyes. Be intentional about remembering the way that you feel, what you hear, what you see, all of it.  Enjoy the little things and focus on remembering them. Don’t let your life slip through your fingers. Don’t be so intent on capturing a moment with your camera or your phone. Be intentional about being where your feet are. 

 

Wherever you are, be all there. Don’t just kind of pay attention, don’t just kind of be present, don’t just kind of listen, don’t just kind of be alive… LIVE. Savor. Thank the Lord for what he’s given you and for who He is. 

 

I am so thankful for you. You took the time to read this. You took the time out of your day to invest in my life and my story. That means the absolute world to me… So, thank you. 

 

-Lyss

 

 

This place (Hope for the DR, Lajas De Yaroa) is absolutely stunning. I am so privileged to live here for an entire month.

 

 

 

 

Friends, I love photography. I hope these few pictures give you a little bit of a glimpse into my life!! Keep your eyes open for more blogs AND more pictures! HAVE A GREAT WEEK