My team leader, Alley, asked to speak this week at a women's meeting in Lima, Peru. My initial response in my head was:
What could I possibly have to say that these women need to hear?
I don't know their lives, would anything in my life be relevant to theirs?
We have a translator with us but I do know SOME Spanish, how can I show them that I actually do care to learn their language without looking like a fool?
Also, I'm not a big fan of public speaking but I knew when I signed up for this that I would most likely be asked to speak so I said "Sure".
While I pondered this, I looked like I had frozen into a statue for a second.
I thought about what I had been reading and meditating on lately. This week I decided to start reading Joshua. There is a verse in the Bible travelers find comforting.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
This verse has always resonated with me. It says God will be with me WHEREVER I go…that includes the 11 countries my squad and I will be visiting this year, includes the many bus, plane, train and maybe boat rides. It means He'll be with me in those times I miss home. It's so reassuring!
Let's read this again…just the first sentence.
"Have I not commanded you?"…This is more than warm fuzzies and butterflies, this is a commandment!…"Be strong and courageous."
This is in Joshua chapter one, four different times. That repetition means it's important, so pay attention.
I mustered up the courage and strength and asked God what He would have me say to these women. I heard this same passage, everyone needs encouragement to be strong and courageous, right? It doesn't matter where we are from or what our home lives look like. Everyone has a little fear inside them, it might be spiders, it might be public speaking, it might be crossing a very busy street in a place where drivers seemingly don't have many guidelines to follow.
Our ministry contact wanted to show us the beach and our walk there was the perfect time to prepare my mind.
As the cool water mixed with warm sand at my feet and I was refreshed, feeling more confident.
Several children were building sand castles or burying someone in the sand.
This is where I received word that the meeting that I was supposed to speak at had been canceled.
I breathed a sigh of relief mixed with tiny disappointment (I mean really tiny) and went to visit for a while with an elderly gentleman who was at the beach on vacation.
But before heading to our bus, our teams were stopped and asked for two people to speak on the radio to invite children to VBS next week.
Public speaking? Sure, no problem.
A squad mate and I did our best. Our translator and the radio personnel made it super easy and they seemed grateful, I mean they gave us high-5s.
I realize that doing a short spot on the radio, inviting kids to VBS is not the same as being vulnerable in a room full of women I don't know but it is a baby step to something bigger and on the plus side I have something ready for the next time!
