We’ve had quite a week. Tomorrow we begin a new ministry. Our first site was a new site to Adventures in Missions and, simply put, was not what it was presented as on the application and through conversations between our team and adventures, we will be moved to a new ministry site, one that has worked with the world race previously.
But this blog isn’t about that, this blog is about how a week that I never would have chosen turned out to be a huge blessing. We arrived late Friday night and were shuffled into a room with seven twin beds and no electricity. The next seven days were spent in almost complete community. Our team ate dinner together, we did ministry (in this case construction) together, we walked to the local school together; essentially every moment we were surrounded by each other as well as the kids and adults that lived in the volunteer house and nearby.
I didn’t expect to have my own room, but I think I expected that most places we’d have a girl’s and a guy’s room. I hoped that the first month, when I was getting to know my team, we’d have some opportunity for privacy. That didn’t happen. We were cautioned about women being alone and so even if there had been an opportunity to slip away, I wasn’t allowed to.
You know what though, I wouldn’t have it any other way. These almost strangers have become an extended family. I don’t think any of us have laughed so much or so often, and that’s saying a lot for the stress and worry we felt this past week.
God took all of my concerns about living in community and made me face them at the very beginning. I think He does this a lot; ask us to take a step of faith and then bless us for taking it.
