“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
I’ve been in Haiti for almost a full week now and one thing that I’ve noticed about their lifestyles is how simple it is. Granted, most didn’t choose this way of living, but they make it by without all the excess and that’s what I admire about them.
Going into the race I knew that I’d be stepping into this kind of environment and strangely I was really excited about it. I desired to take all the things in my life that were being placed before my relationship with Christ and put them back in there place, way down at the bottom of the ladder.
Honestly, I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I let so many things in my life come before Christ. Things like relationships, social media, Netflix, sleep, food, and the list goes on and on. All these things were taking the Fathers place in my life and though my flesh was okay with it, my heart wanted something to change. And here I am a week into to this journey and to think I haven’t touched Netflix or scrolled on social media once! Y’all, the Lord is working!!
And I feel so free, free from the things that were holding me back and keeping me from going all in with Christ. When I wake up, my first thought isn’t to check my phone, my first thought is on Christ and what He has in store for me on that day. I’m living out Romans 5:8 and allowing Christ to govern my mind so that I can experience His peace and presence in my life. And because of my choice to place Him first and foremost in my life I’m truly experiencing life and what all He has to offer.
How is that you might ask?
Every day a few of my teammates and I wake up bright and early at 7:15 am and ride the bus with the children who live at Grace So Amazing ministries, which is an orphanage in Mirebalais, Haiti, to Grace Academy School. Each day varies for the tasks that we are given, some days were working with the Pre-K students, some days were with K-3rd graders, and others were back at the orphanage labeling and filing different things for the teachers. But each day, no matter the task, is a blessing.
In such a short amount of time, I’ve already experienced so much love for the people here and this place. Looking into the eyes of these children has increased my love for the creator above and hearing their laughs has brought me a joy that’s unexplainable. Words could never truly express the feeling I get when I hear my name coming from one of the children or the joy that fills my heart when their arms reach out for me.
Not only have I grown to love the children, staff, and teachers that I’m surrounded by, but I’ve also been extremely blessed to grow closer with my teammates. Being surrounded by a community of believers who build me up and encourage me to push closer to Jesus is dramatically changing my walk with Christ day by day. These people speak nothing but life, love, and encouragement to me. Being able to open up about life and share all of the things that I’m struggling with is so freeing and I’m incredibly blessed to have brothers and sisters in Christ who embrace me with open arms and show me endless amounts of grace.
So I’m embracing this simple way of living, just like my Lord and Savior did while on earth. I’m going all in and diving deep into this experience in order to fully see what the Lord has for me. I’m embracing the cold showers that have little to no pressure to them. I’m doing my laundry in a bucket and hanging them on a line. I’m living in a tiny apartment with 20 people who smell of sweat and BO (Fabulous, I know). I’m roughin’ it every day, no makeup or fancy clothes. I’m replacing greasy and unhealthy American food with simple pb & j’s and rice and beans every day. And although it’s hard at times, I choose joy through it all because the Lord is blessing me more than I could have ever expected.
