This month has been full of surprises. But this is the World Race, I really shouldn’t be surprised by anything. I guess I just never expected to leave our first location due to conflict or expected to feel so Spiritually and emotionally attacked in the first 2 weeks.
Two days ago I had an emotional breakdown by 7:00am. We were at our first ministry location called New Dawn which is a feeding program for children. It’s a wonderful place, but my heart wasn’t there that day. My mind wasn’t either. I was on the phone with our squad leader crying my eyes out trying to figure out how to get my team out of the situation we found ourselves in. (sidenote: we were NEVER in any danger or any sort of safety risk, we just had a few issues with the host we lived with and I decided it was in the team’s best interest to get us out of there.)
When I got off the phone with Andrew I was still crying, but at that point it was becasue I was so relieved knowing that he was coming to get us that afternoon. A weight had been lifted from all of us.
As I hung up the phone and cried, a man walked over to me and handed me a piece of a plant he had been watering near the church. He smiled sheepishly as he told me about the plant. It had a sweet fragrance that calmed me as I breathed it in through the last lingering tears. He said to put it in a cup of water and it would continue to grow. He then smiled and told me to have a good day.
I didn’t see him again after that.
I realized soon afterwards that that plant is like my team. We were in the garden and serving a beautiful purpose (just like our time serving with Christ Church Sybrand Park). But even when the plant is removed from the garden, it can be moved to a cup of water and still grow. I see that cup of water as our remaining time in Ocean View, South Africa. It’s a time for the team to rest, regroup, and still continue to grow. When the time is right, the plant can then be placed in a new garden and begin to bring new beauty and life there. That will be our team when we reach Swaziland in just over a week.
Just because our location and surroundings have changed does not mean our purpose changes as well. That plant still produced an enchanting aroma everywhere I took it and it’s beauty captured the eyes of the world around it.
Though we’re constantly moving from place to place throughout this year, I know we will continue to serve the Lord everywhere we go just as He called each of us to do.
