This month was good. This month was challenging. This month was a little weird. But most of all it was full of growth. Growth in myself, growth within my team and growth with God.
Before I came on the race, I struggled with the thought of not being a good enough Christian, not reading my bible enough, and not knowing the right words to say when it came to praying or speaking life into people. And if I’m being honest, I felt that way during training camp, while we were in Nicaragua and even Costa Rica. But there was something about Boquete, Panama that made me realize so much. You see when everyone thinks of a “perfect Christian,” it’s going to church every Sunday, reading your bible every day, praying for every meal, (you get the picture.) And that’s what I always thought too, until God opened up my eyes and my heart to so much more. So here’s some things that God and this little mountain town of Boquete taught me:
- Slow down and take in every minute.
- Surround yourself with the people you love and who love you just as much back.
- Open up even when it’s hard.
- It’s okay if you don’t open your bible every single day because God still loves you and is going to show up in different ways every day.
- Thank the Lord for every little thing even if it’s just a bottle of Coke.
- Also ask the Lord for things whether it’s an ice cream cone or a place to stay for the night.
- Be patient with your prayers.
- Living out of a day pack isn’t so bad, in fact it’s actually a blessing.
- Pour into the people you meet, even if it’s just a 5 minute conversation.
- Be thankful for the next door neighbor who comes over at random times of the day just to bring you fresh fruits and veggies from his garden or ask you over for dinner and dancing.
- Become available and interruptible.
- Be willing to sit with complete strangers because you never know just how lonely they are.
- Write down all the little moments because you may not remember them a year from now.
- Talking in accents and laughing until midnight makes the best therapy and/or memories.
- Try new things, you may end up liking them even if you’ve hated them your whole life..(for me it was coffee).
- If you really don’t want your leftovers, box it up and give it to someone on your way home.
- If you never ask, you’ll never know.
- If something doesn’t settle with you, speak up because your voice matters too.
- Get to know the locals and try to speak their language even if you’re awful at it. It will make their day and they’ll help you out with it.
- Learn to trust God. He’s got your back no matter what.
That’s all for now.
Much love,
Brookles
