“God’s mercy does not require His treatment of us to be comfortable or safe (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). But in the midst of our pain, God’s plan is still good and His promises remain true. He will deliver us. He will free us. He will redeem us (Exodus 6:6). And come what may, He promises to be with us (Isaiah 43:2).”
Cambodia was a crazy month. From motorbike accidents, to typhoid scares, and people being hospitalized for days on end with no answers. If there was a month that it was hard to see God’s goodness in, Cambodia was it. I felt like I was literally all over the country- bouncing around to different teams and being hospitalized for a bacterial infection in the middle of the month. Honestly, despite all of this I still enjoyed Cambodia. I was able to see God show up in ways I normally wouldn’t if I didn’t have to rely on Him for strength and wisdom in so many different situations. I am going through a study on Moses and I loved the commentary I quoted above from my study. Even through the harder things or the darker things God is still good and He is still with us. I think oftentimes it is easy to focus on the attributes of God that are easier to love- His goodness, His mercy, His love. But when we do that we are creating our own false God- we are creating a God that is easier for us to worship. Just like it is easier to focus on the “positive” characteristics of God when things are good, we sometimes forget that He is still the same even when things are hard. We think he has forsaken us or we question His goodness and His love for us. His character doesn’t change based on what season we are walking through.
Currently I am with a team in Medellin, Colombia. And it is nothing short of a breath of fresh air. To be in this beautiful city, surrounded by mountains, living in a home, sleeping on a bed! And we have a kitchen- with an oven- so we can bake! It’s little things like this that I wouldn’t have a sense of gratitude for if I hadn’t gone without them. Sometimes the Lord will walk us through harder seasons to enable us to see Him more in the little things around us. This month we are working with an orphanage in Medellin. I say orphanage, but most of the kids have parents- the parents just aren’t able to take care of the kids for varying reasons. The girls and boys stay at the home for 3-5 years and go to school, get fed regularly, learn manners, and learn about Jesus. The hope is that after their time here they will be able to go back to their families. None of them speak English, which has been hard at times, but I am really enjoying getting to learn Spanish and it forces you to practice. Honestly, the little I can say in Spanish allows me to communicate more with the kids here than in any country we have been in so far. I am really excited to get to know these kids more throughout the month. That being said, there are 4.5 months of the race left, and that has me (and many others) thinking about what we want to get out of these last months. So here’s a little bit of my personal vision casting…
I want to be intentional. I want to be engaged. I want to see God more. I want to know Him more. I don’t want to be so distracted by what’s to come that I miss what He is doing here and now. I want to be someone who is rooted and established in love (Ephesians 3:17).
Keep praying for our squad and our time in South America!!
Love y’all.
Caitlin
