When we first got to Chile, my team talked about the beauty in the mundane. We are not picking where we do ministry, but trusting where God is taking us on this journey. When we come with expectations, our expectations can often fail us. There will be times all throughout this year and throughout life that this will happen, so we began talking about beauty in the mundane or beauty in whatever it is God calls us to that month, whatever that may look like.
This month has been FAR from mundane. I can not believe month one is already over. I already miss La Pintana and the people there so much. However, I was reminded of this beauty just the other day. A beauty in simplicity, in an everyday life. A few days ago we got to go to the teacher’s house that we have been working with at the neighboring special needs school. Denisse has been a blessing to us! She is the teacher of the special needs class that me and two other girls on my team have been hanging out with through out this month. She has such a kind heart. She is so loving and patient. You can see Christ living in her through the way she cares for the kids in her class room. She has been an inspiration to us in the way she loves. And our class has been even more of an inspiration of just how simple love and joy is with Christ.
Denisse invited us to go to her house, have lunch with her and meet her baby boy Simon. So of course we said yes! Her house was a little farther out in the country. You could see a beautiful view of the mountains from her back porch. Her house was a simple log cabin with just enough space to live comfortably. It was beautiful. The kitchen door stayed open as Denisse cooked us lunch. We set on the back porch, making conversation, sipping Coke, playing with Simon, and enjoyed the vegetable and fruit garden.
There was something so beautiful and simple about this day that I just loved. The hustle and bustle was gone. Material things hardly existed and God’s creation was so evident. Not only was the glory of God so evident but it was enough. There is a beauty in simplicity because more often than not simplicity is more God. We were created for God in the garden of Eden. We belonged there in a world untainted by human imperfection. This day at Denisse’s house gave me maybe just a glimpse of how that is suppose to feel. God is enough. His creation and presence and love are enough. It makes sense that this time was most satisfying because God is most satisfying by himself, not alongside anything else. We do not need lots of things to make us happy or hours of entertainment to fill our time. The simplest way of feeling Joy is to rest in the wonders of God’s power without the chaos of the world. To go back to the garden of Eden, in its purest form, and to feel the presence of God.
Sorry for this ramble. I loved this day so much and hope that my life after the race resembles that of Denisse!
