I tried to come onto the World Race
with zero expectations. I barely read any previous Racers' blogs,
besides packing suggestions, and haven't done any research about the
places we're going (although that's more due to lack of wifi than
anything else!).
But I'm finding that I did have a lot
of expectations about what a mission trip looks like, many of which I
let go of while we were in Greece. The rest of them have been
shattered over the past two months. It's still the strangest thing,
being on a mission trip without doing any “work.” Last month, we
had Children's Ministry and one manual labor day, which balanced out
the home visits and seminars. But this month has been spent entirely
on talking to people – whether that's evangelism or Bible studies
or praying.
It's been good, in one sense, because
it's forced me to stretch my limits. It's hard to believe I hated
praying out loud, because now I volunteer to speak or pray. (I have
to admit, I still prefer to be volunteered rather than jumping right
in, but I'm getting there.) 24 years into Christian life, and I'm
finally articulating what I believe about Jesus to people who aren't
already Christians.
But it has also been exhausting.
Meeting new people, making small talk, and pouring into those around
me 6 days a week is not fuel for my introverted little soul. In
Malawi, when we had gobs of free time, it was easy to recharge. But
in Zambia, our schedule has been packed! So I've had to learn what
works best to quickly replenish my energy.
The answer is not, as I thought when I
worked 40+ hour weeks at home, to sit in front of the T.V. for three
hours. Instead, it's taking time in the mornings to sit with the Lord
before I have to interact with anyone else. It's listening to music
and exercising and dancing. It's playing card games and MASH with my
teammates. On Monday, it was jumping off a waterfall (not Victoria
Falls, though we'll be there next week!) and floating in a lagoon.
Even though I am praying for some
work-oriented ministries in the coming months (because holding the
Pastor's baby granddaughter just makes me want to hold more babies),
I am so grateful for the variety of ministry that we have been a part
of already. I can already see how God is molding me into the person
that I, and He, want me to be at the end of this journey.
