I knew it was coming, but the reality check hit hard that last Sunday afternoon in Nicaragua as the six new female team leaders were announced and one-by-one they read off the names of each individual on their team. Everything within me focused on fighting against the tears that were forming in my eyes. The time had come for team changes, and out of my fleshly desires, I couldn’t help but think that there had been a mistake in the formation of my new team. So, my new team didn’t fill me with excitement, but at least we were getting ready to start our fourth month of ministry in the Philippines! From the very beginning of the race, the Philippines was the month I had been looking forward to the most. I was eager to come back to a place that I loved and was filled with anticipation to discover why I felt like I had left a piece of my heart in this foreign land four years ago when I was in the country for a short-term missions trip. Leading up to my time in the Philippines, I was unintentionally building up expectations (internally) of what the month of ministry would look like. BAD IDEA!
I found myself on a team that I did not trust or feel like I fit in with and was involved in a ministry that did not match up to my desired expectations at all. What was God thinking? Needless to say, my excitement for the month quickly dwindled. The first morning at our ministry site, while reading in my devotional, I quickly realized that I had a choice to make. Was I going to let my joy be dependent upon my circumstances? Was I going to choose joy by living in God’s presence daily even amidst the challenges, or was I going to bask in my own sorrow and just wish the month away without making an effort to get to know my new team or pour out into our ministry?
I chose joy, but that didn’t mean it was going to be easy. The first week was rough and I wondered whether it was even worth it to keep choosing joy. Thankfully, I can say with confidence that it was completely worth it. I am thankful for a God who equipped me with exactly what I needed to make it through each day. Slowly, my walls began to be broken down and I could honestly share with my team. Ministry has been hard for me with having so much free time, but even in that, God has been teaching me to just rest and be still in His presence.
A Little About Ministry:
This month my team and I have been staying within a small community in the mountains of San Mateo, Rizal at Camp Sinai. A property that has allowed us to experience God’s beauty in the 10+ acres of jungle/wooded land that surrounds us in every direction from the balcony of our lodging accommodations this month is where we have called home. This is the first time that a world race team has ever been to this ministry site, so it has been a privilege for us to establish a strong relationship and set a standard for future teams as well.
This is the most laid back month that I have experienced, which has allowed us quite a bit of free time. I quickly learned that I’m the type of person that would rather be busy all day and be physically serving, then to have a lot of down time. However, God has been teaching me through this and has been asking me to be still, rest in His presence and just enjoy God (Psalm 46:10). We have been doing a few manual labor tasks to help out around the property which has included painting, leveling ground for a garden area and building various bamboo pens and fencing for pigs and goats.
Every Wednesday there has been a medical clinic held specifically for the local pregnant women to come and get check-ups. We have also had several opportunities to go out and interact with people in the community, held a couple VBS programs for children, loved on a few youth-aged girls, held a youth conference and led worship at church.
As the month has progressed, I’ve been reminded that ministry doesn’t have to necessarily look a specific way. Nor does it always have to physically feel like you’re doing something, but it is more about a lifestyle and a way of life. Sitting around, building relationships through conversations with our Filipino contact or Pastor and his family is ministry. Pouring into one another as a team is ministry and has been a blessing as we’ve spent time worshiping together, listening to podcasts, discussing Scripture or just playing games and enjoying each other’s company.
God knew what He was doing when this new team was put together and it certainly wasn’t an accident. God also knew that in order for us to pour into each other as a team and experience some tremendous spiritual growth and freedom in Christ, we needed to be alone as a team and away from the city life in a quiet atmosphere filled with God’s creation.
