Hey ya’ll! Sorry, it has been awhile since I’ve posted!
This week was physically tiring as we started each morning walking up 200 stairs to the church we worked with. Yes 200, not an exaggeration. We did manual labor for three days, packing sandbags up and passing them up the sandy mountain. While it is was hot and not our first pick of things to do, it was good to feel productive.
Saturday and Sunday we held a kids and adult program. It was a blast and exactly what I needed to fill my soul! Man, they have dances for everything here! Rubin, who is part of the small church staff teaches the local kids dances to VBS type songs. He taught our team a couple dances to perform. They are so outgoing and it felt great to be doing a type of dance again. I had no idea that it was what I needed! We hugged kids, cuddled babies, and danced around like big goof balls, but it brought a huge amount of laughter and joy to our team, and there is nothing better than that.
3 weeks left ya’ll! It’s gonna go by fast! I am trying to soak it up and continue seeking every opportunity to see Jesus.
Sometimes when we hit a missionary with the question “So, how was it?”, we expect the answer to be somewhere along lines of wanting to return and stay there forever, and how they encountered God everyday and it was just such a magical time. Well, let me tell you, it isn’t. A teammate and I were talking about how we are both in this middle stage of trying to figure out living in the present and “being all here”, while being homesick. Let me tell you, I am really homesick. It’s hard. All I want to do is curl up in bed and think of memories from home. A lot of my squad is having a hard time with the same thing. BUT, God still provides pockets of joy where he shows himself. Just because it is difficult doesn’t mean He isn’t working. For example, the past two days working with kids, it was just the boost I needed to get through those days.
Today is our off day, and we are all laying low. I am at a cafe right now for WiFi so I can post this, but after I’m going home to have some time with Jesus, I really need it. As I learn to balance the feeling of wanting to be home and soaking up the unique experiences here, I am going to take advantage of all the quiet times I get. When I press into the Father, He will press into me. He has already taken care of what I need at home and I will receive it once I’m there. But I am here, so all I need is what God has for me here. The reality is that no matter how slow a day feels, in a blink of an eye I will be home, staring back and saying, “How am I home already?”. Please pray with me for a new energy!
Thanks for following along!
Love,
Emma
