At some point for every person on a extended trip, the initial glamor and constant stimulus of new surroundings, culture, people, etc, starts to run thin. And so then life feels as if it begins to start again. Your trip starts to feel less like a vacation or summer break, and starts to feel more like well, your life. The new and different begin to loose what makes them so unique . . . the fact that they are new and different. And once you experience things for the first time you do not and can never again find that initial joy you got. For once you have discovered something you cannot rediscover it. You must turn to other things to bring you joy things that are more constant.
A few weeks ago me and the other two guys on my squad went to a very wealthy town in Guatemala called Cayala. After a mess of different confusing modes of transportation we stepped out of the taxi and gaped in awe at the initial beauty and uniqueness of Cayala. The Town stood out like a ripple in a pool of calm water. Compared to the rest of Guatemala this place had little to nothing in common. There was no garbage on the ground, all the streets were carefully paved, the green grass trimmed, with almost no dirt in sight. The town was clean, beautiful and very well kept. After seeing this place I thought to myself that was going to be the best day I have had in Guatemala. Well as we walked around and the sun continued to rise in the sky the initial glamor of the place started to wear off. Everything was insanely expensive, and once we had seen the beauty of the city it was not nearly as cool seeing it for a second time. By 1:00 all of us had started to get incredibly bored, which was weird, we were in this amazing place we should be having the time of our lives. One of the memories I have from that day was waiting in line for about an hour with Josh to get a free Coke that said our names on it. If I knew it was going to take an hour to get through that line I probably never would have stepped into the queue, however I did and it gave me a great opportunity to just talk with Josh one on one about life. Looking back my strawberry or highlight of the day would not be seeing the amazing architecture or beauty of the town, but just hanging out with my friends and experiencing that place together. That is the now that is constant and does not lose its glamor.
Something awesome that God has been showing me of late is that he is always new and different. God is an infinite waterfall constantly pouring out new experiences with him. God is un-discoverable, unknowable, we can never fully fathom God, but we can try to know more of him and therefore we can never grow bored of him. We are always experiencing a new part of God. I have been reading a lot and whenever I reach the end of the book I start to feel sad, because I know that there is no more to the story. God is the book without end, with him we can never reach the end of the story!
As life in the world race continues to pass I am losing the initial shazam. Driving through Gutemala city every day and seeing the slums, it is still beautiful but it is not the same, walking to Cafe Tolito and seeing the streets of San Lucas is still awesome but it is not the same as it was at first. This adventure to me is starting to feel like less of an extended summer break or vacation and more of the next chapter in my life. I am starting to feel like less of a tourist and more of a missionary, breaking down the barriers that separate me and the people I am trying to serve.
I feel very content to be here where I am now, not looking forward to what comes next, or looking back to what I should have done. Just living in the moment and eating from the plate God has served me. I am so excited just to be here experiencing joy and making memories with my team and with God!
