“What rights have you given up?”
Our Coaches, Amy & John (squad mom & dad) came out to visit us in Nepal at the beginning of the month all the way from America to check in with us and impart some serious wisdom in us.
One of the nights when John was speaking, he asked us all, “What rights have you given up?” His entire session was great, but I found this specific question to be particularly valuable and the timing of the question couldn’t be better.
We were in for a challenging month.
We’ve been living in a house with 51 of us together.
But we GET to spend a month with our entire squad and all the friends we made during Training Camp and who could be on one of our next teams when it’s time for team changes. We get to exchange stories of what we experience in ministry and how we see Jesus working in Nepal. I have gotten to LEARN so much from my squad mates and I am so thankful for this opportunity.
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Ephesians 4:2
We share 2 small kitchens, 5 bathrooms that we are only allowed to flush once a day, and our showers are buckets of water in the same room as our toilets, with a 2 minute limit a day. Sometimes we get an extra curve ball and have no running water at all.
We have bathrooms and kitchens! When we have running water, it’s clean water!
Our bottom floor bedroom is nicknamed “the dungeon” because there are 21 of us girls sharing a room. This leaves us each with about 6X3 feet of space each (about the size of our sleeping bag), and minimal walking room (mostly stepping over people).
We have a safe environment to come home to each night and a place to rest and rejuvenate our spirits.
We have 21 different sleep schedules with people talking with the lights on late into the night and alarms going off at all hours of the morning.
How special that we have the opportunity to develop and build upon these friendships with each other, despite being from different backgrounds and having entirely different testimonies? These friends are people with strong values and character, who wake up early to spend quiet time diving into the Word and spending time with Jesus. I didn’t even know what that meant a few months ago!
We sweat profusely and hold children with lice and urine stained clothes and play in the dirt and we don’t have access to a laundry machine.
Is there anything in the world that brings a joy comparable to that of holding a child in need of love and affection? Is there any clothing article you wouldn’t sacrifice to that little human?
We have a $4 budget for food for the entire day, each day.
What a blessing! We have people who love us and Jesus so much that they have helped us fundraise enough money to cover almost all of our meals. We have a food budget. We have met women who have been reduced to selling their bodies to put food on the table for their children, and yet we have a daily food budget.
We are consistently tired mentally, physically, and spiritually, and we don’t get the luxury of taking personal days just because we feel like it. After being told ministry would last 10-4, we often returned home closer to 8PM.
“By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading the good news. Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, He graciously gave me the privilege of telling [people] about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.” Ephesians 3:7-8
As I continue to process this question, I have started to think of it along the lines of, “What rights and entitlements have I sacrificed, or should I sacrifice, to be more like Christ?” I encourage all my friends, Family, extended family, supporters, and church community to take some time this week and write out or meditate on ways you can bring kingdom by taking practical steps to practice humility and walk out the characteristics of Jesus. See how it enhances your life and the lives of those around you!
Mom, Dad, Julia, and David, I love you and pray for everyday.
