It’s about 12:30 at night. At 5 a.m. I leave with 6 other guys and girls to start our
40-hour train ride to Lugansk, Ukraine.
It’s the last ministry stop before final debrief and then home. Weird.
For the last several days we’ve had a debrief here in Bucharest,
our first since South Africa. I
hadn’t seen most of the squad in two months, having been with just my team, the
Bruces and Steph in Malawi and then traveling through Romania with Dan this
past month. I really didn’t
realize how much I missed everyone until I picked them up from the
airport. There they were, my
squad, my friends; they were back with so many stories to share. I really missed everyone.
That shift started to take place in December in London. Up until then the squad was a
burden. Squad activities were
dreaded because of the noise and confusion. It wasn’t fun.
But London was different; London was fun. And it wasn’t fun just because London is an amazing city, it
was fun because of who I was sharing that experience with. I did miss home during the holidays,
but I felt really close to all my World Race friends for the first time. Not just one or two, but all of
them. I’ve learned so much from
these people this year. God has
used them to speak into me life, truth, wisdom, and rebuke. But tomorrow we split up, not to see
each other again until final debrief.
That reality hit me when I picked everyone up at the
airport. So the last few days of
debrief I’ve tried to savor every moment.
I’ve had internet, but I tried to stay away from it. I’ve had access to a guitar, but only
played while sitting with other people.
And I’ve had the strange urge to hug everyone. I guess I’ve kinda become a hugger. But now I understand what this process
is all about, what this last year has been all about. Ministry was the vehicle, but it’s the relationships in life
that matter. Sounds like such a
simple thing once you finally get it.
I wish it hadn’t taken so long.
So I’ll probably hand out a few more unsolicited hugs before
it’s all said and done, and then I’ll head home to hug all my friends and family. Each one will be part joy and part
consolation. And I think that is
the best thing ever.
Our ministry in Ukraine will be with orphanages and church planting in the villages. More on that when I get there.
