Now that I have been gone for a little bit people have been asking me,
“are you having fun”, “what is the best part so far”, or “what country have you liked the best.” These questions make me stop and think. I thought that answers would roll off my tongue with things like petting tigers, jumping off waterfalls, and playing with kids all the time. If I am being honest the race has its “fun” moments and those are the ones you usually see on Instagram, but the race is hard. Behind the pictures are the moments when community is hard, when family back home get sick, when you are awake at 2 in the morning wondering what you got yourself into or fighting feelings of going home. I had fun petting the tigers and kind of had fun jumping off the water fall (if you know me you know I don’t like water); these were adventurous experiences I had but that is not the race.
On the race I’ve lived on the floor of a church in a village in 100 degree weather (thanks Cambodia). I’ve stayed in rooms with rats, falling asleep to the sound of their scamper (thanks Vietnam). I’ve had to say bye to kids that I’ve grown to love in just a short month (thanks Philippines). I’ve gotten sick and missed out on a week of ministry (thanks Thailand). But with all that said I would not trade one minute of my race only to have “fun” moments.
It’s in the times that I’m sitting under a fan thinking that it can not get any hotter, the times that are hard and make me wonder if I’ve made the right decision, when the Lord shows up and tells me that I can do this. It’s in the moments of giving last goodbyes to little ones I have grown to love that the Lord reminds me of his love and his strength. It is in the moments of frustration with my contact in miscommunication that I want to yell and say I give up but the Lord reminds me of his patience. It’s in the moments of lying in my bed unable to make it to ministry that the Lord reminds me to rest.
I wouldn’t call this fun all the time but I would call it unforgettable.
