Coming Down The Mountain

 

Living on a mountain top in the Dominican Republic for the month was glorious.

 

Coming down from the mountain takes some adjusting.

 

On the mountain I was surrounded by other believers who loved and supported me. Every day was full of prayer, fellowship, and some kind of ministry opportunity. We were trail blazers, land scapers, door to door evangelists, women’s ministry leaders, teen camp planners, free shoe-givers, documentary film makers, and prayer warriors. Every week held exciting opportunities to be a part of something significant for God’s kingdom.

 

On the mountain we watched the baby goats and ducks grow, and when the chicken laid an egg, everyone gathered around to watch. We saw sunrises, rain storms, and lots of stars. We ate a lot of rice and beans and sat around after meals, telling stories and laughing together. There were cold showers, and nasty bug bites, and chilly nights but it all made the mountain top experience even more real.

 

My off days were spent at beautiful beaches in tourist-y areas, swimming in the blue-green water. The combination of work and play was perfect, and in both regards, there was always something to look forward to.

 

Two days ago, we packed our bags, said goodbye to mountain top living, and loaded on a bus to come to the big city, Santo Domingo, for a Leadership Development Weekend.

 

The ride was nice.

 

We got to Boca Chica and I dumped my bag, put my swim suit on and headed for the beach.

 

As my friends and I walked down the street, the men sitting around did what men do, making stupid comments and noises to get attention. Irritating.

 

We got to the beach and saw it was especially crowded for Spring Break. The beach was packed with people and vendors. Garbage was everywhere, on the tables, in the sand, floating in the water, and there was an extremely dark feeling to the area.

 

We walked a little farther down the beach and there was music blaring from a huge stage with women in short shorts or bikinis dancing and men and boys gawking and taking videos. It made me sick, especially to see how many small children were there, being exposed to this spring break atmosphere.

 

There was so much natural beauty at this beach but it was overrun with the filth and garbage the people brought in.

 

Since the beach was so disgusting we decided to get dinner instead and headed for the street. It didn’t take much to see that prostitution was everywhere. Its the worst I’ve seen since Thailand. The whole atmosphere was so sexually charged it made my skin crawl.

 

 

 

I thought “I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN.”

 

And all of this kind of makes me afraid to go home after the race. I’ve been the tough girl so far, thinking coming home will be awesome. But now I’m not so sure.

 

I’ve been living on a spiritual mountain for these past nine months, surrounded by people who are just like me. People who are far from perfect, but are striving to know God more, and see His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

 

Prayer, ministry, encouragement, Bible Study, intense conversations, and life changing stories have been an every day thing for most of the race. I’ve been asked to do hard things and I’ve seen God come through.

 

So how do I come down from this mountain in two months from now?

 

How will I handle all the trash that filled up my life before the race, now that I’ve been without it for so long?

 

How will I adapt back to a culture that values sex, materialism and appearance after God has spent this whole season working on just softening my heart?

 

I was dependant on the Lord going into the World Race, but I am clinging to Him even more so for the changes after The Race.

 

You friends who are reading this from home, we can have great conversations about His Word, and we can pray together daily, can’t we?

 

We can join together and use our time and resources to meet the needs of the poor, neglected, and exploited in the name of Jesus, right?

 

I hope so.

 

Because this has not been just a mission trip, it’s become a lifestyle for me. And I can’t do it alone.

 

So I’d love your prayer for these last two months of The Race. And prayer for when the time arrives to come down from this mountain. Prayer that its not the end, its the beginning. And prayer that it ALL brings glory to God.

 

He is so worthy.