I am living for the day. If you ask me what today’s date is or what day it is 8 out of 10 times I will not be able to answer you correctly. This is the life of a World Racer! The month was jammed packed. The first week in July we had Launch Training, and then from 7/7/2008 – 7/20/2008 our team was assigned to doing ministry & living in Jerusalen. Then we had our 1st official RACE to Antigua, Guatemala from Palenque, Mexico. A bell rang to sound off the start of the RACE @ 4:30 AM & after taking 2 Combee’s to get to our destination, we arrived just after dinner that same evening. This was impeccable timing & our team would have come in 1st place, but do to a minor conversion rate accident which put our team over budget (we converted Pesos instead of Quetzales) our team was disqualified. =( While in Antigua we had our first debrief of ministry. Debrief is a time where the whole squad is together & we process the past month of ministry. Seth & Karen Barnes get the joy of being parents to over 30 people & they do it so well! Debrief lasted up until this past Saturday, 7/26/2008 & for me, debrief was a huge blessing! I would love to share with you one of the many things God showed me during this time.
Ministry this past month looked very different that what I had intended. Very. Our actual ministry time was much shorter this past month (less than 2 wks) than is typical since we had Launch Training. Now is the perfect time to make a confession. My idea of ministry is very “product minded”. I want to clock-in & clock-out of “doing ministry”. This frame of mind is a struggle for me. Ministry & missions should really be a way of life rather than something I do to check-off on the to-do list. & now matter how much I know this truth, b/c I have been aware of it for awhile now, it’s time I deal with it & live ministry. I think for me the issue was easy to ignore b/c I have often done ministry on my own. But, it’s quite another thing to fall prey to this when you have to work alongside 4 other girls who you are living with for a whole year.
I came to debrief & instantly when I reflected back on what we did (helping out at church services, prayer walking, playing with children, etc) I think not so much of what was done for them, what we did for them, but instead what could have been done, what more could have been done on my part & on our teams’ part for the people of Palenque & in Jerusalen. I learned quickly that I really need to deal with this problem & stop ignoring it. Our squad leader restated a quote I had heard before, which really hit home this time around. She said when she gets up in the morning the first thing she thinks is, “The only guarantee I have is the guarantee to give my life away.” I see that lived out in her & I want it lived out in me. So from debrief I take away a fresh desire to lay down the “ministry check-list mentality” for something greater which I think makes God smile. Living Christ out every single second, every single moment of the day He is granting to me is how I want to live. Whether I am evangelizing, discipling, working hard in an out-reach activity I need to die to myself. But, I also need to die to myself in even the smallest of things. For instance, giving away my tasty coconut bar when I just want to keep it to myself, washing out someone’s’ Nalgene even though I just want to finish my book, carrying my team members junk even though my back may hurt, etc.
I fell into the idea that I came on the race to take part in the big things for Gods Kingdom, but I have to remember I also came on the race to take part in the little things for Gods Kingdom. So, maybe not the most impactful blog that will change your life, but if you remember one thing, remember this,
