Life in Chincha is coming to an end. On Monday we are leaving for debrief in Lima, before heading to the Amazon jungle. Before we leave here I wanted to give you some insight to some of my thoughts and lessons in this first month of the World Race. The pictures in this blog are from trees around the church we have been staying at.
City on the hill
One day our team had a team Bible study. This was about a week or more ago, but one thing that was said has really stuck out to me, and I have been contemplating it ever since. It comes from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. I am a city on a hill. As a Christian I am on a hill, exposed, yet protected. On the hill I can not hide my light. With Jesus, I can not help but shine, and people will always be looking to me to bring Jesus to them, and I will be under scrutiny as well. However, this hill is protected from attack. Being on this hill I can see attackers coming, and I am protected from them. God is my hill, protecting me from harm. He is my hill that allows my light to shine, and allows people to watch my actions.
All of this has been swirling around in my head, and I feel like i needed to share this with you through my blog, but it is still swirling and so I don’t have much else to say about it.
Broken heart
Some spontaneous worship happened the other night and it was really awesome. It was a good time to connect with each other and with God. During this time two lines from two songs really stuck out to me. The first one is “break my heart for what breaks yours”. I couldn’t sing it during worship, I could only think how dangerous it is to say that to God, and wondering if everyone else who was singing actually realized what they were saying and if they really meant it. However, the line just wouldn’t leave me, and I kept feeling like it was something that was meant for me. Yesterday morning I prayed that to God. This is why I came on the World Race. I came to have my heart broken for the people of the world. I have talked about it for a long time in my life, and now I am here to experience it. It is going to hurt. It is one of those “dangerous” or “scary” prayers, but I really meant it. I mean it. I want to have my heart broken this year, and filled with God’s love for the people of this world. It is going to hurt. I think I want it to. I wasn’t sure how to have this happen though, and my good friend Angie said that it just takes time, just wait. Which makes SO much sense, and it brings me to the other line that stood out to me. “As I wait, you make me strong”. As I wait for God to work in me, and to truly break my heart for his people, which I believe He is beginning to do, He is making me strong. He is making me strong enough to be able to have these things happen within me. He is strengthening me as you are reading this.
Junk
I have had enough of my life, and all that I have. It is almost embarrassing the way we live in North America, compared to the way that the majority of the world lives. The things that we think we NEED is so much more than most people could ever dream of. The other day I saw my house on a webcam for the first time in a month and after being here I was shocked to find how sick I felt seeing my living room and the amount of STUFF in it that is really just so unnecessary. My mom doesn’t know this, but the whole time my mind was screaming TURN IT OFF! MAKE IT STOP! But I have been here a month and I already have so much stuff I need to send a package home. How can I live with myself?
This is what has happened to me this month. This is just the beginning. This year is the beginning of a life long learning process and I can see this start and it gets me excited. Please continue to pray for me and for these changes occurring in myself.
There are some amazing things on our God did list this month. Check these out:
Casting out a demon
Baby Carol
Vacation Bible School
Electricity and bathrooms in Los Jardines
A garden
Tarps for people’s homes
