Month 11, our last month on the race, was spent in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. We worked alongside a local pastor in his neighbourhood, mostly helping clean the church, doing some maintenance around the property, and taking part in community outreach.
In terms of our living situation, it was a tough month. We stayed in a small house which was being used as a church, meaning we had to clear away our things twice a week for services. We slept on church pews pushed together to make beds, had no running water so took bucket showers, and had one fan between 7 of us. It was hot.
Going into the month I think I had built up expectations and entitlement. You see it was month 11, so I deserved a great ministry and a great final month. Or at least that was my thinking. But that wasn’t what God chose to give me. Instead He gave me a month where every day I had to check my attitude, to choose not to complain and to act entitled. Because month 11 or month 1 it makes no difference, I’m not entitled to be comfortable or just to get what I want. That’s not why I went on the race.
Although it was hard, and frustrating, and I struggled with feeling like I wasn’t really enjoying my last month on the race, I know I grew through it. God gave me a reality check, and reminded me that being in the place He chooses to put me, and doing His will, is more important than how comfortable I feel. I was also able to look back and see the growth from earlier months when I had struggled with entitlement. Although I had fallen back into it briefly, I also recognised it for what it was so much sooner and stopped the cycle.
Entitlement just leads to disappointment and negativity, instead of being able to look around and see what God is doing. By choosing not to focus on the negative, I started to enjoy the month more as I saw God at work in the community, in my team and in myself. I was able to have fun with my team and I have a lot of great memories from that month. Overall, in spite of the challenges, I am grateful for the month God gave me.
