While sitting in one of my many hours of down time writing this blog, I didn’t know what exactly to write about. At this time, ministry is slow here and honestly I was afraid of not giving a “good blog”. Instead of not blogging all together I’ll share what this “slow time in ministry” means to us as a team.
One question that has come up a few times is “Are we being a Blessing to our hosts or a burden?”
We have been farming at our ministry hosts rice farm, leading worship a few times at a church, helping with football ministry, doing construction on a house they are making for their parents, as well as construction at the farm. It seems like a lot, but more often than not we are at home growing closer to our team and our family.
Sometimes our desire for something more is apparent; Raem and Nan have both apologized on many different occasions for ‘not having more’ for us to do. They have told us that they will have more for us when school starts back up, but currently we have to wait and serve in ways we may not have expected.
For some, this is harder than spending time in the heat or even working an 8 hour day. Though, I am learning a lot in our extra free time! I’m learning how to love, especially when it’s hard. I am learning how to love people for who they are and not who I want them to be. I am learning how to not drive my team mates up the wall. And my favorite part is learning how to seek Jesus in all of this.
Back home I never had the ‘drive’ to follow Jesus whole heartedly, and if I did, it wasn’t for more than a week after I returned home from a church camp. Here, everything is different. I don’t have my usual comforts of talking to my mom whenever I am having a hard time. Or being able to walk away from everything and destress with the distractions of the Internet or Netflix. Here I have God, and sure I have always had God, but I wasn’t choosing to focus on him when times got hard.
I’m starting to crave intimate talks about and with Jesus. I can’t wait for free time to read the bible. Sure times are hard and I want to have my own privacy and yes I may have watched an episode or two of ‘The Office’ here and there,but I am loving this free time without having to keeping myself busy through out.
My prayer when I get home is to not loose sight of the Lord and continuously growing stronger in faith even with those distractions more easily available again. I am loving my time here, and beyond thankful to see what else the Lord has in store for me!
stay weird,
Laurie xx
