Hey everyone! The last two weeks were definitely crazy weeks. The gap year squad came to stay for a rest week while we continued our ministry days. On Wednesday and Friday we went to Camp Hope and Thursday was our adventure day. We got to hike down into the crater of a volcano! (But don’t worry it wasn’t an active volcano.) It was super cool because there was a little village down there where people are living and we even found a little shop that was selling ice cream bars. It was incredibly beautiful there for sure.
On Saturday we continued ministry here where we’re staying and we finally finished the trench! It truly felt like a victorious moment when the last bin of dirt was being lifted over the wall while Determinate from Lemonade Mouth played in the background. Sunday we got to rest from doing ministry so I actually got to watch my church’s service online with one of my friends. The message was really good to hear especially because our week was tough trying to adjust to 29 other people living here with us so hearing the story of the Good Samaritan was just what I needed.
The gap year squad was set to leave on Monday morning, but Sunday night and through Monday there were a bunch of people getting sick and throwing up so plans changed. We spent all of Monday getting the sick people into seclusion, washing everyone’s sheets and blankets, and deep cleaning the entire house. This of course meant that the other squad wasn’t leaving as we had anticipated. This past week we spent the entire week here not leaving the property so you can imagine how tough it became not even getting to leave the property for ministry. We also were all eating meals that were being given to the sick group such as plain broth because they didn’t want anyone else in the house getting sick of it was a stomach issue. Throughout this time we did become a lot closer with the other which is a blessing and we all became so grateful for our health and everything we have here.
I struggled a little bit with not being able to go out to ministry because I missed being in a different setting and out of the house we stay in but God really showed me that I need to give up any of my comfortability. I was praying one afternoon and God gave me the verses Luke 14:27 and 14:33, which read “whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” and “so therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” I’ve really learned that I’m comfortable when I’m in control of the plans that are happening or when I know what the plans are, but I don’t control the plans God does. I’m slowly learning to not hang on to details of plans but instead just follow along with what God is trying to do with me in that moment.
The other squad was able to leave on Friday afternoon and yesterday we were able to do ministry around the property. There a building they want to tear down because it doesn’t have a firm foundation so everyone was taking out the windows and doors and we were carrying them across the property to store them in a cellar for when they rebuild. One of the toughest parts about yesterday though was moving these huge bags of stones that one girl estimated were probably over a hundred pounds a bag. There were about 10 bags that we had to move across the cellar and stack on top of each other. You could definitely say that my muscles were aching after that but it also made me feel so strong that me and another girl were able to do it.
Today is Sunday and this morning we’re going to be going to the church across the street which is super exciting! We can hear them on Saturdays practicing worship songs and yesterday they were practicing the song Oceans. It’s going to feel so great being present in a church service again for the first time in a long while. This coming week we have adventure day where we’ll be going to a park on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we’re going to try to go back to Camp Hope, and on Thursday we leave for debrief where we’ll be taking a 6 hour bus ride to the coast!
