Hi y’all! Day 10!
Happy Sabbath! Our rest day, which is much needed. Adjusting is hard and I’ve been looking forward to some “me time” to spend some alone time with me and Jesus, and also call my family members. It is hard being away from comfort. I’m learning to find comfort in Jesus and rather than material things such as a bed, a shower, my go to foods, and also not in spending time with my friends and family. But boy, do I miss home. I can’t ignore the thoughts that crawl into my mind telling me I can’t do this and that I should just give up and go back home.
I miss my nana and papa. I moved to Florida and started living with my nana and papa in April to help care for them during quarantine. I feel guilty for leaving but I know this is what God wants me to do. And also what my papa wanted me to do. Before my papa passed in June, he told me how proud he was of me for taking a leap of faith. My papa encouraged me when I had initial doubts about the program and told me how much I would LOVE this experience. He told me all of his great missionary stories about his time spent in Costa Rica, which is one of the countries I will hopefully be ministering in (if covid laws allow), where I can follow in his footsteps. These past few days I’ve been thinking about him and ask myself, “What would papa say?”. My papa gave his life to missions and pastoring churches and was the very person to baptize me. I miss him. But I know he is singing and dancing with angels in Heaven. I have to keep praying in strength for my nana and trusting in God that my nana will be okay. I can’t wait to give her big hugs during Thanksgiving Break. I talked to my nana the other day and hearing her voice broke my heart. We’ve always had a great relationship but this summer, she became my best friend.
It’s only the early afternoon and I already slipped down the hill from walking back from my bucket shower, and my tent started flooding from the rain. The little struggles add up and it can be very overwhelming. So what is the answer when I feel overwhelmed?
Jesus.
Jesus is the answer.
So what? So what I don’t have a bed, so what my tent started flooding, so what I fell? If I quit now, I am losing so much, so much opportunity and personal growth. I lose the chance to go out into the world and do what Jesus calls me to do, SERVE. God blessed me with the gifts of compassion and willingness to help others. I am BEYOND EXCITED to love on others who need it the most.
Where did I see Jesus in my life today?
-in my squad leader who helped bandage my leg
-in the kitchen staff who prepared our breakfast
-for giving us rain (even though it adds inconvenience to my current living situations) I thank you for helping our ecosystem
Wishing y’all joy and sunshine,
Madeleine (some call me Lacie though)
