Community. A word I never really understood until I was living in a 7-bedroom house with 52 other people. I’m learning a lot from living in community. At training camp, they talked to us about living in community and warned us about how hard it would be. Honestly, I brushed it off thinking it would be a breeze. I lived in a college dorm with a roommate so I thought I knew what I was doing. Man, I was so wrong. Living with one roommate is so different than living with 52! In my specific bedroom, I live with 9 other girls. I’ve had to learn a lot about patience and grace. Living in community is about sharing what you have even though you might not necessarily want to. It’s about taking a step back and recognizing that other people have different needs and ways of living than you. Community is about building each other up. It’s about recognizing that you also make mistakes, so instead of yelling at someone or getting mad, give them grace. Living in community is about respecting others. It’s about sitting down and spending quality time together. It’s about making meals together. It’s about hand-washing laundry together. It’s about Saturday movie nights with tea and popcorn. It’s about Monday night worship. Community is about resolving conflict and it’s about serving each other well. It’s about going the extra mile for each other and sacrificing your time when someone needs you. It’s about holding each other accountable and giving feedback when necessary. Living in community is hard. But I am learning so much from it. I’m learning so many things about myself that I didn’t even know. I’ve learned how much I value alone time. I’ve learned that I let other peoples’ attitudes affect mine more than I thought. I’ve learned that I have a hard time accepting compliments. I’ve learned that I like to do things by myself to have control over them. Living in community has taught me that I have a lot to work on. I’m working on giving up control in situations that aren’t mine to control. I’m working on putting my identity in the Lord rather than in other peoples’ opinions. I’m working on patience and grace. Though it’s hard, living in community is pretty neat. It is filled abundantly with quality time. I’m constantly being encouraged and loved on. I’m learning to find the balance. I’m depending on the Lord. I’m learning. Month one in Costa Rica has been a lot about learning and a lot about growth. It’s hard to believe that it has almost been a month. Here’s to a lot more growth and a lot of things to still learn!
