I don’t quite know where to begin. This has probably been said many times before, and will be said many times in the future, especially on the world race blogs. We have gone off on this trip around the world, expecting difficult living conditions and a stripping of our dependence on luxury. We have experienced these. In the Dominican we learned to throw our toilet paper away instead of flushing, to sleep on the floor, wash our clothes by hand in buckets, and live with a bunch of other people in tight living quarters. In Haiti we learned to live without electricity, eat what was placed before us, bathe outside in a makeshift “shower” using buckets, and sleep on the floor covered in dirt and dust. In L.A. we (at least me) learned that we still spend way too much money on things we don’t need. In Cambodia I got my first taste of Asia! We learned to eat lots of rice, we were introduced to rooster sauce, we learned to live in actual heat (can’t go to the bathroom without breaking a sweat, or being mostly covered in sweat). In Thailand the guys of H-squad learned what real Thai food is, many got our first experiences on “squatty potties” (looks and feels just like it sounds), learned to be flexible and always on the go, and learned how to receive better (they love to do your dishes, and we often weren’t allowed to clean them ever). Team Tikvah is now in the Phillipines. What are we learning about in the Phillipines you ask?
God provides much better than we ever could or could hope for. While we haven’t lived in the bush in Africa yet, or been roughing it in the most strict sense, we have learned some of those lessons above in conditions we really aren’t used to. Though conditions may be tough, great blessings are showered on us! In Thailand, our many blessings included incredible sunsets (Haiti too), awe inspiring nighttime mountain views, beautiful country, fantastic meals, waterfall/cave/mountainside adventures, and an introduction to a region of the world where many things are hidden. In Cambodia we were blessed by the church we were supporting, we were continually surprised by the food and the people, and though the heat was hot, living with most of the squad at the YWAM base was great. It has also been rumored that the sunrises were nice, but I don’t think I was ever awake for those… In Haiti we were surprised by the beauty of the skies, and blessed by that beauty, even though the land seemed desolate. We were also shown incredible love by our hosts and those we met along the way. In the Dominican we saw beautiful mountains and met kids that will forever be in our hearts and prayers. The friendships and blessings we have experienced have been more than what we could have hoped for. I said earlier we were in conditions we weren’t used to, and we, at least team Tikvah, are now in new conditions again.
The Lord just knows how to bless us I guess. In Matthew we are told not to worry about what we will eat or drink, or what we will wear. We don’t worry about those things, because people in the Phillipines are constantly telling us to eat and drink and then eat more! There’s breakfast, snack time, lunch, snack time, and dinner. Snack time is usually the equivalent of the average world race meal. Meal time makes my body hurt. Is food poisoning possible just by eating too much (of course, don’t want to be rude and refuse..)? Oh, you want to do my laundry for me? In a machine? I need to go to the doctor, is there good medical treatment available? OH, there is, even this late at night? You said your driver will take us there now? Thank you. It is out of control. This week we are helping run a Vacation Bible School at a church in Manila. We are only here for one week, and it is nothing less than hilarious the ways that we are being blessed. Every once in a while when we realize how stinking good we have it (ex: driving at high speeds in the back of a pickup truck, wind in our uncut, unwashed hair, trying to soak in as much of the beautiful Thai sunrise as we can, while admiring the mountain view as well, etc.), we laugh and joke about it, saying to ourselves, “oh, poor missionary boy, living a rough life out here!” But even in the midst of incredible blessing, there are many lessons to be learned! Almost everything is taken care of for me right now. Basically all i’m in charge of is managing my time, choosing what to do (and I can do almost anything) with my “free time.” But will I choose to spend the time I have been given with my Lord? That is my number one need. I hope in the midst of blessing upon blessing that I can do this.
All this is to say that God has provided beyond Tikvah’s wildest dreams, and we are seeing how he can work out blessings when we aren’t expecting them in the least. I have not been able to put into words my exact meaning, and I hope not to come across as wishing and always desiring the air conditioning, the internet, the huge tv with surround sound, the hot showers, the personal drivers, having any food you want for free, you get it. We would be doing great without these things (which I’m fairly certain we will be doing next week and after that…), but if God wishes to bless us with them for the moment, we hope to receive as best we can, while still focusing on Him, what He wants, and the call to share his love.
