Never Too Old

I keep
writing blogs about feeling like a kid again but I don’t think I’m fully
expressing how this experience called the World Race has given this almost 35
year old, traveling with 47 other people in their twenties, most in their early
twenties, a renewed confidence and contentment with where I am in my life.  Most of my friends own a home, work 60hr
weeks, and are married with children but for the last seven months I’ve been
living like a carefree kid. On the World Race there are none of the social pressures
to look a certain way, to achieve and accomplish as much as possible or strive
to be someone you are not. There is no burden of maintaining a certain
lifestyle through dedicating your life to your job. And unlike some of my
recent college graduate teammates, I’m not at all worried about where my life
is headed when I return. I’ve had the opportunity to live in the “real world”
for 10 years and know first hand “life decisions” are not as critical as I once
thought they were. I now see the truth in the statement “you’re never too old
to…”  I do desire settle down one day, be
married and have children, God willing, but for now I love my life!!

Here in
Mozambique I wake each morning with no idea of what the day has in store and
surprisingly this recovering control-freak loves it. So different from my life
of commitments and schedules before the race, I am now able to fully submit my
plans to God, to be led by the Holy Spirit. It actually makes me giggle because
my brother has been “living like a kid” for a while now. I always knew he was
onto something but my overly responsible side held me back from giving 100% of my
trust to the Lord. 

A typical
day at Kedesh…

4:00AM –
Wake to roosters crowing but stay in bed because it’s still dark

5:30AM – Get
out of bed just before John blares his morning playlist to get
everyone out of bed 

6:00 AM –
Breakfast is coffee and oatmeal six days a week (see pic of my oatmeal w/ bugs in it the first day), and iced coffee and homemade
bread with PB&J on Saturdays

6:30AM –
John leads 15min devotion (we are going through Matthew)

7:00AM –
Time with God, praying and journaling

8:30AM –
Extract a matakenya out of my foot with a needle (see pic)

9:00AM –
Work on one of the many projects here on the property (clearing grass in the
field, removing grass patties from the pond, pulling apart the pods from the
kapok tree, transplanting trees, etc.

11:30AM –
Water fight using pots and pans from the kitchen

12:15PM –
Lunch is usually rice and beans, or rice and cabbage

1:00PM –
I’ve been assigned to help wash lunch dishes for the month

2:00PM –
Team Time where we talk about our day and encourage each other

4:30PM – Pop
two and a half bags of popcorn and melt a cup of butter for the evening activity

5:30PM –
Dinner is usually rice and beans, or rice and cabbage – which ever we didn’t have
for lunch

6:30PM – Watch
an EPIC sunset from the water tower (see pic)

7:00PM – Monday
and Friday we do an adult bible study, Wednesday is LOST (we are watching
season 2), and all other nights we watch a movie.  Of course all of these are contingent on the electricity
staying on which is 50/50 given all the tropical storms hitting Mozambique.

9:00PM –
Time for bed, which is currently my tent in the upstairs common area of the
tree house because my tent was flooding in the rain outside

We keep
saying this month is a “living life” ministry because we are simply working along side
John, Heather and the boys to sustain life – a joyful and abundant life
honoring to God.  At age 31, John left
his job in the states as a contractor and moved to Mozambique to established
Kedesh.  Now twenty years later his “sanctuary”
continues to plant values and biblical principles, sprout increased self worth, and
harvest positive change in numerous future generations.

Is there
something you wish you could do but don’t because you feel too old???