When the Going Gets Tough, just stop.
That’s what I find myself thinking at times when there are about 100 missionaries here in Manzini with not enough ministry to keep us all occupied, when the sun is baking you all day long and you come home to an even hotter house filled with mosquitos and cockroaches, or when you’re just plain tired of community and can’t help yourself from dreaming of being back home lying on a couch watching a Netflix movie. Month 8 is when it hits you, month 8 is when you truly do have to make the choice to love and serve, month 8 is when you can’t just stop.
I have the opportunity of serving as leader this month for my team consisting of Rachael, Emily, Lara, and Stephany. This month of “womanstry”, we are living in a house with another all girls team. All of the guys are living and serving about an hour from where we are staying. This month is also where racer’s parents are able to come stay with them for a week and will be arriving on Tuesday. Needless to say, there is a lot going on this month. These circumstances combined with only having about 3 weeks with this new team, makes it easy to give up and not want to invest in this month. But that can’t be an option.
This has been a reminder and taught me the importance of a genuine relationship. Friends get annoying, parents get annoying, and I’m sure spouses can do the same. Our surroundings and situations are not always ideal. But what kind of friend would I be if I kicked them to the curb when I got tired of them? What kind of daughter would I be if I disrespected them just because I didn’t get what I wanted? This is when your true colors come out. This is when we really do have to make a choice to keep on going. Like one of my favorite country songs go
“When you’re going through hell, keep on going. Don’t slow down, walk right through it. You might get out before the devil even knows you’re there.”
I can’t give up now. You can’t give up now. We can’t get to the end of whatever race we’re running saying we were too tired to make it to the finish line. Live each day noticing your surroundings; the sights, smells, people, and conversations. Turn the ordinary to extraordinary. It’s there, you just have to look. So when the going gets tough, keep on going.
Oh! And HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!
