This is not my adventure.
I am going home.
–
In Bolivia, we have found a family that treats us like one of their own. We eat with them each meal. We greet their children as they come home from school. We enjoy movies together in the living room, counting down participants as each person slowly fades off to sleep.
When asked to provide games, lessons or songs for the children, it is a joy to share with the little ones. When asked to help renovate the church building or share our testimonies with the congregation, it is a blessing to pour into the body of believers here in Robore. When asked to join the weekly volleyball games with the youth, it is as though we are playing with friends we have known for years.
Though the country seems desolate, love is flourishing here.
I am grateful for these blessings, but these will not keep me here.
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This journey has not been free of difficulties.
Each country presents challenges adapting to local cultures. At each ministry we struggle to find balance between being overworked or underutilized. Everyday there are reminders of family and friends we are missing at home.
Clearing out the cobwebs in the outdoor shower each day allows ice cold water to wash us clean. The sleeping pad on the bottom of a tent provides minimal relief from the concrete foundation underneath. Each country presents the hope of novel experiences, however the 20-30 hour bus rides each way do little to excite this in us.
I am grateful for these challenges; these will not be the reason I go home.
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Having three men travel with a group of twenty women presents it’s own challenges.
Graciously, a trip designed as an escape for us has been added to our itinerary. A 12-hour journey into uninhabited forest to spend days sharing grace and peace with an isolated military outpost. A calling into the wild that promises adventure unlike any other.
I am grateful for this opportunity…
–
…but this is not the option I will pursue.
I truly pray the other two men on my squad make the most of this gift. I pray that the men in the outpost receive joy and compassion through their presence. I pray that this journey offers both challenges and blessings to them both.
And while I long to be with them as they overcome obstacles out in the unknown, I know this is not for me. This is their time. This is their adventure.
–
This is not my adventure.
I am going home.
