October in Bolivia was all squad month and we were serving about 9 miles outside of Coroico at a camp called El Puente. Our ministry consisted of gathering rocks from the river, building a path with said river rocks, painting, clearing brush and some cleaning. This month our focus was to serve the best we could Hermano Lucho and make things easier and nicer for the campers he hosts.
Hermano Lucho is the sweetest Christian man and it was so rewarding at the end of our stay to be able to see the progress that we made while we were there. But, for me it was a struggle. When it comes to ministry I’ve always been a more relational person. That’s why I loved Haiti so much. Through all of this God is teaching me a lot about myself and what real missions is like. Missions isn’t always hugging orphans or talking to people in the street. There’s so much more that goes in to it. In cleaning the cabins at El Puente, we made a welcoming environment for kids and families to come in and learn about God. And I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what results I see personally, because God is faithful to complete the work that He began in the first place.
As far as relational ministry goes, God has revealed to me that my team is part of my ministry this month and will be in the future. To say that the first 2 months of the race have been easy for us would be a flat out lie. I love every single one of the girls on my team, but we don’t always get along. We’ve had our fair share of misunderstandings and miscommunications, hurt feelings and anger. We don’t always speak to each other in love and we struggle to find grace not only for each other, but also for ourselves. It gets messy, but we’re family and we have to work it out. Serving as team leader this month has taught me a lot about what it means to lead well.
Being in leadership isn’t being in control, or being in charge. As team leader I believe that it’s my job to see the gifts God has given to my teammates and do everything I can to help them walk in those giftings and in their own leadership abilities. It’s my responsibility to be observant of what is going on with each individual and the team as a whole, but it’s not my job to take it on myself or fix it. We are called to help bare each other’s burdens, not fix each other. The growth that I’ve seen in my team this month has been so encouraging. We still have our ups and downs, but we’re learning how to love and serve each other well. We’re learning to see and love each other for our strengths and weaknesses. We’re not out of the woods yet, God still has so much work to do in us, but I’m excited to see where He takes us in the coming months. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to be Renewed On Abba’s River with the beautiful ladies of team R.O.A.R.
As for right now, I’m sitting in a Starbucks in Lima, Peru spending as much time in the city until we leave tonight for Huanuco where we will be serving over the next month!
I still have a ways to go in order to reach next months financial deadline. I know that it is in God’s hands and I have no doubt that He wants me here on the Race. Please donate by clicking the ‘Support Me!’ link.
Thank you all for your prayers and please keep them coming! God has so much more in store for the next 9 months and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
