I've been at this whole missionary thing for almost 8 months straight now.
I've been living with the same 5 people (aside from Amaris) for the last 4 months.
Living doesn't really describe it accurately. We don't just "live" together.
We sleep in the same beds together
We wake up with our limbs on each other
In Africa we would wake up underneath each other's bug nets
We eat together, many times in such close quarters that elbows are being thrown in each other's faces when we're trying to cut up a bite of food on our plate.
Our finances are one
It's like having a joint bank account with 6 people
We have to survive on one budget where 6 people have to live harmoneously while splittling less than 20 USD per day
Not only do we live together. We also work together.
Remember those group projects you had to do in college?
Imagine doing a new one every single day
Every day we have to find a way to function as a unit for the good of each other and whatever ministry we are serving
We have to make decisions together
Plans together
And execute them succesfully… together
And on top of living together and working together, we have to every day make sure we are growing together
Every day we have to challenge each other
Encourage each other
Serve each other
Bless each other
LOVE each other
7 months of this is a long time. 4 more months of this is a long way to go. My prayer this morning I wrote in my journal to God was this:
"Lord, I need Your help. I need you to give me patience. I need a pure heart and mind. There is no way I can make it through these next 4 months without you increasing in my life. Please increase. Calm my anxiety. Fill me with Your love. I am here Lord. I am here, I am present, I am committed to digging deeper. Lord, I need You! Amen"
I know this isn't supposed to be easy. I am praising God for the growth I am experiencing through the challenges my team and I face. I am seeking His face and believing in the transformation He is doing within me and the world around me.
I am also praising Him for the support, encouragment and wisdom I am getting from so many, giving me the push I need to keep pressing in. Like my amazing fiance, Brad: "Following God's will is never an easy path. It's straight, and that means it doesn't go around mountains, it goes over them, which is way harder… But consequently a better view."
