Just before I left for the race, my dear brother, Mike, gave me his watch so that I’d have a watch with an alarm. This watch still smells like him (it’s only like Day 11…that’ll change) and makes me think of him when I look at it. I am so thankful for this watch.
This watch also has some kind of alarm or function that I inadvertantly set that goes off every 15 minutes. Thankfully, I figured out how to switch it from beeping to vibrating. A total lifesaver, that function is. At first I was incredibly frustrated that the watch would go off every 15 minutes. It was annoying. Every 15 minutes, I’d have to push a button to make it stop beeping or vibrating. I have tried everything I know to turn this alarm off, but cannot figure out how to do that.
Since I (probably) broke my ankle and/or foot, I’ve been incredibly frustrated. Frustrated that I can’t help with the manual labor this month. Frustrated that it takes twice as long to get ANYWHERE. Frustrated that I can’t walk up the street with my team to the little store and get a snack. Frustrated that I can’t or shouldn’t stand and wash my own dishes like everyone else. Basically, a big ball of frustration.
Jason, one of my awesome teammates, prayed over my ankle for healing. That night and the next morning, I had NO pain. It was awesome. I was cautiously hoping that I had been healed. Then we went to a mall for the day. We had some internet time to check emails, etc. We were able to walk around and see the different stores (btw, Wal-mart is so weird here). We got to go to the food court and have lunch (super yummy KFC). By the end of the day, I felt awful. My ankle hurt so bad that I was nauseated and on the verge of passing out. I was completely exhausted. I was a little achy (may have been a virus we’ve been passing around) and just wanted to cry. I was frustrated that I wasn’t healed. Jason came to me a day or 2 later and siad that he’d been praying about why I hadn’t been healed. He said that God told him that there were some things I needed to learn. Truth.
So what have I been learning? I’m learning that just because I’m unable to do a lot of things on my own, it doesn’t mean I’m a burden to others. (Thanks, Courageous Love, for that feedback.) I’m learning that we’re meant to help each other. And I’m learning that I can still use my time to glorify God.
One day it just hit me- what can I accomplish in the 15 minutes between alarms? Just because I can’t run around and play with the kids or dance in a way that looks normal (though dancing one-legged can still be quite fun), I can still use my time wisely. I can still use my time to glorify God.
So what CAN I do in 15 minutes? I can play cards with Gabby. I can talk with Blanca and Cecy. I can read my Bible. I can pray over my team. I can pray over my hosts. I can pray over these beautiful and joyful children. I can sit and wash windows. I can play a crazy game of Dutch Blitz. I can wipe down tables during morning clean up crew time. I can have some sweet time with my Courageous Love girls. I can write an email. I can write a blog. But most importantly, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strenth.” (Phil. 4:13? Sorry, don’t have my Bible beside me right now to check.)
So what can you do in 15 minutes?
