Hello from Vietnam!!
This month has looked a little different than most, and because of that, I’ve struggled to find words to write an update. In a country that does not welcome the freedom found in God’s love, I’ve learned SO much about God and his goodness and I hope to share as much as I can over the next few weeks!
This month every single day looks different. We’ve loved on orphans, thrown Christmas parties, and created an entire collection of holiday cards that will result in full time jobs for 5-6 disabled people. We even learned how to bake the perfect cheesecake in a home that educates and trains people who have been hindered by Polio. (We are seriously living the dream, y’all!)
Our host constantly pours into us and teaches us all the goodies of the Gospel and how to pass them on to others. We’ve met so many people who have given their lives up to serve the community here in Vietnam, as well as Vietnamese Christians who have been disowned by their families for simply walking away from Buddhism to follow Christ.
Something God has constantly shown me this month is simply this: be who he created you to be. He is constantly revealing to me that I have this sometimes icky view of him. Like he’s going to drag us around to places we don’t want to go and guilt us into doing work we don’t love. Or that being introverted is a disadvantage and he’s disappointed that I’m not more of a charming people person.
These are LIES, y’all. Who would want to serve a God like that?!
I thought part of my Race would be finding out what I’m called to do with my life. Not what I want to do, but what God wants me to do. For whatever reason, I didn’t believe I could have both. But that’s just so silly. God GIVES us our passions. Why wouldn’t he want us to use them?!
I had put an ultimatum of sorts on my life where I thought I was going to have to decide between being a creative and being a super secret Jesus ninja. (The m-word isn’t super welcome here in Nam) All month long, though, I’ve been in my happy place: creating cute Christmas illustrations. Somehow one of my favorite things had become our ministry! It was in this place that I realized I don’t have to compartmentalize my life. God can, and should, be in the middle of my favorite things! Should I choose to do full time ninja-ing, it doesn’t have to look like anything specific. I HATE speaking in public, so I don’t have to preach in the bush of Africa the rest of my life to glorify God. I can use the gifts he gave me to serve his people and spread his love. Maybe that will look like designing Christmas cards. Maybe I’ll learn to throw pottery and sell it for charity. Who knows what I’ll do, but the point is I can use my passions AND spread Kingdom. What a relief!
Lie number two I’ve been believing is that I’m lesser than because I’m [insert trait here].
Today, it was introverted. Society often favors extroverts, so if we aren’t careful to keep our identity in Christ, it’s easy to feel like we’re also not as well-liked by God. But good news: God CREATED us. He knows that I’m shy and don’t love attention. And it’s okay! He has a place and purpose for us awkward people too!
We were winding down at our last visit to one of the orphanages this morning and decided to play freeze dance. Most of my team jumped up gladly with so much joy to dance. And I thought, ‘What is wrong with me? Why can’t I be as excited about dancing in big groups like that? I must not be giving my all to these kids.’
Now, most days I’m totally content finding the shy kid sitting alone. In fact, I LOVE loving on that kid. But today I was really beating myself up thinking I must be doing something wrong.
I was feeling discouraged and got up to do my best cha-cha slide when a little girl came over and sat down, asking me to draw with her. She didn’t want to dance AND she had a need for my talent! Through the language barrier I attempted to draw everything she asked. A while later another guy wanted help with his math homework. If you’ve spent much time with me, you know I LOVE math. Like, did it in high school for fun. No shame. Anyway, this kid lit up with delight and giggled every time we got an answer right.
I might’ve missed these sweet moments today had I stewed in where I fall short. Those kids might’ve missed getting a glimpse of Christ. But instead, God gently showed me where my strengths are and that I should be looking for those kinds of serving opportunities.
Friends, God doesn’t sit up in heaven thinking about all the ways we’re getting it wrong. He simply wants our actions to be Christ-driven. We don’t have to strive. That’s the beauty of the cross. We couldn’t earn God’s love even if we wanted to. It is freely given. We can rest in exactly what he created us to be.
And in those moments we are invited out of our comfort zones to pursue growth, he is right there with us, guiding us and cheering us on.
