I came into the race thinking that living in community would be easy for me because I grew up in a big family. I never had my own room, there where always people around me, and we fought. I thought living in community would be just like that. In a way it is, but yet it’s a lot different than living at home with the people you grew up with.
The first couple of weeks we where here in Xenacoj I was in a room with fourteen other girls. There where six bunk beds all lined up with about two feet in between them and one bed in between the two doors going out side. Putting fifteen girls and their packs in that room was tough, there was barely enough room for our belongings. The first few days where fine, and everyone kept their things organized and nice and neat, but as the days passed the room got more and more messy. I never new how messy a small room could get with fifteen girls living in it. I never new how much I liked having a clean room until then. I now have a new appreciation for my mother and all the work she dose to keep our house clean. I Love you lots mom! I’m slowly becoming that person on my team who says we need to clean our room. After a few weeks team Blaze left (we miss y’all) and the guys team moved to where we where and my team and the Doves team both got our own rooms. Yes the rooms are still small for seven or eight people, but it is nice to have our own space. For some reason I thought that after my team got our own room that we would be more clean. But that wasn’t true. Having a room that is half the size of our last one with half as meany people, gets just as messy.
When all us girls shared a room there was a lot of tension and stress. Once we got our own rooms some of that went away, but it’s still tough. I never thought that living so close with so many girls would be so difficult for me. A few weeks ago we had debrief and when we got back I was supersized at how much I missed being with my girls. I had no idea that I would miss them so much after only living with them for a month and half. It’s funny how much you can grow to love a group of people after only a month and half of disagreements, ministry, laughter, tears, and all around growth.
I came into this thinking it wouldn’t be that hard for me, boy was I wrong. It has been a growing experience for me. Living with my family is easier because they know who I am and what I like and don’t like. Coming and living with 21 people has been difficult because I don’t know them and their little quirks, dislikes, likes, and habits. I have to be vulnerable with them and let them into my thoughts because they don’t know anything about me. Living in community with people I don’t know has been a good growing experience for me.
