This month has really been one of great reward. The country of Uganda is beautiful! When we arrived to the guest house that we would be staying in all month, I sighed a relief of "rest"! Not only is the guesthouse beautiful, but we each get to have our own rooms! For someone like me, it is difficult to process my thoughts and feelings while other people are around and this was just the thing I needed at month 9 of this journey. God knew it and He took care of me.
My team has been doing a little study on James this month (we have only gotten through chapter 1!) Throughout this study, we wanted to make it more of a Bible-doing instead of just a Bible-study so after each section, we look for practical applications to practice what we learn. Today, my whole team is doing a day of silence so that we can be "quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger". We will speak only when spoken to by our contact or others that may come along.
I don't know if many of you know this, but I actually did a day of silence a few months ago while we were in the Philippines. I was the only one on my team at the time who did it so my teammates were able to let others know why I was not speaking that day. What I learned thorough that was PROFOUND!
It reminds me a little of the Little Mermaid when Ariel goes to Ursula, the sea witch to turn her into a human and Ursula wants her voice in exchange. Ariel asks, "but without my voice how can I…..?" And the witch has an interesting reply: "You have your looks, your pretty face, and don't underestimate the importance of body language! Men don't really like a lot of blabber, and they think women who gossip is a bore." Yes, she was talking about how to get a man, but I think there is more in this reply than just that. One of the most important lessons that I learned during that day was something I have heard time and time again, but I only just 'got it'. The lesson was that I don't have to defend myself because my actions should be speaking louder than words anyhow. What is your body language suggesting? What are people reading in your facial expressions? Does most of your talk consist of gossip?
I recently watched the movie Hitch where Will Smith helps the guy get the girl. At the very beginning of the movie he says that "60% of all communication is non-verbal – body language, 30% is your tone. So that means that 90% of what you are saying ain't coming out of your mouth." Wow, let that sink in.
So I am excited about what God is going to do through my team today. There will be lots of reflection on my part. Maybe I'll be able to write a few blogs or some other things that God has placed on my heart. Anyhow, I want to let go of any expectations because God will just blow them away anyways. (I'm hoping He will give me some revelation to what I'm doing when I return to the states in a couple months!)
