And a Pack of Dogs
About five minutes after we met Nena (refer to part 2) we were walking towards Cafe New Way to get wifi and hang out for a bit. As we were crossing the street, we saw all of Sombor’s stray dogs hanging out in one pack at the park. If you know me, you know I love dogs. A LOT. So you would know that I had already met most of those stray dogs previously. Just that morning, I had been having a conversation with one of my Squad Leader’s, Julie, about how I truly believe animals can sense Holy Spirit. In my experience I’ve just notice so many times that animals react differently in moments of spiritual movement. Call me crazy, I don’t care.
As we passed the pack, I pet one of them on the head. Then the entire pack of ten dogs started following us. I was just cracking up the whole time because we had just prayed over Nena by divine circumstance despite a language barrier, and now this pack of dogs is just following us around through the heart of the city.
People stared, the dogs fought, and played, and acted like dogs. Because I love dogs, it was such an amazing moment. I felt like this pack of dogs had just chosen me as their temporary alpha. It was great. We made it to the Café, and the dogs were all around the entrance. I noticed my teammate, Liz, did not look as excited as I was. In fact, she looked terrified as she made her way past a couple fighting dogs to walk in the door.
She informed me that she isn’t a huge fan of dogs. Not everyone is, I was still thinking it was a pretty cool experience. Later that night, another teammate, Madison, informed us that she is allergic to pet dander, and her allergies were really bothering her. Another teammate, Alex, mentioned that they saw a couple fleas in the Church where we are living. I was starting to think that the experience with the dogs may not have been so cool to everyone.
I apologized to my team, and told them I will be more conscious of how my affection for strays can actually affect other people. The whole time this pack followed us around, I was so full of joy and reveling in the awesomeness. I didn’t take the time to see how my team felt about it. I learned an important lesson on perspective.
Sometimes we are all looking at one thing, and it means something different to everyone and affects us in different ways. Just because I think something is awesome, doesn’t mean everyone around me also thinks that it is awesome. While I still enjoyed being the pack leader of the stray dogs for a little while, I learned to slow down and make sure my awesome time isn’t causing others to have a miserable time.
This lesson will be very valuable as I continue to serve my team as a supportive leader. If I am actually striving to walk like Christ, I will have to consider their needs above my own. At the very least, I will have to remain aware of how my decisions can affect others. It will also be very valuable as I continue to meet people and share Jesus with them throughout the World Race. It is important that I put their needs above my own and understand where they are coming from, how they think, and how their life has been, before I follow my own agenda. Most importantly I’ll need to remember to trust that the Lord has a plan for us in every situation of life. Every happening is a divine appointment that provides opportunity for God to be glorified. If I look to Him, and trust Him in every moment, everything will unfold according to His plan.
While I’ll probably never stop meeting and loving all the stray dogs, I will make sure I wash up before I’m around my team. (Sorry Madison)
Here are the rest of the dogs I have met:
Maca’s dog, Asland. Not a stray.
Bonus: Mishka, the horse who helped with our demolition project. Like a dog, but not.
