Hello ladies!
I just got back from a trip to Honduras. My mission team worked with Mission UpReach on a medical brigade to help further the efforts of their local church planting team. Going into the trip, I was so excited to finally serve on a mission trip and I was looking forward to helping people. But to say that my standards were overshot is a serious understatement; I was blessed beyond measure this week. As the week went on, I started to realize how many things I was learning about myself, about other people and about how God works through and for us. I started writing things down and I decided to share these all with you. While some of these are pretty well focused on mission work in general, I firmly believe most (if not all) of these can be applied throughout life. I would encourage you all to take what I have to say with a grain of salt because these are my opinions and the things I have experienced and learned about myself. I do hope these words of advice are helpful and encourage each and every one of you.
Lesson 1
What you get out of it is what you put into it. No matter what it is you’re doing, your attitude is half of the experience. Here's the secret: every situation will be whatever you allow yourself to think the situation is. I saw a whole lot of people excited to serve this week, and even through illness and exhaustion they thoroughly enjoyed what they did. On the flip hand, I saw people who complained about several things and what it boiled down to was their attitude and nothing else.
Lesson 2
Patience and a long-term outlook are crucial. To get things done, you have to know (even if it's in very few details) where you're going. You have to have an idea of what your single, tiny action will do in the long run before you can appreciate how important it is. And sometimes it takes patience to think ahead that way. It's pretty easy for me to say, "That's a good goal, but it can't be achieved for another three years so I can wait a little longer to work on it." But the truth is, I need to work on it now. I need the patience and foreknowledge to stick to my plan when the going gets tough.
Lesson 3
(This one is a huge lesson for me. I won't explain why, but just know as you read this how hard it is for me to accept this particular lesson.)
You do not need to be afraid. The thing is, God can get you through any and every thing you encounter. There's not a thing in the world He can't protect you from. Will he always protect you? No. "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar,.. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you O king, that we will not serve your gods..'" (emphasis added. Daniel 3: 16-18, ESV) Truthfully, many have died for Christ's sake and many more will die before the world has come to an end. No matter what happens to you, God is the one in control. On this particular trip many of us were worried about our health; and many of us did end up getting sick. But God protected us and ensured we made it to our destination alright and he certainly kept us healthy enough to do the work His kingdom needed of us. There was no need to be afraid, and praise God for that! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)
Lesson 4
It's okay to not know people. Growing up, I've struggled a lot with social anxiety and I have never been comfortable in settings with new groups. The last several months I have been so afraid of what lies ahead for me when I get out into the real world. I've been afraid to meet new people and I've been afraid that I may not be able to handle the situations I have to face in the coming years. But this trip really taught me that it is perfectly okay to not know people. It's okay to make friends and meet people. It's okay to have a conversation with people you have next to nothing in common with. It's okay to make friends with someone much older than you. In fact, you will be blessed with those kinds of relationships.
Due to recent circumstances, I've been striving to understand what it means to be a peacemaker and I've been trying to incorporate that into my life. This trip to Honduras really put that into perspective for me. I learned that being a peacemaker sometimes means learning to be the "Wild Card." You have to get comfortable doing things you've never done before, and even doing things you may not like to do. You have to get comfortable with all types of people. We won't always be best friends with every single person we meet. But sometimes being a peacemaker simply means you're flexible and you're able to bend a little bit to allow for all different personalities to be heard.
Lesson 4.5
(Because it's related, but a separate lesson!)
Each person is their own beautiful individual. There seems to be so many standards placed on people (men and women alike.) nowadays. Many people believe they should strive for these standards, but that belief is completely fabricated and it's not worth the work. A developed character is worth so much more than a pristinely make-uped face or a perfectly sculpted set of abs. That "standard" we think is out there doesn't really exist; we have to work to stop forcing it on ourselves.
Lesson 5
It is so weird being the foreigner and sometimes no matter how hard you try to communicate, you still feel like you're being rude. You have to learn from that. If I had a dime for all the times I've heard people complain about someone else not speaking their language, I'd have quite the stash of coins. Next time you come into contact with someone at home (for me, that would be home in the United States) who doesn't speak the native language (English is most common here..) Please, please, please remember not to be rude to them just because they're struggling to learn the language. And please don't sit back and let others be rude to them because of it! You have to realize how hard it is to move yourself to a new country in hopes of a better life and yet you find yourself isolated because you don't speak "good enough English" for other people to give you the time of day. That feeling can cause people to decide not to learn the language anymore, but we all need to communicate in some way or another. Just be mindful of other peoples' struggles.
Lesson 6
(Almost done, you guys!!)
It is really great to try new things. My daring spirit isn't usually very permanent: it likes to come and go as it pleases. But it's really thrilling to try new things most of the time. Be it food, movie genre, book, the type of friend you make, what you do with your Friday night.... it's just really nice to try things. Don't be afraid to go for it!
Lesson 7
Last, but certainly not least.....
As difficult as it is for you, you absolutely need to work on yourself. You have to learn not to rely on other people all the time. Don't create within yourself an indestructable heart, but really you need to learn how to be okay with yourself. Physically, mentally, spiritually, socially.... there are so many different aspects of yourself but you have to work on each one in its time so that when the time comes to be on your own, you know who you are. When you start looking for a man or woman to live out the rest of your life with, you will know what parts of yourself you need to find "counterweights" for in your partner. You really need to give yourself more credit and start to love yourself for who you are. After all, God loves you; why shouldn't you love you?
I pray, as always, that these words have been just as much a benefit to you readers as they are to me as a writer. I welcome comments as always, and I apologize if this post is longer than normal.
Love always,
Kat
"'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" Matthew 28:19-20
No comments:
Post a Comment