Hi everyone! The last I updated you I was sitting in the airport awaiting the arrival of my squad mates. Since then, a lot has happened. We have gone through two weeks of training camp, found out our teams, gotten to know each other deeper, and (*drum roll please*) made it safely to Colombia where we will be spending the next two months!
We’ve been in Colombia for about a week and a half now, serving and getting to know the ministry and everything they do (which is a lot). Each day brings about new opportunities to serve and work alongside people in different ways. It’s been neat to see my squad mates step into different serving opportunities – at times to see them say “yes” to being challenged and pushed outside of their comfort zones and at other times to see where they excel and where the Lord has uniquely gifted them.
One of the areas the women on my squad have been able to partner alongside our host ministry is through kitchen duty. We get up before the sun and have Bible study with the women in the program and then help out in the kitchen from the time Bible study ends until lunch time. We listen to worship music and sing along in our own language and fumble through trying to awkwardly communicate with each other in our limited knowledge of the other language. But there’s laughter and smiles and I am constantly amazed by the humble hearts and servanthood of these women who work tirelessly each day to provide for all who are here.
It’s not uncommon for this ministry to receive food and supply donations throughout the week. One morning while I was in the kitchen we got a donation of tomatoes, fruit, and carrots. A few of us began picking through the pile, separating the good (bueno) from the bad (malo). There was a lot that we were able to keep, but there was also a pretty big pile of carrots that we had deemed “bad” due to bruising, mold, and some really squishy soft spots.
I was ready to help toss the rotting carrots away when instead I was handed a knife and a vegetable peeler and instructed to sit and peel the carrots and cut out anything that was bad. So we sat and peeled and cut and grated carrots until my hands were orange and I grated my thumb (*I’m accident-prone, okay*) and what once was visibly rotten was now fresh and useable.
(Me, about 90% of the way through the stack of rotten carrots which were then turned into really amazing soup and salad.)
I sat in my double stack of notably too-small kids chairs and smiled. How quick was I to judge and deem something as trash and unusable? How quick am I to do this to myself and to others? To see things as irredeemable or unchangeable and to disregard them. But that’s where God comes in. He lovingly comes in, picks us up and carefully begins to shave off our outer layer and cut out the bad. He takes what I once thought was unusable and turns it into something fresh and exciting. He sees the potential in each one of us and he helps to make us new – if we let Him. I’m not going to lie, sometimes the process is painful. It’s hard to let go of our old ways or our old views of ourself and others, but looking back, it’s always worth it.
What areas of your life is God wanting to turn into something fresh and beautiful? Are you willing to let Him?
Let me know how I can specifically be praying for each of you. If you ever want to talk about life or if you have questions (about this blog post, what I’m doing in Colombia, me, the World Race, etc.) I’m just a call, text, or email away. Love you all dearly.
