Campus Target

In all honesty this has been a very difficult week. Despite the fact that we are on a beautiful island that has an atmosphere of peace and tranquility, I’ve felt anything but. The amount of information that is being crammed into our short time together as a group has been overwhelming and exhausting. The exhaustion was then followed by anxiety. My personality and my preference when it comes to new things is to have a brief over view and then to put into practice what I’ve been taught. Combining all of that with the extreme temperature and a slight case of jet lag pushed me close to my breaking point. When I felt like I couldn’t possibly sit through another class teaching me how to make friends, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel.

The leadership team could see that something in our group dynamic was off. They decided to scrap their planned schedule and send us out into the town to practice what we had been discussing for the past two weeks. With the goal of meeting people and carrying on a meaningful conversation, me and my roommate walked into the village.

At first I was scared and had no idea how we were ever going to find anyone to talk to. Then I remembered that this whole year is going to be about me stepping down and allowing God to take control and work through me. I started to ask Him to direct our steps and to point us in the right direction. We approached a group of young people and started a conversation. Although they were just visiting the island, they were happy to walk and talk with us.

After we parted ways, my partner and I approached another group of young people. Again, they were more than happy to walk with us and we were able to catch a glimpse into their lives.
I know that this isn’t a particularly amazing story. I know that it was only a few 20 to 30 minute conversations with strangers and that we didn’t heal the sick and cause the blind to see. But you have no idea how encouraging it was for me. I had so many doubts about my ability to do exactly what we did. I feel like I stepped out in faith and was caught in God’s grace.

It also allowed the Lord to plant something in my heart for these people. These are the people that I’ve come to the other side of the world to meet. These are the people that I’ve put my life on hold for. Interacting with these young kids and learning a little about their lives put a face on my mission. I know that this burden that God placed on my heart will only become greater as the year progresses.

As I prepare to move on, please keep me in your thoughts. We will be looking for apartments and learning our way around our city this week. Please ask that the Lord will provide us with nice living accommodations, preferably bug free.