I Have The Best Teams

 

This week didn't go as I thought it would. 

We left for El Comarca (the indigenous reservation) after breakfast on Monday morning. After a 3 hour bus ride we made it to the YWAM outpost in the mountains of the Ngabe people. We came with plans for a women's Bible study, kids program, and one of the guys prepared a sermon. 

Once again I'm so thankful for my team. I got so sick on the car trip and they took such good care of me. Thankfully by time we were in the bus climbing up the mountains (the really pretty part of the trip) I was feeling fine again. The mountains are so beautiful. Being surrounded by them was so amazing. I loved it. Psalms 121 came alive in a whole new way. 

Tuesday the guys and girls split up. The guys went to cut firewood and do some projects around the base. The girls got to go pick corn. We took an hour long hike, through the jungle, up the side of a mountain and picked corn.

We picked our way along with these strong women and picked corn. As hard as the work was, there was something that was very fulfilling about working hard and harvesting the corn by hand. As I walked carefully along the steep inclined field of corn on of the local girls kept picking corn and throwing it to me. It touched my heart that she would help me. Whether out of pity for a poor gringa who hadn't ever picked corn before or just to be nice, I was grateful for the corn to help fill my bag. After an hour or so of harvesting, we made the hour long trek bag down the mountain.

After we got back is when I started to feel bad. Then I got sick. Sparing you the gory details, I will just say that I was feeling so bad that we decided I needed to go back to the YWAM base in Boquete while my team stayed and finished the week in the Comarca. It was a hard decision to come to, but I knew it was what God wanted me to do.

Once again my team rallied around me. They encouraged me, hugged me, prayed over me, and lifted my eyes to Christ who uses everything for the good. My heart hurt so bad leaving them, yet I knew that it was what God wanted me to do.

"I know it hurts. I know this feels wrong, but will you trust Me?" I felt like this was what God kept asking me. It was a struggle, but here was my response, "Yes, I will. Help me to know what I should do."

Back at the base, I spent the rest of the day resting. I had begun to feel better and didn't want to start feeling bad again. The worst part was overcoming the feeling of I have to prove that I'm still doing something worthwhile and the feeling of defeat that I had to come back.

God was so tender with me. He comforted me. He gave me rest. He sent me family and friends to encourage me. He gave me time to pray for my team. 

Even though I was so tired and took a lot of naps I didn't have to wonder what to do. A team from YWAM Montana is here and they invited me to do ministry with them. Together we held a worship/testimony session at a drug rehab, helped out with English class/a birthday party for one of the YWAM staff, and did a kids program in David. It was the same one I had been to last week and it was fun to go back and play with the same kids again. It was also fun to be "adopted" by the Montana team.

I'm so thankful that I got to hang out with them and do some ministry. Dancing with kids is way fun.

Yesterday it was a dream come true to come back from ministry to a welcome back hug from Marisa. It was the best. 

It's so good to have the team back and to hear stories of the ministry they got to do.

I have to admit, even though I didn't have any crazy story of something big happening because I came back, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. God worked in my heart and gave me rest.

It's starting to hit me hard that I only have 20 days left until graduation. I love my team and just serving God in whatever capacity I can. I've grown so much in Christ and in some ways I don't want this time to end. But for now I want to live fully here and see what happens next.

Loving my team, Rose

P. S. Marisa I love having you for a friend. You carried this box of groceries on your head, took care of me when I was sick, and encouraged me when I was feeling so low. I love you more than you know.