I'm on the mission field in a third world country which could bring several pictures to your mind. You might think that I'm out in the streets everyday rescuing orphans from poverty. Or you might picture me fighting world hunger by cooking up a giant pot of rice for the whole town. Or you might think that I'm constantly at the church having VBS, Bible studies, and church services. Although some of these things do happen, there is a lot of ordinary life and everyday things that happen in between and I'm learning the most from those times.
When teams are here we do ministry at a rapid sometimes seemingly break neck speed because they only have a maximum of ten days of ministry so we jam as much ministry that we can into those ten days. This means that we constantly have activities going on and the only times we really sit down is for meals and when we go to bed. It's amazing and exciting, but it is also exhausting. This summer we only have a few teams coming in which is sad because we love having teams come in and love serving alongside of them, but it also changes our pace of ministry and our opportunities for ministry. The past two summers that I have been an intern with Northwest Haiti Christian Mission my main job was to help the short-term trippers serve the people of Haiti through VBS, hut to hut ministry, clinics, and whatever else they planned to do in the short few days that they were in Haiti.
This summer is different. We are still doing ministry through weekly Bible studies, swimming lessons with the kids who live in our orphanage, fishing village ministry, visits to the community, church, and more. But because we don't have many teams this summer our time is also filled with some life things like washing clothes, cooking, cleaning, resting, hanging out with friends, and other normal tasks. At first, this was a hard adjustment. It was hard to know what to do with this free time and flexibility in my everyday schedule. It felt weird and awkward not having tasks or an activity planned for every hour of the day.
However, it is through the "normalness" and everyday activities that God is teaching me and changing me. He is teaching me about what it means to be a long-term missionary by giving me a taste of their everyday life. He is teaching me how to walk with Him throughout very moment of the day. He is teaching me how to rest on the mission field and to not feel guilty about not doing something 24/7. He is teaching me how to embrace joy in the simple but beautiful things in life. In all of this teaching there is a lot of changing going on in me as well. He is changing the way that I approach each day. He is changing the pace of my day. He is changing my heart, making it more like His. He is changing my perspective of what it looks like to be a long-term missionary. He is changing my plans and leading me in His plans.
As I continue to learn and grow throughout this summer of adventure, I am so thankful and blessed to be walking through this adventure with God as my Guide and Companion. He is SO faithful and good! I am also thankful for you, my faithful supporters. Thank you for your prayers and support. Without you, this adventure would not be possible. I'm excited to share stories with you as this adventure continues to unfold.
Blessings!
Morgan
Morgan!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update!
It's the every day tasks and your attitude in them that will speak loudly to the Haitian people. It's probably a good break for the Haitian people to see you living a 'normal' life and not constantly having all of these different activities. Summer time is a busy time for churches and youth groups, even in America, and that's great and fine and fruitful! I also think for the older people, whether in America, Haiti, or Ethiopia, it's the everyday task of laundry, cooking, seeking the Lord privately/with a close friend or two, going to the market that will peak their interest or bring them closer to Jesus because we become one of them in a sense.
So keep living your life! When you move to Haiti it will be normal, anyway. Love ya!!