Today was our first day back from the mountains. And it was going to be a day full of work.
We started the day with an amazing breakfast– as we always do when we’re at the compound– and then started on our “chores”. The girls did some crafty-girly-stuff while us guys cleaned the truck and gear we took to the mountains. I also got to paint while on top of a sketchy ladder.
I usually love to work, but it was hot– almost 100 degrees hot. It was near impossible to have the right attitude towards it. After spending a couple of days ministering to people in the mountains while hiking through the jungle, the last thing you want to do is paint. And as much as I’m thankful for the missionary family we stay with, it’s difficult to take a break from saving the world to wash a car. It feels a little unimportant, but I know it’s not. I know that every little thing we do to help out our hosts is one less thing they have to worry about– which means they’ll have more time to minister to the land they’re called to. I have to remember that after a couple of weeks when I’m gone, these guys will still be here. I’m just blessed enough to partner with these people as they do their ministry– so the more we can do the ordinary non-spiritual stuff for them the better.
After we finished working it was time to hit the pool.
There’s nothing better than going for a nice swim after an afternoon of work. God always gives us rest when we need it. It’s crazy how God provides the strength to work and then lets us rest afterward– even though He’s the one who really did all the work. God is just good like that. His yoke is gentle and His burden truly is light. Although it’s often hard to see that His burden is light, especially in the mission field. You never think you’ll be able to make it up the mountain, or make it through the heat, or the rain. Everything looks impossible right before you do it, but somehow you always pull through. God is always ready to take the weight when it becomes too heavy. I’m trying to remember that this trip, things will be hard, but God is there– and I will make it. I will serve because He serves, and I will overcome the world because He overcame the world.