Cartagena
Life has been somewhat of a whirlwind this summer. As classes end and I continue to work my 8-5 days, I remember I am going to Colombia! Almost forgot there for a second. I have been trying to do some "mind cleaning" in preparation for this trip. I am setting aside textbooks and schedules and replacing them with much bigger priorities. Like, Cartagena, Colombia.
This trip to Colombia is much different from my trip to Ethiopia last summer. The culture, landscape, and language are all different, but I find my mission is still unchanged. I know that above all I will be there to serve and show a love that is not my own.
I haven't had the time to be still this summer- time to focus and pray and learn. I feel as though I'm searching after the emotional preparation I know I will need during this trip. Ironically, this is fully accomplished by simply sitting and contemplating (I am imagining sitting under a big oak in a field of wildflowers- this is not likely to happen). I want to sit and daydream about the people I will meet, how I will communicate, the ways I can form relationships. I want to be still and recognize that I am going to be used by God (it is a very humbling thing to think about). I want to remember my time in Ethiopia; I want to remember my heartbreak I felt while I was there and especially when I came home. I learned so much from my trip last summer, and I feel I have been given another opportunity to grow and sacrifice a little more. In Ethiopia, I was observant, taken aback, and somewhat guarded. It was a lot to take in. I want to pour more of myself out this time in Colombia.
Im looking forward to the next 4(!) weeks to become attuned to the magnitude of the trip. When I just stop to take a minute to reflect and anticipate, it is all-consuming. I know this is what I was made for, and I hope I can put myself aside to be used completely for the sake of the impoverished in Cartagena. As I write this, I am beginning to remember all I learned and felt after Ethiopia; how could I have let it slip away? Amazingly, I serve a God who is willing to remind me and let me take part in the most fulfilling adventure I will ever know.
This trip to Colombia is much different from my trip to Ethiopia last summer. The culture, landscape, and language are all different, but I find my mission is still unchanged. I know that above all I will be there to serve and show a love that is not my own.
I haven't had the time to be still this summer- time to focus and pray and learn. I feel as though I'm searching after the emotional preparation I know I will need during this trip. Ironically, this is fully accomplished by simply sitting and contemplating (I am imagining sitting under a big oak in a field of wildflowers- this is not likely to happen). I want to sit and daydream about the people I will meet, how I will communicate, the ways I can form relationships. I want to be still and recognize that I am going to be used by God (it is a very humbling thing to think about). I want to remember my time in Ethiopia; I want to remember my heartbreak I felt while I was there and especially when I came home. I learned so much from my trip last summer, and I feel I have been given another opportunity to grow and sacrifice a little more. In Ethiopia, I was observant, taken aback, and somewhat guarded. It was a lot to take in. I want to pour more of myself out this time in Colombia.
Im looking forward to the next 4(!) weeks to become attuned to the magnitude of the trip. When I just stop to take a minute to reflect and anticipate, it is all-consuming. I know this is what I was made for, and I hope I can put myself aside to be used completely for the sake of the impoverished in Cartagena. As I write this, I am beginning to remember all I learned and felt after Ethiopia; how could I have let it slip away? Amazingly, I serve a God who is willing to remind me and let me take part in the most fulfilling adventure I will ever know.
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