I've been on a little bit of a hiatus, but, as of tomorrow, my trip is SIX WEEKS away, so I figured now is as good a time as any to get back on the wagon. From here on out, I will be posting (semi) regularly about the happenings on the mission field.
Recently I have spent a lot of time thinking about how temporary my life is right now. I am working at the same part-time job as the past year and a half, but it is very much a temporary job; it is not my career, nor would I want it to be. The church I attend is wonderful and has given me a strong community in the past year, but it is a temporary place of worship and fellowship. Many of the people I have met in the past few years will continue to be part of my life in some way, but for the most part the relationships that I have right now are temporary merely because it will be implausible to maintain them all in the future. Because I've graduated college, I am no longer fully booked each day, and I have a temporary break in a crazy schedule.
Initially I was impatient and eager to get through this stateside period of preparation. I wanted to be on the mission field, and I wanted it to happen RIGHT NOW. Then I realized how much the 'temporary' is preparing me for the future, and perhaps the 'permanent.'
Don't get me wrong; I am not planning to stay in Honduras forever.
I am, however, planning to live out my faith in a permanent way. Rather than attending a Sunday service and an occasional Bible study, I am full committed to a lifetime of radical, faith-oriented living. For the foreseeable future, that looks like mission work in Honduras, but that is still a temporary situation, and I know there is still so much room for change within this upcoming period. The Lord has shown me in these months that He has shaped my life to be ready for the temporary. He has given me a passionate, eager motivation to succeed and progress, but He has also given me the gift of being 100% present, even in the temporary.
These months stateside have reminded me of how precious and important time is. Not in a 'you may die tomorrow' sort of way, but in a 'learn from everything and everyone' sort of way. In a sense, I fully believe this was my biggest lesson in preparation. Regardless of how temporary or permanent a situation is, I am prepared to be present, passionate, and to soak up experiences and relationships like a sponge. After all, isn't that what ministry is about- using the passion of the Lord to share the Gospel and build relationships? Jesus' time here was temporary, but it was powerful. By harnessing an attitude of being present, my time can be productive and powerful as well.
My prayer is that these next weeks will be even more enlightening than the past months and that I will keep my focus on the 'now,' temporary or not.
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1
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Once a month I will give a mini fund report for those of you who are financially invested in my mission work and are curious about where your money is going. For now, that will really just be an update about where I am with my monthly support. Aside from finances, I will do my best to post pictures, ministry updates, and any other news at least once or twice a month. As with before, time between posting will depend primarily on internet availability, so please be patient.
With that said, here is the up-to-date fund report:
In total, I have raised $5,155.
Last month's total was $280.
I am still looking for monthly supporters before I leave. Please consider signing up for monthly donations if you feel called to do so. $5, $15, $30, $50, $100- No amount is too small, and every bit helps. My goal is to reach the $450 amount each month without counting on one-time donations.
If you would like to partner with me, donations can be made either online or via post. In the right-hand margin there is a direct link for online donations and an address for donations by mail. Thank you for your support!
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