Worrying and Complaining... no más!

I was unsure of what to blog about this week. If you read my other blogs, you already have a feel for what ministry looks like here. I don't want to bore you with my emotional states the past few days or say the same thing I did last week, so this week I decided to write about what I have been learning, both about myself and about my God.

God has convicted me of two things this week: complaining and worrying. I know that the Bible specifically says not to complain and worry, but for me, it is so unnatural not to do those things, especially when it comes to worrying.

Sunday was a difficult day for the team. We were told that we needed to leave early so we got up to have breakfast at 7:00 and the plan was to leave at 8:00. Eight rolls around and breakfast isn't ready. Once we finally eat breakfast, we wait around for another two and a half hours waiting for our contacts to come. Once they arrived, we left for ministry. We were told the night before that we were going to do door-to-door evangelism for the whole day. Once we got to our location (in the mountains), we found out we were actually doing our kids program. Since we weren't told that we were doing the program, we didn't bring the ipod, so we were unable to do all of the things we normally do. But in the end, we made it work. Then came lunch. One of our contacts told us to eat in the van and the other, once we were already in the van, told us that we needed to eat in the church. Then once lunch was finished, we went door-to-door, talking and praying for some pretty hopeless people. -Let me paint the picture for you. -About seven white Americans, a Honduras woman (our contact), the local pastor, a couple Guatemalan kids, and a random teenager playing a guitar knocking on your door. It was just weird situation for me, not to mention the people we came in contact with. Then after a couple hours we come back to the church, where our contacts precedes to tell us that we need to catch a chicken because that is our dinner... She was completely serious...She told us that we are eating here and spending the night here also because "it is necessary for the ministry." So we venture out, running around with our skirts on, trying to catch our dinner. We finally catch one, and our contact says we now need to chop the poor chicken's head off. We literally have the chicken dangling, about the chop the head off, when our contact shouts, "CHISTE!!" which is joke in English. After the day we just had, a chiste is not something we were really in the mood for. We were tired and hungry. We weren't in a good place. We were mad at our contacts and we didn't feel like giving them any more respect.

That evening, however, during feedback/team time, God spoke through one of my teammates, Joel. Joel was the one talking, but it was completely God's words so I am just going to say God said this. God convicted us of complaining about stupid little stuff. God reminded us that we have NOTHING to complain about. His son was spit on, tortured, and laughed at, and he was PERFECT and SINLESS. He was put through so much and never complained. It is so easy to complain, but complaining is so detrimental. From now on, my team is going to hold each other accountable and not complain. I encourage you at home to do the same thing. When you are about to complain, think about our Jesus being crucified, think about the people living in the garbage dump, and think about the little kids in the hospital struggling to survive.

"Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be innocent and without any wrong. You will be God's children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world." -Philippians 2:14-15

God also convicted me of worrying this week. So many times in the Bible, it says not to worry.

"Jesus said to his followers, 'So I tell you, don't worry about the food you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest, they don't have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth MUCH MORE than birds. You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it. If you cannot do even the little things, then why worry about the big things?... Don't always think about what you will eat or what you will drink, and don't keep worrying. All the people in the world are trying to get all these things, and your Father knows you need them. But seek God's kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well.'" -Luke 11:22-26, 29-31

This past Monday I wasn't having a very good day. Looking back, my mind was consumed with worry. I was worried that my grandma's health because she recently fell and has pneumonia. I was worried about my sister. Pretty much anything that I could worry about I was worrying about. My team really rallied behind me and helped me through the day. They are some of the greatest people I have ever met. Each of us have a "secret buddy" who we pray for and write letters of encouragement to. I got a letter from my secret buddy on Monday night that said:

"I've been praying about the word that God wants me to give you. The subject he wanted me to say to you is to not worry about anything at all. Don't worry about anything here or anything back home, because it's in the God of the universe hands. And he will take care of anything and everything. "Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself, Each day has enough trouble of it's own." - Matthew 6:34 I hope this helps you with your walk with Christ. I love you Kathy! All glory to God." -That Secret Person

What my secret buddy wrote was exactly what I needed to hear. During these difficult days, I do lean on my teammates for support, but more importantly, I lean on my God. He has been there, waiting to take the burden of worry from me, but I have never been willing to give it to Him, until now. No more worrying for me! Things may happen at home or here that I don't understand, but I know that everything works together for good for those that love the Lord.

"Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace , which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

God has been teaching me so much, from what selflessness looks like to what an intimate relationship with Him looks like. This blog is getting a little lengthy, so I'll save the rest for another time. I hope that this encourages you to stop complaining and worrying. When you surrender everything to God, great things will happen. That doesn't mean everything is going to be easy (in fact, it might be the opposite), but it will bring glory to God's Kingdom. Remember, life on earth is tiny in comparison to eternity. Take a few minutes to think about how much time you focus on earthy things in comparison to how much time you think about your eternity. I know that once I really thought about it, my whole outlook on life changed. Things that seemed so important suddenly were meaningless.

　

This is a picture of my friend Dalea who lives at the orphanage we visited on Friday. She greeted me by giving me a lollipop and from there, we were hooked at the hip. :)

My buddy Ryleigh and I at the special needs school.

Carlo, the happiest boy I met at the hospital. He is four and got severely burned when a pot of hot water fell on him. She showed me his burns, which were all over his body, but he said that they didn't hurt anymore. His parents weren't there so he was happy to have some visitors.