Musings...

Well,

as of today I have only 2 weeks and one day left of "work" at Hospital Vozandes del Oriente. The time has really flown by. I'd ask for my summer back, but I think it went to a pretty good cause, so whoever got it can keep it, I say.

Let's see, what have I been doing recently...

Well, last week I helped Libia out mostly. There's a storage room full of things that have been donated to HVO, and it was a train wreck. So, I spent most of last week, yesterday, and today putting it in order.

Tomorrow Libia's going to Quito, so I get to fill in for her for two more days. After that, I have no idea. I'll probably go back to working in accounting, or maybe they'll put me on something new for the last week and a half I'm here.

So I've been thinking about what I've been doing over the past two months (almost) and here are some thoughts I've had...

I don't regret coming here at all. God's taught me oodles of things, and He's used me, too.

If could do it over again, I would have liked to go with a team somewhere. Working here at HVO is great, and I've met a lot of good people, but I feel like having some people to live and work beside consistently would have been a great encouragement.

Working in accounting and inventory has also taught me that sometimes as followers of Christ, we have to do some pretty unglamorous things. It's really difficult to see direct fruit from things like balancing accounts and counting inventory. It's all very behind the scenes. It's kinda hard to ask the question "How does Christ want me to count these syringes?" I never met most of the people those syringes were used on, or the people who benefit from me keeping accounts balanced, so it was difficult to see what I was doing as an act of love. But God's been teaching me how we as followers of Christ must do everything out of love and faith. As Paul puts it in Romans 14:23, "everything that does not come from faith is sin." And it wasn't for nothing that Jesus called "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" the greatest commandment."

I've also learned that sometimes loving Christ and serving others will go completely unnoticed or unappreciated by people. Much of what I did this summer was very hidden. The people I helped out will by and large never know about me or what I did for them.

And you know what? I'm OK with that.

God's also been teaching me about what love is and what it isn't. He's taught me that loving Christ and spreading that love around is not something I can "do." It's not a "me" show. In fact, one of the most beautiful things about Christ's love is that we do not have the capacity to love Him back. He has to give us even that. Every part of my relationship with God is a gift from Him. His love is a free gift. So is the ability to love Him back.

Isn't that just the most amazing thing ever???? My Father gives and gives and gives. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13)