Expectations

Well, we have three days to go. This completely fathoms me (Julie). It feels like we have been here for so long but I don't think anyone is ready to leave this country or this experience behind us.

It is incredible to look back on all of the sweat and tears that went into planning this trip. Starting in September I was planning on going to work in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which obviously fell through. I interviewed over 30 people and had to tell them that we had no idea where were going in the world or who we were going to be serving, but that my heart was to serve women and their families who have found themselves in prostitution. After each interview I felt God's direction in choosing each person. I left my interviews with my current teammates knowing they would be coming with me wherever my search took us. I am grateful and incredibly impressed for the trust and patience this team responded with then and all through out the planning process. Now we are looking at our final days here and I find myself speechless when I think about the blessings that have and will continue come from this experience.

While this trip has been more than we imagined, it hasn't in any way met our expectations. We anticipated to work daily with the women of Rahab, learn their stories, and directly share our love of Christ with them. Instead, we've found ourselves gross and sweaty, when I told them to pack only one change of clothes for dirty work. After several days of raking grass, moving cinder blocks, bagging rice and beans, organizing moldy smelling clothes, cleaning and re-cleaning the pond, and washing windows we have come to our final project: The Wall. In the last week we have cleaned, mortared, primed and are now painting a jungle-themed mural. I would say mortaring has been by far everyone's least favorite of all. I decided to make a joke this morning asking for another wall to mortar, and to my dismay it was found and there may be more in our future. As Matt would say, "it's character building!"

The mural is looking incredible, especially since only a few of us even knew how to hold a paintbrush before this trip. Joni and Kirsten have done a great job guiding our team in what it should look like. We have trees, a volcano, different plants and grasses, mountains, and even a waterfall (pictures to come). It's already been said in the previous blog, but Joni is FULL of encouragement, and KJ has drawn the best parrot and lion ever. Good job ladies!! I really hope we will get to witness the children playing on their new jungle gym and imagining they are in the jungle we have been able to create for them. If we do not get this opportunity, we will have to trust that it will get its fair share play and fun.

Before I end the blog today, Erica and I have to talk a little bit about our boys! Matt and JT have raised the bar for all the men out there. Their patience and understanding have been unbelievable-- I mean, they are in a different country with 7 women for 3 weeks, you can imagine what they have had to deal with? They consistently encourage us no matter the situation, offer us unconditional brotherly love, and are the best entertainment we could ask for! Today for example, the two entertained us with songs, dances, jokes, and movie quotes. Plus, in a ministry as intense and potentially dangerous as ours, they have provided us with a sense of security, and they take this role seriously. And finally, we have been continually blessed and challenged by the way they are seeking the Lord. When many of us are hanging out, checking email, on Facebook, or just chatting, we typically find them reading the Word or other devotionals and journaling. Matt, for example, is up before everyone else to read the Bible and journal. He also reads us daily devotionals, and is always the first to turn our eyes back to Jesus when things get tough, dirty, tiring, or uncomfortable. JT is constantly encouraging us with his favorite worship song of the day (recently: Jeremy Camp or David Crowder). He also read three of The Chronicles of Narnia books during our trip, and has shared with us the lessons he has learned about the character of God and how he will implement these lessons in his life. Boys, on behalf of the rest of the girls, we love and appreciate you more than we can even say!

This is why we love them! Matt (left) and JT (right)

Please keep praying that our team will finish strong and gain a renewed sense of strength and outlook. Also, be praying for the program we are planning for this weekend. We have the opportunity to plan and run a church service for the women and staff of Rahab on Saturday night. We think we finally have a plan, but pray for us that God will use in a big way on this night. Many of us will share a short testimony, and JT will be sharing a presentation of the Gospel. Thanks for keeping up with this blog-- we will see you soon!