Colossians 3:1-3: Therefore if I have been raised up with Christ, I will keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. I choose to set my mind on the things above, not the things that are on earth. For I have died and my life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 2:9-12: For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form and in Him I have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him I have been circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which I was also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
These scriptures took over my thoughts this morning. I have for some time now found Ephesians, Colossians, and Galatians personally relatable and helpful in my life. The people Paul writes to in these books lived with struggles that I find relatable in my life. I look to them frequently for encouragement and direction. Little did I know that morning that these verses would set the tone for my day in a deeply profound way.
Following breakfast we joined the LOL staff for morning worship and devotions. Ben and Shedds lead devotions, teaching on joy and grace. During the devotions I found that I couldn't write fast enough to take down everything that was being shared. The depth and substance of that devotion was exactly what my thirsty heart needed and the encouragement I didn't even realize that I was looking for.
Ben shared that Paul was able to write from a place of boldness created by deep joy because he was overflowing with joy despite his afflictions. Ben taught us that it is our suffering and afflictions that pave the way for others to walk to Jesus. I had never thought of affliction and joy in these terms, but was deeply encouraged by it. He said that we are the only Bible that most people will ever read by the way that we live our lives and that we are able to give to others because of the overflow in us not because of obligation.
I was reminded of the verse in 1 Peter 2:15 in that my actions testify of me. My life is a testimony to anyone watching me and the joy of the Lord living and active in my life will be what stands out. The only way for this joy to stand out is for me to be anchored in Christ and holding tight to Him.
As we were discussing this I found myself thinking about how anchors work. The anchor sinks down and grabs hold, yet in order to keep from drifting there must be tension on the rope attached to that anchor. Otherwise, without tension, it's possible to drift despite the anchor. Jesus is the only firm hold for the anchor of our life, but without purposefully creating tension on the rope holding us to Him we can still drift in the waves and current that tosses us about. We must choose to pull the rope in tight and keep it held there, locked in place. This gives new meaning to being at the end of our rope, right?
Following devotions we broke off to continue our work projects. Today I worked with Bruce, Rachael, and Natalie to plan the LOL staff Christmas party. We had such fun coming up with ideas for an Amazing Race style party, complete with obstacles and challenges. The staff of LOL is made up of some very competitive people with a great sense of humor, so trying to find fun challenges for them was a blast.
After we had created a game plan for the party we had a great conversation and got to know each other better. I hadn't had a lot of time to spend so far with Natalie and enjoyed getting to know her and talking with her.
We had lunch as a team back at LOL, then cleaned up for the day to head into Punta Gorda for coffee and souvenir shopping. We got dropped off at a local coffee shop and then walked into town to do some shopping at the local stores. Everyone loaded up on hot sauce, jam, and other souvenirs. We then walked back to the coffee shop for coffee before heading home to get ready for another ministry night.
Playing with a mimosa plant in Punta Gorda with Natalie and Dustin:
Tonight we visited the village of Conejo, which is about 1 hour south of Punta Gorda. Conejo is a Q'eqchi village in the southern jungle of Belize. While there we were treated to dinner by one of the locals in the village. Dinner consisted of broth with chicken and homemade corn tortillas, yum! After being treated to homemade tortillas here I am ruined forever for store bought tortillas!
Walking to the house where we were to have dinner I was walking along the dirt road behind Nicole when suddenly the tiny stick she was stepping on started to wiggle! Ahhh! Nope! Nope! Nope!
Turns out she had stepped on a tiny black coral snake! Yuck! The guys stopped to check it out but there was no way I was going to stick around for that, no way! As I continued walking every stick on the road became suspicious after that moment. Luckily, I didn't encounter anymore snakes. I did; however, jump a couple feet when a leaf hit my ankle as I was walking through the underbrush. Hahaha.
The moon in Conejo, which the local kids taught me is called "po" in Q'eqchi:
We ate dinner in a thatch covered pavilion next to the house hosting us. I am still in awe of these thatch roofs they create here. The time and work that must go into them is amazing.
After dinner we walked to the church where service was held by the light of a candle and 4 flashlights. Service began with the sharing of testimonies by other team members. I was so proud and blessed to hear Nicole stand up to share her testimony. I know that was difficult for her and watching her overcome something that she was afraid of was inspiring.
Pastor Dan preached from Exodus 37. The same local pastor from the night before was there to translate for us. He told us that the church was only a few months old and the congregation presently consisted of the pastor, his family and his in-laws. The pastor was an extremely talented guitar player and lead us in several worship songs. Most of the songs were in Q'eqhi, but perhaps my favorite was when they sang "Nothing But the Blood" and you could hear everyone joining in, singing in their own language. It was a beautiful moment where time seemed to freeze and adoration for God transcended language and culture.
On the car ride home my heart was overflowing with love and adoration for God. I had a wonderful time just worship God out of that overflow. Singing with Jervis praise to the Lord born out of relationship and adoration of God.
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