When I first came to orientation, I wasn't thinking about my feet. Yet one night a speaker quoted Romans 10:15.
"How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" Even
though I always thought this verse was somewhat funny, I began to see
the
beauty of those who had made their way to orientation, and who would
soon walk through different airports, city streets, and rural roads in
the name of Jesus.
At first I didn't know how to take our first steps as a team. Orientation brought the unexpected, but soon we learned our way. We stumbled to the back of the church to bucket bathe, learning how to hold the flashlight for each other in the dark. We took each wobbly step during team building day in the woods, balancing on blocks of wood, ropes, and of course, each other. We made our way to the church's upstairs hallway on the last day of training, spending three hours to tell our testimonies with each other. As the Alabama clouds rolled by in the overhanging window, in tears and new connection, we shared the struggles that made us human and the redemption that made us Christians. On our last night at orientation, we all walked up to our team leader, Allie, to light our six candles in a final candlelit service with the full, holy knowledge that we had light from God, and we needed each other to sustain it.
Each morning we take new steps with the faith that God will direct
the next opportunity, interaction, and attempt at connection. Whether
we're almost getting lost in the Johannesburg airport or taking the
first steps to the children in Zimbabwe, we walk together.
Ellen
At first I didn't know how to take our first steps as a team. Orientation brought the unexpected, but soon we learned our way. We stumbled to the back of the church to bucket bathe, learning how to hold the flashlight for each other in the dark. We took each wobbly step during team building day in the woods, balancing on blocks of wood, ropes, and of course, each other. We made our way to the church's upstairs hallway on the last day of training, spending three hours to tell our testimonies with each other. As the Alabama clouds rolled by in the overhanging window, in tears and new connection, we shared the struggles that made us human and the redemption that made us Christians. On our last night at orientation, we all walked up to our team leader, Allie, to light our six candles in a final candlelit service with the full, holy knowledge that we had light from God, and we needed each other to sustain it.
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| Monday night commitment time |
- Please pray that we would be filled with loved for the children here, that we would seek to care for the least of these, and that we would continue to grow as a team.
- Pray that we would be kept from fear, bitterness, and impatience, and that God would be glorified today.
Ellen