A Week at El Limon

So it has been awhile since I've gotten a chance to write, so I have a lot of experiences and stories to share with everyone. The traveling was a bit interesting, as on the way there the bus was over-heating and could not drive faster than 30 kilometers and hour, making the 5 hour drive about 7 hours instead. Throughout the week we had some challenges with food and project preparation. And as if that weren't enough, we also got to spend a few hours on the side of the highway waiting on another bus because our replacement bus had a bad fuel pump and needed yet another replacement. On top of all this, I was incredibly sick throughout the whole week and could hardly talk on our trip back. Most of what could have possibly gone wrong that week, probably went wrong, but the glorious part is that through all our difficulties, God showed His face in new and brilliant ways. At the beginning of James, the Bible says, "Brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need." This passage really resonated with me as I saw many becoming frustrated and angry with our situation, but we were looking past all that God had been doing in our hearts and through our bodies the entire week, even if it did not go according to our insignificant planning! James goes on to discuss how we should praise in times of difficulty, as these times are actually opportunities to learn from Our God and grow closer in a relationship to Him. As you continue your week, I ask that as you recognize a situation that is testing your patience, instead of praying for comfort through that or that it may just be resolved, think about exactly what part of your walk it is testing. Get a journal and write that down and ask God to show His Face and His Will in that area throughout the week. As you pray, write down what you feel like God may be teaching you through the situation and what God may be showing you that week apart from it. Instead of just wishing the situation to pass, fully embrace it! Glorify God by rejoicing in a challenge, because it is not the easy times that we need and reflect on God most, but the times when our faith is tested, when our physical limits our pushed, and when our "normal" lives are disrupted that God chooses to leap into our hearts and teach us something new or just allows us to sense His presence in our lives.