Excuses?

It has been a long, tiring week. Missions work is anything but easy. I'm learning much, though, and loving pretty well every minute of it. Warning for any future missionaries: wherever you go, take a good pair of walking shoes. A REALLY good pair of walking shoes.

Wednesday, our team prayer-walked and invited communities to Gateway West's VBS/blockparty. It took hours... Very long hours. My partner, Will, (here on a five day mission trip) was great. He kept up with me with ease, talked with boldness, and didn't complain about the heat and sun. He offered no excuses... Even though he was crippled. For 5.5 hours, Will rolled his wheelchair along the asphalt and up driveways, even pulling himself onto porches when needed. He didn't look at what he lacked (properly working legs); he focused on what he did have: a relationship with Christ and the chance to serve. He took no excuses. Love doesn't let excuses hinder action, and joy can be found in all things when we count our blessings rather than dwell on our circumstances. Thank God for people like Will, and for giving us all the chance to learn from each other. 

Cleveland Highlight (mobile)

This is a very quick post-a teaser almost-done from my phone. Today, we went to a Bhutanese church. The passion and energy of the worship, the friendliness of the people, and the exotic nature of the language were spiritually refreshing. As a worshiper, I was overjoyed; as a guest, I was humbled; and as a linguist, I was captivated. Their love for us reminded me of the unbiased nature of God's love. No matter how tall you are, the color of your skin, or the language of your speech, if your are God's child, you are family. If we American believers would learn to love as excitedly and unreservedly as our Bhutanese brothers, our world would be a drastically different place.