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Let’s be honest. When I signed up for this trip, I knew I was going to have to get out of my comfort zone and do things I had never done before, because that’s just part of the job description. I thought I’d be trekking through the jungle, clearing my way through the foliage with a machete (the Indiana Jones theme song playing in the background) to reach some isolated village full of people who had never even heard the name Jesus before. What we found was a centuries-old collection of villages with many who had already experienced the peace and joy that only the Lord can bring. This was made very clear the first morning of our arrival, when we witnessed an entire building of students singing praises to God. Though the languages spoken may have been very different, the love for Jesus was shared.
We are here working with Integrated Tribal Development Program (ITDP), and are aiding them in the ongoing work of reaching this region for Christ. They have already been able to establish a strong presence in the villages through fresh water projects, a fully operational medical clinic, as well as high quality education. They have found a powerful balance of faith and deeds. They recognize that fresh water alone will not deal with the real need of the people, which is salvation through Christ. However, they also recognize that preaching alone will not help the multifaceted needs of these villages. Through the meeting of their physical and educational needs, they are able to bring the gospel even to the most remote of places.
A typical day here in the village consists of waking up to the oh-so-early call of a rooster (4 a.m. is the norm). We are staying with host families and sleeping on their floors. We gather in the school cafeteria for breakfast and devotional as we watch God’s beautiful creation unfold beneath the sunrise. After breakfast (which is mostly rice), we are assigned a work project led by the ITDP staff. Some of the projects include clearing hillsides, making bricks, pouring a concrete foundation for an incinerator, running VBS, installing a concrete fence around the property, planting pineapple trees, working in the clinic, and whatever else needs to be done. It is rigorous labor and we are put to shame by the work ethic and durability of the staff and villagers. In comparison, it’s a bit embarrassing that we are outworked almost 100% of the time. We break for lunch (rice again), and then back to work!
After we have finished our project for the day, we are able to interact with the villagers through sports like volleyball and soccer. This is a time for us to share laughter and form relationships, which are worth so much more than the work we will do here. We are then able to take a freezing cold shower by dumping water over ourselves with a bowl, and then it's off to the cafeteria again for dinner (surprise - rice again) and a team debrief. After dinner we amuse ourselves with card games (and this blog post) before playing a more precarious game of “dodge-the-ridiculously-large-spider-on-your-way-back-to-your-hut.”
At this point the team is getting to know each other better and learning to work together. The tough work and sometimes uncomfortable conditions bring out a side of everyone that they may prefer to hide. However, we are finding these are transformational moments that we can’t recreate back home, in our comfort zone. Our team leader Sam has been a bit ill, but seems to be recovering well. Other than that, everyone seems to be doing fine and adapting well to the grind.