Hey, How Was Your Life?

I literally cannot even count the number of times I’ve been asked, “How was your trip?” Always with good and kind intentions, trust me, I understand. It’s just a slightly complicated answer. If someone asked you about the last 11, 5, or even 2 months of your life, how would you respond? Could you sum it up in a sentence or two? 

You see, my “trips” aren’t merely short vacations or exciting visits to somewhere new. Just like what you’ve lived here in America, they are simply part of my life. Sure, they have thrilling moments like looking down into the bubbling lava of a live volcano in Nicaragua or bungee jumping over a 470ft. drop in Costa Rica, but in reality, the day-to-day is pretty normal. They include the grind of work, dear friends, building new relationships, hard goodbyes, tears and laughter, the adrenaline rush of adventures, opportunities taken and missed, failures and growth, conflict resolution, learning how to communicate well, struggling to find quiet time, late-night conversations, washing laundry… Do you get my point? 

Life overseas is still just life. People are still people no matter where you go.

The bucket list adventures and miraculous God moments may grab attention as Instagram posts, but they aren’t the reason I’ve fallen in love with this way of life. I realize how blessed I am to have had the opportunity for such incredible experiences. However, when I think back over my travels this year, what brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face are all the little, normal things… 

• Sharing meals around a table, or better yet, sitting on logs and the ground in Juanita’s yard. 

• Laughing when Pastor Basilio said, “Hasta la vista, baby”.
  

• Going into deep conversations while washing mounds of dirty dishes or clothes. 

• Commiserating over the blisters on our hands and the soreness of our backs. 

• Holding cute babies and the chunkiest toddler who blew me kisses every time I walked by with the wheelbarrow.

• Spending a rare moment away from the squad with my co-leader, Raquel, to develop our friendship 

• Throwing parties during quarantine to keep ourselves from losing our minds. 

• Dancing when our song came on no matter where we were.

• Sharing our hearts and tears as we struggled with tough circumstances. 

• Praying while watching the sunrise each morning. 

• Sitting and listening to a 90+ year-old lady tell stories of her life. 

• Staying up until midnight with new friends talking about what we were learning and how God was growing us. 

• Working on the farm and sweating alongside the locals in the 96-degree humidity as we prepared the ground for a new crop. 

• Water fights after those long days of work.  

• Receiving numerous nicknames for the most random reasons. “Gringa Falsa”, for example.

• Worshiping outside as a thunderstorm rolled in. 

• Catching and chasing each other with giant toads. 

• Singing and dancing to karaoke for hours.

• Living out true discipleship 24/7. 

• Sharing our testimonies and learning how well others could relate despite cultural differences. 

• My Nicaraguan friends laughing at me as I struggled to pronounce a word in Spanish. 

• Crying as I gave the last hug, wishing I didn’t have to say goodbye yet again. 

I’m crying even now as I write this. All these moments are already becoming cherished memories. They are the stories and people who have shaped me into who I am today. Sadly, they don’t all get to go with me into my future too. With every new country, I leave behind a trail marked with pieces of my heart and treasured friendships, many of which I’ll never get to continue in person. Some days, that’s incredibly hard to handle. 

And yet, I’ll keep living this lifestyle. Why? Because no matter how long or short the season may be that I get to share with someone, if I can give them even a taste of God’s love during that time, it’s worth it to me. Plus, I get the joy and honor of receiving His love through and learning from all my new friends too! 

So, if you’re still wondering about the answer to the question, “how was your trip?”, let me try to sum it up. To borrow the famous Hobby Lobby wall decor phrase, I have “lived, loved, and laughed”. 

Okay, but seriously. Although it was a spiritually heavy and often heart-wrenching season, it was also the best and most fulfilling 5 months of my life so far. I loved leading this age group of 18-21yos and watching them take steps to make their faith their own. God taught me to hold fast to Him through the highs, lows, and in-betweens. I discovered a passion for boots-on-the-ground discipleship and deep, intentional relationships wherever I go. 

My favorite part is that I’ve only just begun. This trip may be over, but there’s a whole lot of Kingdom left to build and life left to live. If you want to join me, go grab your running shoes and let’s get to it! 

P.S. if you want to hear more specific stories and details from my travels (since I have failed miserably at sharing them this year), please contact me and we can get coffee or a meal together. I’d love to catch up and hear about your life too!