things i’ve learned from se asia
home.
this is a word that the Lord has been redefining for me…another post on that later.
but ten months ago i got on a plane with a team of people i didn’t really know and gave God my “yes” to being in south east asia for two months.
i didn’t know that those two months would be some of the hardest ones of my life. but also some of the ones producing the most fruit
the kind of fruit that comes from enduring for the sake of the Lord and taking every opportunity to learn
the places we went, generous hearts who hosted us, and this team i got to do it all with grew to be a new home. the warmth of family. safety. comfort.
i quickly learned that home isn’t the apartment i grew up in, or the comfort of my family. home isn’t the back roads i love to drive in my hometown or the coffee shops that know me as a local
this team, these nations, started to bring the feeling of home to me in the middle of foreign land
in the midst of different culture
i learned more than i could have ever imagined
what marked this season for me is the journey the Lord took me on - the journey of a learner
so with that said - here is part one of this not so organized series
things i learned in south east asia, the home it was, and the family it created <3
to live and learn in this village
culture so warm it feels like an embrace
hospitality that is never in a hurry
coconuts always ready to be cut and shared
warm smiles to greet every stranger
work ethic everyone should adopt
childlike joy
contentment in simplicity
the privilege of education
to trust our maker
a place of confidence that can only come from knowing the creator
to seek refuge in our God who is truly safe
to see the truth in others. and to call it out.
because one day i was scared to speak, to create, to step out in boldness
the next day i was taking photos of strangers and and speaking a language i didn’t know
the brooke i knew never would have done that… the brooke that maddie saw did.
suddenly i didn’t doubt so much
because someone saw what i couldn’t
in the midst of feeling lost in a nation i didn’t know, maddie taught me how to stand on my own two feet. how to walk in God given confidence. how to step into dependence from God and independence from people. she called out the truth in me. and in turn - i started to call out the truth in others
to lead and to love
from william i learned of the great things God can do with a soft spoken heart
i learned the importance of abiding and the beauty of intentionality
dorothee taught me how to have a heart sensitive to the Holy Spirit
to be interrupted by the words and thoughts of Christ
to obey the gentle whisper
and to enjoy where you are at. to be present. first present with the Lord - so you can then be persistent in loving people
childlike joy
sometimes it’s worth it to play in the dirt.
love knows no barriers
to be seen and loved + to see and to love does not take a lot of time to cultivate. just a heart of intention.
soccer can bring unity in any nation
there is no brokenness beyond the love of Christ
there is no child that Jesus doesn’t see
