December | 2012 | so this is Love...

“We live in a world where bad stories are told, stories that teach us life doesn’t mean anything and that humanity has no great purpose. It’s a good calling, then, to speak a better story. How brightly a better story shines. How easily the world looks to it in wonder. How grateful we are to hear these stories, and how happy it makes us to repeat them.” -Donald Miller (A Million Miles in a Thousand Years)

So I have this little crush on Donald Miller… yep I think that’s the best way to put it, ahaha. I LOVE reading his books because 1. God ALWAYS speaks to me through them. 2. I laugh my way through half of them… he. is. hilar. and 3. Sometimes there are cartoons in them. Pretty much.. an all around good time.

I read his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years last month when I was on my way here and it is SO. GOOD. It’s all about writing a better story: our own life story, & he talks a lot about how it’s necessary for us to take risks and move beyond our comfort zones in order to live a greater story. I was totally relating to that because coming back into missions with a new ministry was waaayyy out of my comfort zone, and I was SCARED. Here’s a quote from the book:

“Fear is a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life.”

I’ve never thought for a minute that my life in Minnesota was boring, my family is big and joyous and “clannish”, there are lakes EVERYWHERE to skinny-dip in, and I really truly LOVE waitressing, but right about the time I left it was beginning to feel comfortable.. and for me, when I’m in my comfort zone… I stop growing.

What gave me the most butterflies about coming here is that I would be entering into a community, a family, that was already formed. In the schools that I’ve done with YWAM it has always been a group of us arriving together and forming our own new community, and when I went to work at the Casa Hogar in Mexico I had already formed relationships with those kids… coming here would be completely different.. I was terrified, what if I didn’t fit here? What if I spent the entire year never feeling at home? What if I didn’t become part of this Formando Vidas family? Legit concerns.

The ministry has multiple houses scattered in and outside of the city, and the house I was brought to and left at with the words “Welcome Home!” is a house I share with about six other staff members, and connected to our house is a different ministry home called Casa Chamos where this silly & spectacular Venezuelan man has spent the last 15 years raising 14 children, some of whom are now grown and are living their own lives, and some who are now teenagers and still live next door to me. Every night most of us from this side go over to Casa Chamos to have dinner together and be with one another… the house is painted in bright colors, there’s always loud music blasting and good food cooking and people laughing and Obama (the dog..) playing or cuddling with someone. It’s wonderful, really.

Tonight when one of the teenagers came to open to the door between our houses for me to come in, he was like “Brittany there’s a surprise for you on the fridge!” He was so excited, and I was so sure he’d made jello or something.. but when we got to the fridge it was a picture he’s drawn that he was so excited to show me, a picture of all of us.. everyone sketched wearing underwear except for me in a skirt.. haha.. and when I saw what he had written I started crying.

“Chamos Family”

I already love these people, so. much. I know you’re totally like “duh Brit, you always love everyone.” ahaha but I really love them. And I am becoming part of this family.. actually according to this 15 year old’s drawing I already am. Three weeks ago I was absolutely terrified: I kept picturing myself at the edge of an ocean cliff.. hoping someone would just push me in because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to jump in on my own. Somehow I ended up in the air… rushing towards the scary waters and all of the unknown beneath. The crashing in was uncomfortable, awkward, maybe a little painful even… but I’m in now, I’m all in & the water isn’t so terrifying anymore. Actually… it’s pretty nice. = )

“I don’t wonder anymore what I’ll tell God when I go to heaven when we sit in the chairs under the tree, outside the city……..I’ll tell these things to God, and He’ll laugh, I think and He’ll remind me of the parts I forgot, the parts that were His favorite. We’ll sit and remember my story together, and then He’ll stand and put His arms around me and say, “well done,” and that He liked my story. And my soul won’t be thirsty anymore.”

& Katerine is our bunny we rescued from the street last week = )

So, I am here.. finally!

More than a year after I knew God was asking me to come here, I have arrived! With only one suitcase, might I add. Sometimes I amaze myself. = )

It’s been three weeks, and this ministry is every bit as beautiful as I thought it to be from afar, and the up close and in-the-action view has been everything from exhausting to terrifying to absolutely lovely. I’ve been in “orientation” which means spending time in the different areas of the ministry to get to know what we do, who I work with, and of course.. who these kids are!

& these kids are awe.some. Just letting you know that one right away. = )

These weeks have been filled with me doing “small things, with great love” as Mother Teresa would say. Honestly.. my favorite thing that I’ve done so far is hold this baby boy one day for 10 minutes. Let me tell you the story… = )

One of the areas of the ministry is in a very poor and very dangerous neighborhood in the South of the city, and there up on that mountain lives a beautiful, radiant Australian woman: Mary. One of the many things that Mary does is open up her home on Fridays so that kids in the neighborhood can come play. The first floor of her house is filled with games, puzzles, blocks, legos, dollies, coloring sheets, and so much love. Kids who wouldn’t otherwise have space to just play as children have a safe and loving place to be. Over 100 kids go to Mary’s each Friday, and hundreds more throughout the rest of the week, to learn about who God is and who they are as his children.

The moms in this area need to work to support their kids, which means that little children (who in the States might not even be allowed to cross the street by themselves) have the responsibility of not only caring for themselves for most of the day, but also for their younger siblings. The little girls seem to embrace their role as little Mommies for their even littler brother and sisters, and one of these little girls has become so precious to me after only 3 weeks! The first Friday that I was at Mary’s, “Leah” was there with her two younger siblings, the youngest being a baby boy who was seriously half as big as Leah, who she was happily carrying around. All of the kids LOVE to color pictures, and I could tell that Leah wanted to sit and do exactly that, but she couldn’t because she needed to watch her baby brother. I offered to hold him so that she could color that frog picture and oh.. to see her eyes light up at the idea of being able to play with crayons for a few minutes. So I held that baby boy, and I loved it because I loved watching Leah be able to be eight years old and color a frog green.

Small things, with great love.

This Friday Leah colored a princess picture, and then she gave it to me.. so we are definitely friends now = ) I hugged her tight and then another girl gave me a picture because she wanted a hug too. I’ve been told I’m a “dang fine hugger” haha which is good because these kids need lots of them!

I’m pretty sure.. the most important thing I can do with my life is share with others the love that God pours out onto me, so that they can learn to receive His love with arms wide open as well.. and as much as I have struggled with God about me just not always wanting to do this whole missionary thing, it’s in little tiny moments like watching Leah color that I realize again that this is an honor, and a blessing.. and any sacrifices I’ve made to be here really don’t matter compared to how important she is, and how important it is for God to be able to love her through her family, through Mary, and for those ten minutes.. through me.