A Day In the Life...

There are so many behind the scenes things that you don't see or appreciate in a ministry. When missions teams come into a ministry to help, they are usually single-minded about work, work, work, and more work. and, admittedly, that's how i started out when I came down here. All I could think about was the fact that this was a mission trip for me. This was an opportunity for me to serve. And when I say serve, I usually think of work!
That isn't how it always is though. Serving and Ministry are all about relationship. That's the key! If you come single-mindedly with the idea that all you need to do is build this or change that or organize that other thing. If you come with that mindset, you're going to get burned out. By building a relationship with the people in the community you can fill more of their needs. This is mainly because you see what is personal to each of them and you also feel a sense of loyalty towards them. It isn't just a face anymore that your serving, but a whole human being.
I got a little bit frustrated today with how things seem to happen on a bit of a different clock than what I'm used to. I'm a very task oriented person and I absolutely LOVE lists and checking things OFF of a list. This past week I've been doing office work and was a little upset at the way I seemed to be sitting around a lot and then frantically running to get something done and then going back to just sitting. I couldn't seem to find the happy medium! A lot of the seemingly scattered work was due to the fact that Sarah has been really stressed out with school (She's a full-time student), her sister (who has been having seizures, in and out of the hospital), and also having this full-time job. She has a heavy load and it can sometimes really get to her. I didn't realize until today that my seemingly "scattered" office work was actually a big help to her. When I stepped back and looked at what I had considered a small amount of sporadic work, and I put it all together as one big chunk of work, it came out to be more than I realized. I was able to help her out in the office and also serve her with my time by being a friend. I love being Sarah's friend! :)

Karissa (Hamernick), Kaylie (Hamernick), and Sarah Murphy

The main thing I'm trying to get across here is that all of the little things that are done in ministry- cooking a meal for someone, stopping to talk even when you're in a rush, offering to do work for someone, making a phone call- really add up and can definitely help make those around you more able to do the work that God has planned for them. Anything I can do to encourage those around me on toward His goal I am willing to do!

Amen?

Maranatha.

-Kelly