Gratitude
My squad is in Jamaica!! It’s been almost three weeks since we arrived, and God has truly been teaching me so much.
We’re staying at an Adventures In Missions base tucked right into a neighborhood, and we’ve been welcomed with so much warmth from the very beginning. It’s so sweet to step outside the gate and be greeted by the familiar faces of the people who live here. Obviously, we’re here to serve and minister to this community, but I’m quickly realizing how much we have to learn from them as well!
Jamaica is such a gorgeous place. There are so many beautiful colors, smiling faces, and sunshine everywhere you look. Even in the middle of busy ministry days, it’s hard not to stop and appreciate the beauty of the place we get to call home for this season. There’s so much life and joy here, and I’m grateful to experience it all.
Each day begins with worship and devotion before all six teams split off to serve in their respective ministries. My team has spent most of our days working on Goodwill Projects, which essentially means meeting the community’s needs wherever we can.
We spent several days at an elementary school, serving as teacher assistants by playing with the kids, helping with classroom activities, and encouraging the teachers. Other projects have included yard work and installing gutters. We also put together and delivered care packages for families in the surrounding community. These included first-aid supplies, school supplies, new bedding, and Bibles. I especially loved praying over and writing notes to include with each Bible. It’s so beautiful to think about the ways the Lord might use His Word to impact these families, even now as I’m writing this!
Most recently, we were assigned to a roofing team. So many families were hit hard by Hurricane Melissa last fall, and it was such an honor to help replace the roofs of two homes. Up until a few days ago, I had never even used a hammer, and now I know how to build a roof! It was such a needed reminder that sometimes the things we believe we’re incapable of are simply the things we haven’t tried yet. The Lord can use us in ways we never expected when we’re willing to step out and say yes.
Choosing Relationship Over Task
One of my favorite ministry moments happened this past week when we had the opportunity to repair the fence of a very sweet older lady. I can’t share her name for privacy reasons, but from the moment I met her, I was in awe of the beautiful relationship she had with the Lord.
Just moments after my team stepped onto her porch, she was talking to God out loud, giving thanks that we were standing right in front of her.
One of my teammates, Shayley, and I decided to prioritize relationship over task (an Adventures In Missions cultural value) and stayed on the porch with her while the rest of our team repaired her fence. Almost without prompting, she began sharing her story with us.
She was hard of hearing, and each time I tried to ask her a question, she struggled to hear me. However, when Shayley asked her a question, she was able to understand.
It made me laugh a little because the Lord has been teaching me to slow down and enjoy the ministry He has placed right in front of me, rather than trying to minister in the way I think I should. I was reminded that I don’t always need to be the one talking. Sometimes, the Lord invites me to sit back, listen, and learn from the wisdom someone else has to offer instead of feeling the need to contribute my own thoughts.
As she shared her story, she told us about the many hardships she had endured, from losing her children to losing her husband. And yet, here she was, sitting on her porch and giving thanks to the Lord.
I couldn’t help but wonder: How often do I allow myself to become so consumed with what’s next that I forget to be grateful for what’s right in front of me?
A Posture of Gratitude
I’m so quick to look ahead… to the next answered prayer, the next season, or the next thing I’m asking the Lord to provide. When these things don’t happen on my timeline, I become impatient and discouraged.
But watching this woman give thanks, even after experiencing so much loss, reminded me that gratitude isn’t dependent on having the perfect life or receiving everything you’ve prayed for. It’s a posture of the heart. It’s choosing to recognize the GOODNESS of God, even when life (and, for me right now, ministry!) looks different than you imagined.
The Lord knows what’s best for me, and He knows what’s best for you. He isn’t withholding good things from us. Even when I don’t understand His timing, I can trust that He sees the bigger picture in ways I never could.
I think it’s so easy to become focused on the things we’re still waiting for that we overlook all the ways God is already providing. We can spend so much time praying for what we hope comes next that we forget to thank Him for what He’s given us today.
What a wonderful thing it would be to live with the kind of gratitude I witnessed in this woman! I pray that the Lord continues to teach me how to walk with Him in this way… to be present, to trust Him in every season, and to give thanks not just when life is easy, but because He is good through it all.
Psalm 84
A Psalm I keep coming back to in my quiet time is Psalm 84. Verses 1–4 say:
“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I faint, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar. What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises.”
I want to keep learning to recognize His goodness in both the big and small things… in answered prayers, unexpected opportunities, the people He places in front of me, and even the sunshine, colorful streets, and smiling faces here in Jamaica!
Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement!! I feel so supported by everyone back home, and I’m so excited to keep sharing what the Lord is doing in this season!
