Bottle by Bottle

Last week a friend sent me an email encouraging me to embrace life fully during my time here and take it one moment at a time. Very wise advice I must say, it freed me from trying to "figure it all out" and reminded me to be present in each moment. Ciona blessed me with "Pilgrim Pills' before coming, and each evening (between dinner & sleeping) I have unraveled one of the small pieces of paper she placed in an old Target pill bottle. Clever, clever girl. :)

Anyway, I kept my promise and opened only one a day and I believe that added to the blessing. Honestly, I cannot tell you how fitting her prayers, instructions & encouragements were for the day I received them. For instance... the night we stayed on Lake Bunyonyi, the pill said, "Leave a message in a bottle...," How perfect is that? It was the first time I had even been remotely close to water.
or
The day after I received the pill to "Dance your prayers today...," I went to the break dance class at the local community center for the first time and I actually danced. Ha! It inspired me to get out of my comfort zone, allow myself to be foolish with my new friends, and share in what I believe is one great project. I danced my prayers that day, for sure.
or
The day after I received the pill to "Sing your prayers today...," I went to the Genocide Memorial in Kigal, Rwanda, and boy did I need to pull on the prayers of Taize as I remembered & discovered more of Rwanda's story. The prayer, "The Kingdom of God is justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit..." kept flowing within my soul and quietly off my lips.

I think you get the point. God has not stopped surprising and revealing such great love to me whenever I opened myself to God's presence. Moment by moment, step by step or in our new Rwandan term & memory "bottle by bottle" the Scripture stories have come alive for me and challenged me in ways I had not expected or imagined. There is definitely a new aliveness within me, a sense of perspective and purpose that excitements me.

During my time here I have kept up the discipline of journeying through the book, Cultivating Faithfulness, with other people from Belmont UMC. We have a Ministry Council Retreat this weekend, and this daily practice is preparing us for this visioning time together. The last two chapters of the book are Risk-Taking Mission and Service and Extravagant Generosity. What irony or how fitting?

On Day 28 the author writes, "Risk-Taking Mission and Service reminds us that congregations are not ends in themselves; they are resources God uses to change live and transform the world. God places congregations in a world troubled by many challenges.... A majority of the people with whom we share the world live with incredible uncertainty because of poverty, hunger, illness, or war.
As followers of Christ, we cannot live as if these things have nothing to do with us. Christ moves us closer to suffering, not further away. We cannot walk around obvious suffering, ignoring it like those who preceded the Samaritan down the road to Jericho. We can't moan about how somebody ought to do something. We cannot merely lift those who suffer in prayer, asking God to do for us what God created us to do for God.
Churches that practice Risk-Taking Mission and Service hear in the human need to their neighbors the distinct call of God. Against all odds, they figure out a response and offer themselves faithfully, even at some cost to themselves. God uses them to transform the world." (Pgs. 75-76)

Along this pilgrimage journey, I have met people who sensed God's calling to be what God had created them to be for the betterment of their community, both local & global. They were willing to offer themselves, even at some great cost to themselves. No one I sat with articulated that their motivation was to transform the world, but rather to love faithfully and offer to others a better life, hope, encourage people to dream, provide a good education and be apart of what God was doing believing that there was a blessing somewhere in it. God moved them to hear in the human need of their neighbors a distinct call and they were foolish enough to follow. Many of them in offering their lives to loving the people they are with well, have received a life greater than anything they could have imagined for themselves. No joke and definitely not romanticizing it at all. As I write more with pictures in days to come, you will see the cost, the blessings, the great needs & struggles, as well as the life that is here.

Wow, this is way too long. Thanks for taking the time to listen to the thoughts God has placed upon my heart. So much more to share. I will write more each day when I return about the journey, sharing pictures and stories along the way. If anything moves you or if you have a story to share, please post a comment.

Time is running out on me again.

I depart from Kampala tonight at 10:20 pm, and will be in Nashville tomorrow around 5 pm. Craziness! I am ready to go home, and I am also ready to come back. :) Today though, I will take it moment by moment, step by step and bottle by bottle.

Love you all. Thanks for your prayers and support during this pilgrimage journey. It has been AMAZING!

Peace of Christ,
lanecia