reflection

i find myself in the same exact place i was last year on valentine's day - it was cold and raining and i was on QR duty. it's a good thing this isn't my favorite holiday. therefore, because this day is nothing exceptional to the next, and the only way i've observed it as a holiday at all was to eat chocolate for breakfast and wear my hot pink rain boots, i would like to take the time to reflect on how drastically different my life in the dominican is - the difference that in three weeks time i will be mourning.

1. it's quiet in my head. the latin culture is by no means serene- loud music is often blaring well into the night - but if i turn my translator to "off" i can pass by dozens of people in a day and hear nothing but my own thoughts.
2. to be healthy is dirt cheap. americans have certainly created a monstrous industry (including style, vacation plans, professions, literature, chatrooms and the like) built around taking care of ourselves. here, to step outside my door it to take a hike either up or down, and i can purchase a weeks' worth of fruits and vegetables under five bucks.
3. ministry is inescapable. it literally propels my butt off the couch. i have to hang up the phone. i can't stay up late or sleep late. i don't drink that or smoke those. i've got 9 valuable reasons to deny myself, and i love it.
4. community is vital. i have to cry. i have to face conflict. i have to pray. and when it costs so much to call the states, you begin to break down, work through conflict and petition God with the person next to you who is breaking down, working through conflict and petitioning God. inadvertently a family is formed.