Taking Care of Your Own

Before coming into missions, we had this silly idea that our lives would look a certain way, that the poor would be knocking on our doors, and that there would be plenty of opportunities for service and ministry right off the bat. We had a very one-dimensional view, not realizing that the language barrier, not knowing a single soul, and adjusting to a completely different culture would halt some of those opportunities for a season. And while there IS certainly a need here and the Lord continuously places people in our paths and opportunities for us to serve, the ministry still looks very different than we envisioned.

At the end of June, we said our goodbyes to the Waldrop family (our mission post leaders) as they left for six weeks for some obligations they had in the States. We were SO happy for them because they had been tirelessly giving of themselves for MONTHS helping us. We were confident that we could handle things here while they were gone. But only two days after they left, we were met with many unexpected challenges. 

In early July, hurricane Beryl in the Gulf poured extensive amounts of rain here in Costa Rica. One particular storm throughout the night caused the Waldrops’ front gutters to split in multiple places. The next morning while Zach (my husband) was doing his daily check-in on their house and cat, he noticed the broken gutters and stepped into a large puddle of water inside their living room. Over the course of two weeks, their house flooded three more times, despite our efforts to block the front door with sandbags, dig the ditch deeper, and move the gutters without causing more damage. 

In addition to that, we had many vehicle issues and were busy getting things ready to receive another missionary, Heather, who was coming in mid-July from serving in Peru. Our vehicle (when not in the shop) has served us well transporting our family and many others around. We often pick up a person or two on our way to Mass and drive people around town. Praise God for that!

Between all that was going on in our busy lives, it felt like one thing after another was piling on top of us. Many days after that were soon spent simply trying to rest amidst the chaos. 

During morning prayer one day, these words resonated in my heart, “Sometimes God uses unexpected challenges and sicknesses to gently encourage us to slow down.” We really felt like this was true for us. We took some much-needed time to refocus, rest, and recover.

A huge blessing for us was when a local friend of ours, Anyeeli (pronounced an-jelly), invited us after Mass one day to spend the afternoon at her farm. We got to ride her horse, Lana, feed her calves, and eat a delicious Costa Rican meal cooked by her mom. It was so refreshing to spend the day with them, and it turned into a beautiful opportunity to talk with Anyeeli about topics she expressed that were difficult to talk about with her friends.

After reflecting on the month of July, it seems as though God has been highlighting one particular theme—that it’s OKAY to slow down and take care of your own family in order to be able to serve those around us better. Our ministry truly begins at home, and we cannot pour ourselves out unto others if we aren’t stopping long enough to be nourished and refilled.