?Honduras. 2 months. Sleeping in a tent on an air mattress that won’t hold air. Sharing 1 bathroom with 60 people. Clean clothes are a foreign concept. Beans and tortillas are the main food group.
Some may read this and think “man that sounds miserable”. Lots of people would probably struggle living like this, especially if you’ve never been camping before or you simply just don’t like it. Comforts of many things are stripped away. The comfort of a bed, not waking up damp from morning dew and condensation in your tent, choosing the foods you eat, using the bathroom without others hearing you or having fresh laundry that smells good. There are many things we didn’t have these last 2 months and honestly, I totally understand why people would struggle living like this. Especially if they’ve never experienced something like it before. It’s a learning curve for everyone and life on the mountain could definitely be considered uncomfortable at times.
For me, this life style wasn’t anything new and quite honestly wasn’t that uncomfortable for me. However, I also hiked a trail for 5 1/2 months. That’s an experience a lot of people haven’t had. If I’m being completely vulnerable with y’all, understanding and having grace for those around me who were struggling, was something I had to learn. I’m also not saying I was completely comfortable or enjoyed every day either. There were definitely days that were challenging for me. Like when it rained for a week straight and everything was wet and smelled bad. Or when I was putting my dirty clothes on for the 8th day in a row, knowing I smelled ratchet. Those are not things I enjoyed, even the slightest and my attitude probably reflected that. However… through this entire experience on the mountain, I had a perspective change. In the sweetest way possible, the Lord broke my heart.
It was some time around the middle of May. We had been on the mountain for about 3 weeks. We’d really experienced life on the mountain to its fullest at this point. We were in the groove of things finally and nothing surprises us anymore. We’d done a variety of ministry at this point, although most of it was manual labor. We had other opportunities to do some house visits and also women’s ministry in a near by community. At this point we had also walked all over the mountains collecting bamboo and planks of wood for the church we were helping build. On these walks we passed many houses and people who lived in these small mountain communities. We got to see what life was like for these people. What there houses and living conditions were like. How one small house can have up to 14 people living in it. Seeing that most family’s only piece of furniture was a dirty mattress or two that everyone had shared. That those mattresses were also damp and mildewed. How the clothes on some of the kids backs were the only clothes they had and they were so dirty. How most people didn’t even know where their next meal was going to come from.
This broke my heart. Not only for these people but also for myself and for my squad. My heart broke for these people because nobody deserves to live in that much poverty. My heart broke for myself and my squad because of our perspectives. We had perspectives that our living situation on the mountain was so uncomfortable and hard. And yeah, we do have every right to think that, especially if all we know is a life style of comfort. Which looking at it now, that’s all we’ve ever really known. Comfort. The Lord showed me in so many ways how our living situations on the mountain were actually a luxury. How my perspective needed to change. How dirty clothes and waking up damp were such small problems compared to the ones around me. Ones that most people can’t escape or have lived with their entire lives. My perspective needed to change from a place of thinking things could be better to a place of A LOT of gratitude. I had my own space and my own mattress to sleep on. I had more than one pair of clothes to wear and they weren’t even THAT dirty. I had 3 meals a day and they were all cooked for me. Heck, we even had the option to buy an assortment of snacks! There was a toilet and 3 showers. There were tables and benches to sit on. I was living in so much luxury and didn’t even take the time to realize it. But sometimes a shocking experience is what it takes for our eyes to be opened. Visiting the homes in these mountains and seeing poverty up close, is what it took for me.
Practicing thankfulness is what the Lord wants us to do and I honestly fall short of that way too often. He reminded me on the mountain that I should be walking through life with the perspective of gratitude. Thanking Him for the little things. Being grateful for the things I take for granted. Things I don’t even think about, like a clean bed. We all have so much to be grateful for, even in the hard times or uncomfortable times. For me, it’s all about seeking and seeing the blessings He has already and will continue to give me.
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
“ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
As I’m finishing up this blog a very fitting song came on shuffle. It’s called “Life Is a Gift” by Housefires. If you like music, go give this song a listen! It’s one of my favorites and such a sweet reminder of God’s goodness and how grateful we should be.
Love y’all,
Brianne
