Memories

Three years ago, I spent 10 days on a STM in Colombia. The church supports a missionary family there, and we went to help with a some preaching, teaching, and a conference. I mostly worked with the children, both in Sunday School and at the conference. We also spent time visiting with the missionaries, their family, and friends, and getting to know their part of Colombia.

The missionaries are visiting this week, and I was invited to join the Latino community at our church for a lunch yesterday to get to know the missionaries. Or, in the case of the original team, to catch up and visit with them.

It is amazing, the memories that flooded back, just being with them. Not just the events, but the little things: making piles of photocopies for the children (many of which they are still using), watching our missionary show the children how to run through the city square so the birds flew off, breakfasts together at the hotel, card games, playing "find the sheep" with the kids, being awakened one night by fireworks going off, buying huge bottles of water for a small amount of money....there are so many little memories that made up that time.

With the memories, came all the emotions of those days. It was exciting, tiring, confusing, fun, joyful, concerning.... I loved the children and taught them as well as I could, but I felt so overwhelmed so much of the time, I'm not sure how well I managed to teach them. There were moments of "I want to stay forever" and moments of "I would like to go home right now, please," and everything in between. 

And the question came again: Would I go back, or on another STM? Maybe. I want to serve, but it was hard, being so far from home, with everything different and noisy, and without enough time to properly rest and adjust. If they really needed me, though, I think I would go and trust God to use me how He will.