Finding Community

Community has been a theme onboard the ship recently, and it's a concept near and dear to me. When we first set out for Mercy Ships my biggest fear wasn't living in Africa. (I've done that before and really loved it) Nor did I feel apprehension about the patients, their surgeries or my ability as a nurse. My biggest fear was that I would not find community. 

Sounds silly, right? After all, isn't this ship basically a floating community?? 

While that may be true, becoming part of a community means more than just being in close proximity to others. It's having the "I don't just live by you, I do life with you" mentality.

Community, in my mind, suggests intentionality.

Because it all boils down to cultivating genuine relationships: 

with my husband, my family, my friends, and the Lord.

This has been something that Pat and I have sought ever since we left Spokane. The community we had in Washington was tight-knit, and the making of a new one does NOT happen overnight. As our travels have taken us far from home, to the East Coast and now to Africa, I've realized how vital community is for me. It sounds simple, but I thrive when there is richness of relationship, and I whither when there is none.

In thinking over the past five weeks spent on this ship, I feel so blessed to count all the ways I have experienced community so far:

In the way laughter and fellowship always go hand and hand with a meal.

In impromptu dance parties with my patients, where we joyfully express what words cannot.

In reading God's Word, sharing struggles, and affirming truth with the beautiful ladies in my smallgroup.

In jogging during the wee morning hours with a small band of early risers through the quiet streets of Conakry. 

In weekly worship services, where praise is more about the Lord than about the song that is sung. 

In the still moments spent talking with my husband at the end of the day.

In the surprise and joy I hear in my mom's voice when I call her.

In prayer with my fellow nurses, banded together with heads bowed, lifting up our patients and each other before we start our shift.

I am so thankful for these opportunities to do life together. It's not always comfortable (let's face it, we're human) but I don't think it should be. Only by rubbing against one another's rough spots can we be made smooth. Only by bearing one another's burdens can God teach us how to love one another well. Only in Community can God work out the kinks in you, in me. 

And I invite that wholeheartedly :)