So what is Embrace the Beyond all about?
We're here as tourists, hoping to get immersed in the culture and village life. We're here to see the beyond.
In our surrounding area, we know of two churches we want to visit and there are several villages the 2013 team from this island remembered. Aside from that, there's countless things for foreigners to see and countless untouched villages to meet. This first week is a difficult one for us because we have no schedule or routine. Where we go when is all up in the air.
Our plan this week is to get some maps from the tourist office and figure out where we are starting. We will spend some time in our city, getting acclimated to the climate and used to the food (which is delicious), before heading out into the beyond. Our goal is to be out of the city by midweek, wherever that might be.
How to pray this week:
- Pray that God would guide our decisions for where we go. With so many options, it will either be hard to choose or too easy. Let our time be focused on and guided by our good Father.
- Pray that we would be patient with each other and the local pastor. When we don't have a schedule and we know we're here for limited time, it's easy to get frustrated with the situation and lash out at teammates. We need to remember that He is in control and our plan is only plan B.
- Give thanks for the pastor of the church because he is allowing us to stay in their congregation house instead of paying for an expensive hotel while we figure out what we are going to do.
- Pray for each of us individually and as a team. I know for me (Alex) at least, homesickness is starting to set in. For me and whenever it hits the rest of the team, pray that we would come together as a team and lean on one another and not get reclusive.
- We have three native languages in our group of four, so pray that our communication through Mat (translator) is smooth and what He needs to say through us is heard through our translator.
God bless!