At the end of last month we spent a week in Guatemala City with a team from Bannockburn Baptist Church. Oliver went with us. 5 solid days of hard, physical labour - painting, leveling ground, mixing a pouring concrete, stove building, people-loving, ministering, connecting, praying. + a day of travel on either end.
I think everyone, at least once in their life, should take a toddler on a mission trip. It's crazy, it's messy, it's exhausting, it's glorious.
Oliver is a first class traveler. He has taken countless trips since birth. He's traveled by car, boat, and plane. He's been to 4 states and 5 countries. This was his 4th airplane trip. He's a pro. That said, the older he gets, the harder it is to corral him. He's so big now, and those seats are so small. He's only free for the next 5 months until he turns two, and I'm thinking this may be the end of air travel for us for a bit. He's fine during flight, but gets exceedingly restless while waiting for takeoff. We've learned not to early-board when they call for families with children. It's easier to let him stay at the gate and run around for a bit longer. He usually nurses and falls asleep during takeoff, so the less time we spend on the plane before that, the better it works out for everyone involved. He did fine on the way down to Guatemala. But the trip home was HELL. I think he slept for 12 minutes. Maybe. He was fussy and wiggly the whole time. The plane was hot. I was just grateful we were on our way home,
Anyway, to Guatemala: Firstly, you need to understand that Oliver has NO idea that he is 18 months old and only 32 inches tall. He fully believes that he is capable of exactly everything that anyone else is doing. So - when we were painting, he was painting. When we were digging, he was digging. When we were praying, he was praying. If we were not sleeping - he was not either. He has so much energy. I just wish he would share.
This trip had an interesting perspective for me. I've been on mission trips before, but this was the first time where I saw things not entirely through my own eyes. Instead of being completely absorbed in my own thoughts, my own emotions, the effect of my surroundings on ME; I was focused on HIS. His reactions. His emotions. His response. And there was one overarching theme: He loves.
You guys, he loves SO HARD. And with such abandon. While I stand in the corner of a room and analyze, and agonize over who I should talk to, what I should say, how I should help, what God might have for me to do here - He marches into the room without a second of hesitation and fills it with love. Engaging, enrapturing, radical love. He doesn't even know he does it. He's just being Oliver.
I hope he never stops loving like he does now. He has now reserves, no drawbacks, because no one has ever told him that he should. His love has never been rejected. His love has no fear. It has no barriers of language, no over-analyzing of words, his love is not trying to impress. He gives no thought to the divides of culture, or class, or education, or race, or age. He has no inhibitions; it simply brings him genuine joy to brighten someone else's day for a moment. It doesn't have to be any more profound than that.
I think, when Jesus told us to 'Receive the Kingdom of god like a child' this might have been exactly what He meant.
I think everyone, at least once in their life, should take a toddler on a mission trip. It's crazy, it's messy, it's exhausting, it's glorious.
Oliver is a first class traveler. He has taken countless trips since birth. He's traveled by car, boat, and plane. He's been to 4 states and 5 countries. This was his 4th airplane trip. He's a pro. That said, the older he gets, the harder it is to corral him. He's so big now, and those seats are so small. He's only free for the next 5 months until he turns two, and I'm thinking this may be the end of air travel for us for a bit. He's fine during flight, but gets exceedingly restless while waiting for takeoff. We've learned not to early-board when they call for families with children. It's easier to let him stay at the gate and run around for a bit longer. He usually nurses and falls asleep during takeoff, so the less time we spend on the plane before that, the better it works out for everyone involved. He did fine on the way down to Guatemala. But the trip home was HELL. I think he slept for 12 minutes. Maybe. He was fussy and wiggly the whole time. The plane was hot. I was just grateful we were on our way home,
Anyway, to Guatemala: Firstly, you need to understand that Oliver has NO idea that he is 18 months old and only 32 inches tall. He fully believes that he is capable of exactly everything that anyone else is doing. So - when we were painting, he was painting. When we were digging, he was digging. When we were praying, he was praying. If we were not sleeping - he was not either. He has so much energy. I just wish he would share.
This trip had an interesting perspective for me. I've been on mission trips before, but this was the first time where I saw things not entirely through my own eyes. Instead of being completely absorbed in my own thoughts, my own emotions, the effect of my surroundings on ME; I was focused on HIS. His reactions. His emotions. His response. And there was one overarching theme: He loves.
You guys, he loves SO HARD. And with such abandon. While I stand in the corner of a room and analyze, and agonize over who I should talk to, what I should say, how I should help, what God might have for me to do here - He marches into the room without a second of hesitation and fills it with love. Engaging, enrapturing, radical love. He doesn't even know he does it. He's just being Oliver.
I hope he never stops loving like he does now. He has now reserves, no drawbacks, because no one has ever told him that he should. His love has never been rejected. His love has no fear. It has no barriers of language, no over-analyzing of words, his love is not trying to impress. He gives no thought to the divides of culture, or class, or education, or race, or age. He has no inhibitions; it simply brings him genuine joy to brighten someone else's day for a moment. It doesn't have to be any more profound than that.
I think, when Jesus told us to 'Receive the Kingdom of god like a child' this might have been exactly what He meant.
Your last line summed it up beautifully!
ReplyDeleteI think we focus too much on finding and executing the Perfect Will of God. But that's God's job, not ours. And yes, I've spent my time in that pursuit. It nearly destroyed me.
When I walk into a situation, I trust that God will make it clear if there's something specific I should do. Otherwise, I'm going to engage with someone- the nearest, the saddest, the loner, the most intriguing to me, whomever- or start playing, or something, and trust that if there's something else I should be doing God will make it obvious.
In just loving the person in front of me, in having fun, I find that a lot of cool stuff happens, including lots of amazing ministry.
This is so awesome! You should do a training DVD for future missionaries, using Oliver's techniques! It would transform the whole experience. :)
ReplyDeleteI could have written the following quotes about Oliver's Mama at 18 months of age:
ReplyDelete"Oliver has NO idea that he is 18 months old and only 32 inches tall. He fully believes that he is capable of exactly everything that anyone else is doing."
"He marches into the room without a second of hesitation and fills it with love. Engaging, enrapturing, radical love. He doesn't even know he does it. He's just being Oliver."
Aww. =)
Delete