snapshots from Trinidad #1: perspective

I had the amazing privilege of spending a week in Trinidad recently as part of a Summer Medical Institute (SMI) - a joint endeavor by Medical Campus Outreach in Augusta and Mission to the World.  No, I did not recently go to med school & switch careers ;-)  My dad, brother, and sister-in-law are medical professionals and have participated in numerous SMI's over the past 10 years.  One of the goals of SMI is to provide medical/nursing students with clinical experience in an international context under the supervision of physicians who are believers; equally important are the discipleship-focused parts of the trip: worship, devotions, small groups, and team meetings. Our family was very blessed that the details came together for all six of us to be able to participate in the first week of SMI - definitely a family highlight!

Perspective

I've been extremely fortunate to take part in other mission/service trips internationally in the past - and each of those have marked my life in tangible ways: a bigger view of God & the world He created and loves, new insights into who God made me to be & His call on my life, new layers of questions about the "already & not yet" of this stage in the redemption story.  So my prayers leading up to the time in Trinidad were along those lines: openness to what the Holy Spirit wanted to teach me.

The past year has been a long and challenging one (predominantly due to things at work).  Trinidad (obviously) provided separation from my normal context in numerous ways - and God was good to use that to provide much-needed perspective on this season of my life.  The picture that came to mind for me during the trip was this: life is like an ocean - there are storms & sun, waves & calm, beauty & scariness, familiarity & the unknown.  There are fellow travelers who make the journey fun, and there are times when you feel alone in the midst of the vastness.  Sometimes it seems like you're traveling on a large yacht - your needs provided for, sheltered from the storm, in the company of people you enjoy, a clear course charted out, stopping at various destinations along the way.  At other times, it can seem like you're holding onto a flimsy plastic raft, barely keeping afloat, with no land in sight!

The time in Trinidad was an island stop for me (literally & figuratively!)  It was an opportunity to stop treading water in order to stay afloat - I was able to stand and look at the horizons of my life: God's faithfulness in how He's brought me to this point, the life preservers, floats, & boats that He has given me in the past year, the "island stops" along the way that have enabled me to keep going (conversations with friends, music, my church, the prayers of dear friends).  He also showed me tools He's provided for the journey that I've been too exhausted to see and/or take advantage of: means of grace that He wants to give me in order to strengthen me.  He also reminded me of His sovereignty in the people He has put in this part of my "ocean" (co-workers, students, family, friends) - as well as ways He has gifted me that can help others in their journey.

I could keep going with the analogy, but I think this is sufficient :-)  The posts that follow will highlight some of the areas where I gained perspective . . .

I know that going on a trip like this isn't an option for everyone - but I do think that there are accessible ways to get out of our normal routine/bubble/comfort zone in order to serve others no matter where we are.  And that has a way of opening us up to the Holy Spirit in new & different ways . . .