Coming into it, we were all warned not to have expectations. I don't think I could have received any better advice because I never could have predicted this. I'm currently living in a home that has three locks between my bed and the outside world, regular visits from energetic grandchildren ages 4 to 12, several college students living in the rooms adjacent to mine, constant blaring, Spanish music, an outdoor shower and toilet, and a pet parrot who lives right outside my room. The bird can speak. And sing. It's pretty cool until about 4am. There is a park about 10 feet from my home where there are always kids playing soccer (futbol) and teens hanging out. There are always people and things happening around here which is so ideal for anyone as extroverted as I am, but it has definitely been a challenge to find my quiet time with God. I no longer have to just be intentional about it, but also strategic. It may have been the 6 weeks in quarantine before we came here, but I've definitely come to appreciate silence, and the scarcity of it has been quite testing. So many times I've heard about the "noise" of our culture in the States--always going, always distracted--and coming here has shown me that the noise isn't only in the US. It's everywhere. I don't want anyone to be under the impression that spending six months in another country for mission work means that we have things all figured out. Our ministry here is the same as mission-minded Christians at home and all over the world: the overflow of what God is doing in our lives. We all need to individually decide to spend our personal time with God and I'm not going to lie, it would be a lot less effort to miss a day or wait until ten minutes before bedtime which is exactly why I've found it so important to make it a priority.
Please pray that we all continue to stay focused and experience daily dependence on God.
--Brynne
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