Scatterbrained?

I'm pretty sure that the Chinese New Year just happened a few weeks ago-- which means that it is no longer the year of the rat. Which is why I was slightly dismayed this week when a HUGE rat ran into the room that I share with the three girls on the outreach team. Luckily, only one of the other girls was there. We have sworn each other to secrecy from the other two until we're on the airplane to Korea. Sometimes there are things that you should not say to people who have to sleep in a room with the doors and windows open all of the time. Anyway, the rat ran straight into a corner of our room and stayed under the furniture there for a while. Rebekah and I stood on our beds and stared at the area for a few minutes, before concluding that we needed someone else to get rid of the rat, so we woke up Caleb, who came into the room with a large stick. Do all guys sleep with a large stick or baseball bat within reaching distance? Just a question. (I guess the guys had a stick to chase the boonie dogs that are all over the place here away. But I was amazed in the moment at the speed with which he appeared, and that he had time to get such a perfect stick.) Anyway, he did get rid of the rat quickly. It ran out the door and we tried to pretend it had never happened. Except for now.

Anyway, all encounters with rats aside, it's been a good week. Things are starting to come together a little for the DTS here-- which is still something that freaks me out a bit. But would it be worth it if it didn't? I don't know. It's kind of irrelevant, anyway.

The team is doing a great job here. They are really positive and fun to be around, and are reaching out to people wherever they go. Just the other day they met this girl at the beach and talked to her for ages... it's interesting how much more loving I usually feel when I don't feel pressured to be loving. Sometimes on outreach you get this "outreach mentality" of constantly needing to validate everything you're doing by throwing a little gospel in. But what I really want is for the gospel to permeate my life and for this good news to just be automatic in everything I do. Grocery shopping, swimming, whatever... I want to reach out to the people around me out of an inherent love and understanding of God's heart for them, not out of duty. I think that this team does a good job of that.

Anyway, random thoughts from week six on Guam.