His field.

The last few days has had me thinking a lot about and praising the Lord for community.

There are a LOT of people out there who don't have it.  We quite randomly shared pizza with a friend of Autumn's last night who lives 10 minutes from us but we never knew existed.  She loves living in Haiti, loves the work she's doing, loves the people she's with...and yet it SO terribly lonely and spiritually struggling without feeding in her own language.  There is nothing in the world she wants more than a room-mate or a friend or someone.   Anyone.  Even just a Bible Study.

And as much as Autumn has enjoyed having a shower, eating our food without getting sick, and having a real mattress under her at night, I think the thing she's enjoyed the most are hours of talking, game night, movie night, talking in the yard with neighbors, eating together...community.

Man, we need it.  All of us.  I know most of us are from very "personal" cultures where sharing our lives and time and belongings with each other freely is just not normal or comfortable.  But when we can love like He did--uncomfortably, unmerited, freely, without boundaries, openly, transparently, sacrificially--we FIND love like His, too.

I reminded again that we don't pick our mission-field...He does.  And it is RIGHT where we are...it is RIGHT in front of us...to people we perhaps never imagined ministering to in ways we never intended on ministering.

So thankful for you, our community, and rededicating ourselves today to loving freely and fully the community of missionaries, locals, strangers, students, staff, visitors, children, co-workers and people He cares deeply about all around us!

This morning we joined third year student Walnique at his church for youth Sunday, and they sang "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman...in English!  Really special....enjoy!