For 5 Minutes Life Was Simple

With our last day over and everyone heading out in the morning, I am both sad and pleased. It has been such a joy to have such flexible, easygoing trip participants. What a blessing!

Last night we held a block party for all the children and families of the colonia in which we had given out shoes earlier in the morning. After enjoying a few hours of playing with the almost 150 children and eating a delicious meal of hot dogs and hamburgers cooked by our most fabulous cook, Maurice, we all sat down to listen to the new and upcoming band, The Running Back, put on a short concert.

To really understand the experience, I must first paint a picture of the scene that lay before me. The sun had just sunk below the horizon and a most lovely breezed flowed through the valley. The band was facing toward the wind as, like a ginormous fan, it blew their mid-length hair from their face. The children and families sat all around both talking softly and listening intently to the refreshing sound of both guitar and voice intermingle, pleasantly permeating the air. To counter the dark night, the vans had been pulled behind the crowd and their lights turned on as makeshift stage lights for the cement parking lot "stage." At different points throughout the performance, children ran between the performers or danced joyfully behind them. As I sat on the steps of the church to the right of the band with the wind blowing the hair from my face, I marveled at the sight in front of me. For just a moment, the world was at peace. For just a moment, the worries of life dissipated. And for just 5 minutes, life was simple.

Tonight at our devotion, Craig, one of the band members brought up the following verse:

Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment"
Matthew 22:37-38

Through these words, Christ condenses all of His commandments into one, simple command. It is us who complicate life with all our worry, distrust, and tendency to put other things in life, good or bad, before our love for Him.