Day 0: Homefield Advantage
This Day Zero entry is written as a prelude to Day 1.
It was written as part of Day 1, but then I realized it's too long to keep them as one entry, so I decided to split it into 2.
The following takes place between 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM, 12 hours prior to my departure.
Events occurs in real time (in Jack Bauer’s voice).
- - -
Friday was pretty uneventful it was a pretty chill day for the most part. I finished my works, had dinner, took a shower and went to bed early.
The next morning, I actually beat my alarm clock.
And instead of going back to sleep, I decided to get ready.
Between the excitement and nerves, I just knew I won’t be able to go back to sleep.
As I was getting ready, my phone vibrates.
A text appeared on my lock screen.
My travel partners were also up early and wondering if we could leave earlier than scheduled.
Perfect!
I graciously agreed. The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll arrive.
I walked down to my porch with my bags, packed and ready to go.
Greeted by chirping birds, morning sunlights shone upon my face and the smell of fresh morning air, what a fine morning — I can’t help but reflect on the journey up to this point.
- - -
All the struggles and distractions . . .
Yes, that 2 months of nothing-ness and then the messed-up meeting and inhumane training schedule.
(read about all the struggles here)
But that’s not all.
As if those weren’t enough, there’s another distraction I had to face.
Sometimes in those 2 months of nothing-ness I got a 30-day notice from my landlord.
I was so sure the burden of finding a new place at a short time, packing and moving would make me unavailable for those trainings and meetings.
The trip is off the table for this year, so I thought.
Or maybe not.
The notice was rescinded 8 days later.
Well I guess the trip is now back on.
Of course, I still wasn’t convinced at that point.
Until that sunday when I received a confirmation during my morning prayer. (missed the story? read here).
However, I still wasn’t fully convinced until after the meeting.
It took 2 important figures doing their part in my journey before I finally made the commitment.
At that meeting, I sat on an empty table (since tables were marked by specific team, and I wasn’t committed to any just yet) and out of nowhere a guy greeted me. We talked for a little, and found out that he went to Shiprock the previous year and as we talked some more he shed some light on what was going on. Little did I know few months later he and I would be rooming together, and we’re also travel buddies for the majority of the trip.
At the end of the meeting, I also approached our team leader, addressing my confusion and all the questions I had.
From the very beginning I was fully aware of the nature of a mission trip, where flexibility is a must and nothing is set. However, unlike that other meeting — where nobody has any idea about anything, and all I received was condemnation over and over for being (in their own words) “Type-A personality” as if it’s wrong to be myself, nonetheless by people who barely know me — this time I got answers.
Praise the Lord!
The confused just received some guidance.
Our team leaders were on point on everything and it convinced me that we’re in good hands. They reiterate over and over to hold onto things loosely because everything is subject to change — which doesn’t scare me at all — but they let us know the possibilites and explained how the answer to certain questions would depends on the situation.
That’s a thousand times better than “We don’t know, just write it down.”
Definitely a thousand reasons for my heart to sing!
I remembered a conversation I had the other day with a friend who was going with a team to a different community in the Navajo Nation, also led by the same leader.
This friend had years and years of experience doing misssion overseas. Yet, as she took a little break from her usual mission, she decided to go to this “bunny slope.” She shared that one of the reason is that she wanted to learn from this team leader that she respected a lot.
I couldn’t agree more.
This made me realized how much I value great leaders and their leaderships.
Happy ending?
Not so fast . . .
Wednesday morning, D minus 3.
My landlord once again gave me a notice to move out. This time, a 60-day notice.
A little bit better than the first one (which was 30 days), and since it’s only 3 days before my departure, I decided to block any thought about it until I return. I’ll still have 46 days by then.
But distraction is pretty much that.
It can distract us, but it can’t hurt us until we let it hurt us.
Sure enough, that 60-day notice was rescinded again at a later time, and I ended up moving out on my own terms later in October.
- - -
How and why did I keep going?
This is usually where I stop. Whether calling it quit, or say “it’s not meant to be” or somewhere in-between.
Of course, all of you my prayer partners are the main reason that keeps me strong. —Special shout out to a couple of friends in the prayer team who prayed with me after services. I won’t survive without your continuous prayers.
But at this moment of reflection I can’t help but asked my self, what really made me so determined to keep going from my end?
Normally, I would’ve reached my limit by now.
Then I remembered that a couple of years prior, I came into realization that I’ve always been strong in Ministries. Went way, way back to my college years. But not so much on other life purposes. Maybe a little bit in Community, but not Missions.
Since that moment, I’ve intentionally making the efforts to balance things out.
It took a while until I took a real action. But I finally started that effort with Community in 2015.
In 2016, I decided that it was time to focus on Missions.
That’s my extra motivation to keep going.
Having a goal, set sight and being intentional in achieving the goal.
- - -
Some of you might be wondering now, what’s the difference between Ministry and Missions.
Sometimes I do too.
The name of the game doesn’t change.
Be the light, be the salt.
The rules of the game stay the same.
Love God, love others.
And then it hits me . . .
The venue, is different.
Ministry is like a home game.
While Mission resembles an away game.
Many of you sports fans would relate to this easily.
Home games are played in our home turf.
In familiar surroundings, playing field we accustomed to, friends and supporters on the bleachers; cheer squad, color guard and marching band on the sideline.
A homefield advantage.
On away games, we have to travel and face unfamiliar surroundings, sometimes a harsh environment, maybe an uneven playing field, with only few friends and supporters present—or none at all other than our teammates, most could only support us in spirit.
It can be more challenging.
But the game is still the same, whether home or away.
Be the light of the earth, salt of the world.
And our goal still the same.
To love God by loving others.
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Enough reflections for now, my ride is here and off I go to my first away game.
Later y’all!
