One Body

After three days, eighteen hours of bus travel, and miles of walking with our bulky backpacks through the Nicaraguan midday heat, the team finally arrived at Canto Nuevo (New Song) Ministry.  We were greeted with welcoming words and joyous smiles by many of the staff and volunteers of the ministry, and even enjoyed the laughs of explaining to some that ’60 Days Walking’ does not mean we were skipping out on buses and hitchhikes to saunter our way across the Central American countries by foot – though that would be much more impressive! We spent the remainder of our afternoon and evening comparing stories and dreams with our new friends, and quickly fell in love with the hearts and hands behind everything being done here at New Song.

 

The next morning, after waking to find two unwelcomed tarantula roommates resting behind our bags (may they rest in peace), the three of us enjoyed a wonderful time of worship with our friends.  As we prayed side by side, I could not help but consider the unimaginable grandeur and size that this gospel has become, that I could travel to an entirely new place in the world, and experience the same God with a group of people that are just as in love with Him as I am.  I see more and more, that we are all a community, knit and held together by a love that is unrelenting, powerful and life-giving.  There is always much more being done than I see, and much more involvement, sacrifice and faith being lived out in a single day than I will ever be able to comprehend or realize.  It is an honor to be part of such an exquisite body.

One thing that God spoke to me some time ago was about the responsibility that each body part undertakes.  No member of a body is created to serve itself – but every hand, muscle, ear, toe and backbone are performing at their most natural and productive state, when they are fulfilling the needs of their other members.  When a portion of a body decides that it wants to serve itself, it is deceived and does not see the purpose and beauty behind its own talents and abilities.  What can a hand do for itself? It cannot reach, cannot eat, and cannot, in any way serve itself or fulfill its own desires; in the same way, we are not designed to function as solitary figures, but as a community of gifts, differences, talents and dreams, serving one another as a body.