Proud to be a Part

Community is so hard to find.  Everyone desires a sense of belonging, a way to feel connected, but there are so few ways to find that community.  Certain social groups, such as the Rotary Club, 4H, Boy Scouts, or recreational sports teams provide a place of connection, but these relationships often fade when the participants stop participating.  Church groups can form deeper connections, but often political, religious, or organizational issues divide even the strongest of church groups.  Even though we all desire to feel loved, belonged, and important, there are so few places where we can feel this love.  This is what makes my team here so special. 

Tonight was the first night of our 2015-2016 Field Council.  This is a yearly business meeting where every worker from my organization in my country meets together to share updates, review finances, and create goals for the upcoming year.  We elected new members the leadership team, reviewed finances, and shared a delicious dinner together before continuing to the business meeting.  To end the meeting, our Field Leader, a person who has been here for 20 or more years, went around the room and shared a positive word with every person on the team.  So many positive words were shared, and many of us had tears in our eyes by the end of the evening.  It was special time for us as a team.

As I sat there listening to our leader share about each person on our team, I realized the incredible group of people I get to spend this year with.  Each person has such a beautiful servant heart, with so many gifts and talents, and when God is being glorified through those talents, such amazing work gets accomplished.  Our team, 12 members strong, is teaching and supporting four different schools, a counseling ministry, a physical therapy practice, mothers support group, art clinics, English language classes, an agricultural ministry in a rural area, and many Bible studies and small groups throughout the community, just to name a few.  There is no way that 12 people should be able to accomplish all that we do, but God is such a part of each ministry.  This is such a special place. 

At the end of the session, our leader said a few words that I will always remember.  He said, “I am proud to be a part of this team.”  Instantly, there were words to what I have been feeling for the last six weeks.  There have been so many emotions filling my head since I’ve arrived, but this simple statement clarifies all of them.  This place is special, these people are special, and it is such a blessing to be a part of the incredible work that God is doing through this team. 

I have found a community.  It might be around the world, far away from many loved ones, but we are connected by one important thing: the love of Christ, working in and through us in such incredible ways.  This kind of bond will never go away, never fade, or never grow old; I feel confident that the year I spend with this group of people will help me form relationships that will last me the rest of my life.  I am so thankful to have found such an incredible support group of people who love God with their whole lives.  They challenge me every day, and I only hope that I can encourage and challenge them as well. 

I am so proud to be a part of God’s incredible work through this team and in this country.  Thank you Jesus. 

Luke Forshey

September 11, 2015