Week 4

This past weekend, most of the USP group went to Jinja to go rafting on the Nile.  We went with this group called Adrift.  Rafting down the Nile was an adventure.  There was one specific area of the trip, called the “bad place.”  Our raft did everything in our capacity and strength to avoid this area.  But our efforts were meaningless.  We slowly drifted into this swirling whirlpool of water that towered the raft in about six feet. Our raft folded in half and the 9 people that were in the raft flew in different directions.  I was tossed into a whirling wave and went under the water.  I was tossed to and fro, up and down for about a good minute.  I came above the water about 8-10 times, searching for a breath of air, but was immediately tossed back into the water.  Another raft came to our rescue and I was pulled into the raft.  This was probably the worst of the rafting experience.  After surviving the "bad place", all the other rapids we faced did not toss our raft.  We conquered the four other rapids we faced after the “bad place.”  After the rapid adventure, we went back to the rooms we were staying at and we spent the night resting.  The next morning was bungee jumping.  What fun!  It was an exhilarating experience.  The scariest part of the bungee jump was the standing off of the ledge.  But once I jumped, the anxiety left, and I was reminded of the faith and control God has in our lives.  It took some faith to jump, but when I did; I had no control, and I was in for the ride of my life.  The leap of faith was worth it.

         
This past week, I have been learning so much the discipline of simplicity.  The lifestyle, idea of possessions, and mentality of the where I’m living feed off of a simple way of life.  I bring home hot sauce, jelly for bread, or any of the pens and pencils I have at home are for the entire household.  Even when, my brothers will bring something home, it is meant for the entire house and is communally shared.  According to Richard Foster, in his book Celebrations of Discipline, he says, “We cling to our possessions rather than sharing them because we are anxious about tomorrow.  But if we truly believe that God is who Jesus says he is, then we do not need to be afraid.  When we come to see God as the almighty creator and our loving Father, we can share because we know he will care for us.”  That does not mean that we should be giving and sharing everything we have…there needs to be an essence of common sense involved.  But when we seek first the Kingdom of God, anxiety truly does not have a role in our lives, and we realize that the things we have were never ours to begin with.  In this simple lifestyle, I have been lead to times of worship.