Day 24

Today was our last day in Colombo with the teenage girls (a home located at the church where KS houses abused and abandoned girls) and it has been really cool. The first day was kind of awkward ‘cause we didn’t really know what to do with them, but by the end of the day we had broken down some of the initial barriers of language and culture (Madumali translated for us), and started the process of getting to know them. Yesterday we brought my laptop and taught them part of our Bollywood dance routine from Mock Rock (imagine 3 white girls teaching a bunch of Sri Lankans how to do an Indian style of dance. Pretty ridiculous.) followed by a huge dance party. It was really fun and helped break down a few more barriers. Today we took it to a more serious note, and had Michelle share her testimony with the girls, followed by a short study and activity on identity.

I can’t believe we’re coming up on our fourth week here… before we know it, we’ll be heading home. I hope that this will be an experience that changes me and continues to challenge the way that I think. As one of our guest speakers told our team before we left, missions is not an event, it’s a narrative. I don’t want this trip to be something I look back on as just a cool experience, but I want it to influence the rest of my life as it bleeds seamlessly into my story. For as much as we talk about missions here, I still don’t feel like I have a good solid theology on it. Even thinking about going home can be a little intimidating sometimes, because I don’t know if I’ll be able to articulate all the things I’ve learned.

Please pray…

- That the teenage girls would be able to find their full identity in Christ, and would not return to their old pattern of living. Unfortunately, many leave the home and return to very abusive living situations because they don’t think they deserve anything better.

- That God would solidify these memories and lessons that I am learning in a way that affects my decisions, character, and walk with the Lord.