Thankful for a simple week

What a week! But then again, It seems every week I get to Sunday, think that thought, and then wonder, "What even made it so crazy?"

Our community had our first "electricity fast" this week. During electricity fasts, we try to go the whole day without using electricty (however since we did it on a weekday this time, we obviously used it while we were at work). Here's how it went: I woke up, and then- EPIC FAIL. As though it were any other day, half-asleep I climbed down from my spot on the top-bunk, went into the bathroom, flipped on the light, went about my routine, made coffee, flipped on the dining room light, and started reading my daily devotion; until Chris walked into the dining room- "Good morning Heidi! The light is on.." He said matter of factly. I stared at him for a moment, wondering why he was stating this clearly obvious fact- "Oh shoot!" I scrambled for the light, and then the coffee pot, stopping those evil flowing electrons right in their tracks. Lucklily, I was better about remembering for the rest of the day, but my point is how it's so crazy that using electricity has become so second nature to me I literally didn't even think about what I was doing. I didn't think twice about being able to turn a light on so I could see what I looked like before I left the house, or conveniently make coffee when I woke up. On top of that we still had working phones, clocks, etc. in case of anything. We still had the prilege of knowing what time it was so we could be on time for work, our refrigerator still worked so we didn't have to worry about our food going bad, and we had comfort in knowing that when we woke up the next morning, we would be flipping lights on and using the microwave all over again. Later that night my community ate a "simple meal" of beans and rice, (so that we wouldn't actually have to use the fridge) and by about 8:00 p.m. we weren't sure what to do with ourselves other than go to bed; despite that we did stay up and talk in the dark for a while. That ended up being one of the highlights of my week. We chattered about our days, about the upcoming week, we laughed together, and we even sat in the dark silence, simply enjoying each other's presence. The more I strip myself of material things and conveniences, the more I find I really don't need some of them. In fact, that I really don't want some of them.
That day I also couldn't help but to think about my client who just had her utilities shut off. Completely. All of them. Sure, keeping the lights off in my own house isn't helping her, but it helped me to understand what she's dealing with, (on a much smaller scale of course) and feel her frustration. I think that in some way that's how God works too- I find that after I've been through some sort of storm, God brings me to someone experiencing something of the same nature, (or vice versa) because only then, after we've been through something ourselves and have been brought through it by God, can we possibly understand what another person is going through, or how to help them. "God comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too." -2 Co 1 3-5 (The Message).

At the clinic this week I had the opportunity to sit in on a lecture with the therapists I work with about psychoanalysis. The speaker lectured on how mental barriers of some of our clients stop them from "cooperating" with healthcare personell. She stressed the importance of having the ability to simply understand that these barriers exist, and not to think of the clients as "uncooperative" but as in need of help getting over this barrier before any of their other problems can be taken care of. The point I'm getting at is that I had a moment where I was just sitting there in awe of the fact that as a hopeful aspiring doctor, I got to be part of this lecture. It's so incredibly important for anyone who wants to go into the medical field to be able to understand the mental health and socieconomic status of their patients in order to really understand how to help them. Once again, another reason why KC Free is the definition of treating the whole person.

After being in JVC for almost a month, I've told everyone I've talked to how incredibly grateful I am for this experience- and every time, I am taken aback by their response "Well we're really grateful that you've given up a year of your life to do this." I was talking to my roommate Allie about this, and she hit the nail right on the head by saying, "We haven't given up anything." It's so true. I've gained so much from this experience already. Not only am I noticing more of the little joys in life, but it's the little things that bring me the greatest joy- like sitting on the front porch with a warm bowl of homemade vegetable soup listening to the rain fall, riding my bike to work, cooking from scratch, sitting in the dark with my community, the smell of candles, sunflowers in mason jars on our dining room table. I've had the chance to focus completely on what really matters and what's most important through experiencing the hardships of others. I've gained more relationships, friendships, community, family, support etc. in one month than I know how to handle, and I get to do what God has given me the passion to do. I've been more thankful with less than I have ever been in my life.

Thanks for listening!
Rejoice,
Heidi