The Sweet Simplicity of Stillness

Hey everyone! First blog in Colombia! Our ministry is INCREDIBLE, and you can’t beat those chocolate croissants for 1000 pesos (around 30 cents). The bakery is part of the program here and the squad loves to hang out there and do Bible study when we have the time. The language barrier has been tough, but wow it really didn’t matter today during Zumba! To get the ladies here up and moving, we decided to do a Zumba class after dinner and it was SO FUN, not only for me because I got to lead it, but also for the women who don’t get to exercise often. It was a phenomenal experience and honestly there’s nothing like teaching Zumba to a rooftop full of women in Colombia and yelling “SÍ! SÍ! ¡MUY BIEN!” every few minutes(my knowledge of Spanish is very limited). Other than my very fast-paced Zumba class, our first few days here have been pretty slow, as we work through logistics and try to figure out a schedule, which has been hard. But it taught me a little about the spirit of restfulness. That it’s ok to not know what’s going on every single second and it’s ok to have an hour gap between things to just soak it all in. That a morning spent working in the kitchen and an afternoon spending time with the Lord is good for my soul. Restfulness is life giving, and I tend to forget that often. I forget that slowing down and enjoying the simplicity of life is good. Fruitful, even. I find myself smiling through things I never would have before. Not just slowing down, but the presence of Christ in my life has fundamentally changed who I am. I’m not more joyful because I left the country and found God. I’m more joyful because I found God in my mundane, my every day, and wanted to serve Him even if it meant leaving my comfortability. John Mark Comer said it best in The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: “…if there’s a formula for a happy life, it’s quite simple – inhabit the moment.”

My time here has been prayerful and surrounded by a steadfast love that can only come from a community of other believers lifting me up constantly. Though I have to share a single shower with nine women and don’t have access to hot water for the next month and a half, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I’m living an answered prayer and words can’t even describe how grateful I am for it. Last January I questioned the existence of God entirely and was fed up with myself, Christianity, and the life I was living. But here I am today, loving this, loving life, and most importantly, loving God.

Blessings (from me & la cucarachas who infest our living space),

Camille Curtis