Back in our (un)comfort zone

      This week was my first time both out of the country and in Guatemala, but I don't think I properly prepared myself to be uncomfortable. I knew I would be in a whole knew world but had no idea how to even imagine what it would be like. Coming away from the trip, however, I can't stop thinking about the importance of being uncomfortable. 

      I first realized this when we read Mark 8:35, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who want to lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it." Losing our life isn't just throwing away everything. Losing our life is opening our heart and mind to new ideas and not being afraid to let the old ones go. It's listening to God rather than our own knowledge. Often, God leaves the questions and not the answers. This can all be very uncomfortable.

      It's easy to feel uncomfortable in Guatemala while surrounded by foreign cultures, different languages, and poverty, but I don't think it stops there. Being uncomfortable from this alone is no indication of losing our life for the sake of the gospel. Opening ourselves to change requires a conscious choice to be uncomfortable no matter where we are. That being said, this trip doesn't end when we get home. If it does end for us, we've let down all of the people this week who have shared with us their story, vocation, and knowledge. 

      When we return, it is important that the memory of this trip doesn't seem like some dream in a foreign land. The greatest service we can give to the people we met this week is to continue to let what we've learned affect us. We must continue to make ourselves uncomfortable, for that's where we'll see growth.

-Drew "Pollito" Biddell