‘How happy is the one whom God reproves;

   therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

For he wounds, but he binds up;

   he strikes, but his hands heal.

He will deliver you from six troubles;

   in seven no harm shall touch you.

In famine he will redeem you from death,

   and in war from the power of the sword.

You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,

   and shall not fear destruction when it comes.

At destruction and famine you shall laugh,

   and shall not fear the wild animals of the earth.

For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,

   and the wild animals shall be at peace with you.

You shall know that your tent is safe,

   you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.

You shall know that your descendants will be many,

   and your offspring like the grass of the earth.

You shall come to your grave in ripe old age,

   as a shock of grain comes up to the threshing-floor in its season.

See, we have searched this out; it is true.

   Hear, and know it for yourself.’ 

-Job 5:17-27

Today I am grateful for sunsets.

The way light is filtered through trees, playing a game of hide and seek.

For the golden glow of late afternoons,

And for the soft greeting of the sun on an icy, winter morning.

All of this is to say that God reminds us that They are there,

Peeking out from behind trees and over the tops of busses.

All this hard work, creating one beautiful day at a time,

To remind us to embrace the beauty in each new experience.

Here’s to every moment of the past six months,

That I may never forfeit the days that brought me here.

Here’s to every moment in the next six months,

That I may make stories and feel God’s presence in each one.

Lenten Devotion:

Being a Christian is not easy work. In fact, God never said that following Him would be easy. We are not promised easy. In Job 5:18-19 it is written, “For he wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hand heals./ He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven, no harm shall touch you.” God doesn’t cause the evil or the troubles we encounter, but uses them to mold us and shape us into being faithful followers that trust in Him (I don’t believe God would intentionally cause harm to Their creation). Being a YAGM wasn’t easy work for me. I was not promised an easy journey. I was, however, promised an experience that would push me and my worldview. One of my country coordinators, Pastor Rachel Eskesen, told us that during our first few weeks in our sites, it would feel like sandbags were tied to our ankles. Having to constantly translate in our heads, figuring out a new currency, figuring out how to do ordinary tasks again, it was all going to be overwhelming.

But while I faced these challenges during my time as a YAGM, I never doubted if God was there or not. It was hard at times to see God, but They were there. They were there as my coworkers who shared their food with me and never let me go hungry. They were there in the children that I worked with, helping me practice my Hungarian. He was there with the shopkeepers who got to know me. He was there with the members of my English conversation group that I led every week.



My time as a YAGM taught me to find God in the challenges that I faced, to grow in the discomfort that I felt. Because in that discomfort, that is where God meets us and carries us through. If we aren’t challenged, then there is no lesson to be learned. The call to be Christians asks/leads/demands for us to seek out those challenges, to embrace the discomfort we encounter, so that we can go out and do the work that God calls us to. Feeding the hungry, housing individuals facing homelessness, welcoming the stranger, and advocating for the rights of the oppressed. Seek out those who God calls us to help, find the lessons in times of trial, and know that no matter what, God is walking with you every step of the way.