Chapter Bolivia

In the time I was in Bolivia, my life was changed. But it was not because Bolivia was a place of revelation for me. Nor was it because those three weeks were when I saw God work the most in my short twenty-two years. God was working in me before then and has been working in me since. It seems that no matter where I am, God molds my life so that I can live in His grace more each day.

The greatest lesson I learned from Bolivia was of Unity in the Spirit. No matter what church you go to or what language you speak, if you profess Christ and rely on Him for everything, we are siblings in Christ.

Perhaps the second greatest lesson I learned was what it means to have childlike faith, dependence on God for everything. Some days, it is difficult to see God at work. I want the world to change and to be inspired by God, and, when I do not see the change even in myself, I wonder if God works at all. But He provides even my faith by His grace. By relying on God, even for the motivation to desire Him, I have found my greatest strength lies not within myself, but in the grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Amidst times of stress and weakness, the feeling of God’s closeness wanes, but faith is conviction without sight, assurance without foreknowledge. I remember that God has pulled me through and I laugh with joy.

You do not need to leave America to know God is real. You do not need to have the perfect plan to move forward with your life. All you need is to pursue righteousness. Live based on what you think is best at the time and be open to God’s Word for everything. And if He gives you opportunity to go, you should go. But trust that God will change your life no matter where you go.

~Scott Ho, Bolivia volunteer

"Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

Life, on the mission field or off, can be overwhelming at times. Coming home from a mission trip often leaves volunteers unsure how to live in a world that now seems much bigger than it did before. Often, they’re confronted with heartbreaking poverty and the reality that, even with all our relative wealth and privilege, there is only so much we can do.

Being here at home isn’t necessarily easier. People disappoint us, work can be difficult—if we can even find it, in this economy--, and church doesn’t always help.

I was thinking earlier today about the story of the disciples in the boat with Jesus, when the storm seems about to capsize the boat and Jesus is just lying there, peacefully sleeping. The disciples wake him and ask, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

Sometimes, when life gets overwhelming, I think all of us feel like asking that question.

When the disciples wake Jesus, he calms the storm. Once it has died down, he asks the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

It seems perfectly reasonable for the disciples to have been freaking out a little when it looked like they were all about to drown. But the reality is that they didn’t really have to wake Jesus up. He had things taken care of. He wasn’t going to let the boat sink.

It can be hard to remember, and even harder to believe, that the storms in our lives aren’t big enough to upset God’s boat. Sometimes they seem pretty huge.

Today, I’m praying that we will remember that we have no need to fear. We follow Jesus, and even the wind and the waves obey him.