One thing I learned in Myanmar....

and its not what you think... 

I recently returned from 2 weeks in Southeast Asia. A team from my small group at church went to visit a church plant, emerging businesses, and a few orphanages in the Republic of Myanmar, and I was fortunate to go along. I know many of you reading this have visited Third World Countries, and some of you have even lived and worked there. This was my first trip to a true Third World Country and I expected to come back and be forever changed, hating commercialism and Starbucks. But the day I returned, after 38 hours of traveling, I had to take my youngest to music class and hit Starbucks on the way to help me stay awake. It didn't take long for me to settle back into my completely American life, but I can say that I haven't completely forgotten my time in Myanmar.

I learned many lessons, the following are some of  my thoughts on how my trip has affected my role as a mom, specifically a homeschooling Mom:

 We are all called to something. Some are called to live full time in foreign countries and some are called to be in suburban America.  Personally, I feel called to be a stay-at-home homeschooling mom.  The important thing is not what our calling is, but what we do with our callings.  I have grown to love the country and people of Myanmar, but it doesn't serve my family well if I devote all of my time and energy thinking of and advocating for them. Honestly, doing that instead of focusing on my family does have an appeal. I can think of so many ways that I could work full-time fundraising and advocating for them.  But, God has called me to care for the little people in my home, and He expects me to be "all in".  As I was exposed to so much outside of my world, God gave me a renewed love for my home and family. I know it seems strange that this experience would turn me to my home rather than further outside my home, but I learned to focus on these three little lives that I can influence, and hopefully, they will follow Christ with a global mindset. As I focus on them and nurturing them and their love for Christ and others, there are many ways they can come along side me and we can love the people of Myanmar and Colorado together. 

You see, I realized that sometimes doing the "BIG" is easier than the day to day caring for the home and family. It is certainly more exciting! This past week as I was pondering it all I read this in Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest: 

"It does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes." 

So, my challenge to you, dear reader, is to "be exceptional in the ordinary things of life", and may God cause you to see the ordinary as extraordinary for Him! And stay tuned for more on Myanmar...