Make Me a Servant.

 Philippians 2:1-11

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose… (vs. 1-2)

As our internship here in Czech Republic comes to a close, it is difficult to express what we are experiencing. Logistically, all Czech English Camp teams are together, finishing training for our third and final week of camp. Our intern team will be partnering with Jerry and Melissa’s intern team to lead Kutna Hora in their very first JV English Camp. Today we will say ‘goodbye’ to all other intern teams.

Our final few hours with our Czech family from Colorado, the Hartmans.

Earlier this week we parted with our dear friends, the Hartman family. They have been an encouragement, a comfort, a source of fellowship, tenderness and compassion. I will and do miss them dearly.

It’s difficult to know how to say ‘goodbye’ and yet I am convinced that there is a healthy way to do it… can anyone tell me that way? There was a time in my life when my heart was much harder and goodbyes were easy; I simply closed up my heart, decided not to feel and walked away. But thanks to the transforming power of Jesus Christ in my life, I now bawl at the dinner table the night before I leave (yesterday). By that I mean to say, God has grown my willingness and capacity to love and to express emotion, and now it is no longer easy to say ‘goodbye.’

During that period of ‘cold-heartedness,’ I often questioned whether or not I had experienced what Philippians 2:1-2 describes. It was one of those passages that I read with my head but could not connect to with my heart. Without question I now know this encouragement from being united with Christ, comfort from His love, fellowship with the Spirit, this tenderness and compasstion. I'm sure I have experienced it throughout my life, but I have not been able to recognize it. 

So now I have a responsibility: to be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose... to be a servant like Jesus out of love (Phil 2:3-11, Gal 5:13). How can I best serve the people that I love? How can I love them well?

As I say 'goodbye,' I am realizing how much I love the people around me. I wish that I would have expressed my love more often and more openly. This is most likely the next step in my ongoing lesson on love - to open my heart, to lay down the walls so that I can fully serve the people around me while they are around me.

Please continue to pray for all intern teams and JV camps! There is one more round of harvest and it is as ripe as the previous two. 

Please pray that we would continue to experience the fullness of Philippians 2:1-11, and that we would keep our focus on today. 

Thank you all so much. I love you.

Rejoice in the Lord always, 

Esther.

My dear friends, the members of Team Granola, the intern team we lived with in Cesky Tesin.