Being washed by the toilet

What a week. I am so tired. Most of you know that I hate mornings…this week I saw a lot of the morning, but it was so good. I loved getting up on the ship. Walking outside and seeing the water, hearing the wind blow and being surrounded by an incredible community of faithful followers of Jesus.

From the beginning of the week I felt like this would be a different week for me. It was too! I was able to get to know people for real this week. I was blessed to be working in Domestics. My duties for the week were sweeping and mopping the floor in the mess hall, helping with laundry and washing the walls. I was able to be in conversation with a few of the girls, “laundry room talk” as the call it. I loved the fact that we could share with one another, our joys, our struggles and our dreams. All under Christmas lights in the laundry room, while folding the crews clothes.

I am continuing to learn what it means to be a servant…this week helped me to learn more. The tasks I was doing this week could have been done by anyone. I struggled at the beginning of the week with how meaningless cleaning the mess hall seemed. But as a wise friend on the ship told me about her struggles with the same thing she said “I am not just cleaning the toilets, the toilets are cleaning me”. How true. Once I started to let the work I was doing change me, I found that my attitude changed and I started to love what I was doing. Christ was at the forefront of my mind, and I was constantly aware of why I was doing what I was doing.

I am so blessed by the relationships that have been formed over the last few days. I am excited to pray for the ministry there and continue to let myself get washed by the “meaningless” tasks that I get to do. Leaving today was hard. I felt like I was just getting to know friends…and yet we were on the road again. FriendShips will forever be in my heart!

Laura