The Western world is built on hustle—on doing. But I just can’t help thinking about how Jesus modeled a different way, and sadly, it took being on the other side of the world for me to even begin to grasp that. Jesus taught his disciples how to be. This means stopping the grind, the hustle, and the need to “fix” everything, and simply enjoying someone’s presence. I described this briefly during one of our early morning team devotional times, stating that I think deep, meaningful acts of service rely on intentionality. That means taking the time to send that text, noticing that person in the corner, or even just giving a genuine smile to a stranger.

The reason I say this is because the true impact of service is making someone feel seen, loved, and known. The only way to do that well is to put down our phones and sit with that person. There truly is no better example of this than Jesus—a man who pushed past the people who already thought they were important, focusing instead on the ones our Father knew needed to understand how deeply valuable they are.

This hit me as soon as I landed. I even remember telling Mariah at our first breakfast how much I love their long coffee ceremony because it takes time, and you do it with everyone talking around you. There is no rush, no urgency—just simple but potent connection. This is the exact feeling I would describe when walking into Bring Love for the first time. Those kids greeted us at the door with such joy, and all they wanted to do was simply talk and play with me.

I think the issue with our Western world is that sometimes we forget the joy of being around people isn’t about trying to find all the answers. It can just be to sit there and cherish the fact that you get to be near somebody you enjoy. Now that is the real, raw gift of community. Now that is true belonging.

So, when I head back to the States, my goal is to be better at just sitting and being, rather than constantly having to be on the go. I want to be a Mary in a Martha world—with Mary knowing what the most important thing in the world was. That is to know Jesus and make him known!

– Capri