Overseas, all the way to Missouri

We haven’t quite been on the road for a week yet, but we’ve been busy. We’ve been in one place and have been playing multiple concerts each day. Many of the rooms aren’t ideal for sound, and we’ve been getting pretty sweaty and gross through it all. On top of that, I’ve been sick for all of tour so far. It’s all reminded me of overseas touring, and for that I’ve loved it.

I only love all of these inconveniences because it reminds me of the reason I devoted a year to CTI: an overseas trip to Taiwan. But what about that trip did I love that makes me enjoy all this stuff now?

Something that quickly comes to mind when thinking about overseas CTI touring is all of the inconveniences: the temperature, the language barrier, the confusion, the busyness, etc. But in the midst of all that junk is the reason we’re there. The ministry of music as a means of sharing our hope in Christ is something that many have fallen in love with through CTI. It’s what unites total strangers for a few weeks in the summer, or for a whole year. It’s how summer teams can come back from their journey and talk about all of the challenges and struggles with nothing but a huge smile on their face.

Being with CTI stateside doesn’t create such a distinct contrast between ministry and everyday life – we’re used to all of the cultural nuances, we’re not as crazy busy, and we have more “things” to accommodate us. This, mixed with doing it all for a much longer time, makes it more difficult to have such a strong, fueling sense of purpose.

But that’s how “real life” is. We can't wait for the opportunity to be shocked into action and purpose by such a radical experience as being in another country. Everyday we should be radically trying to live out our passions and our purpose.

The past few days have reminded me to stay focused on why I’m here, and to not let little frustrations ruin something I’m working towards.

I won’t be going overseas this summer, but it was cool to have a little flashback of what it’s like. I can’t wait to train all of the summer teamers coming up for what will end up being an unforgettable experience for each of them!