The rest is just details...

Tonight I sat in a pizza shop and split a whole pizza with my friend Levi. Granted, it wasn't quite the same as an old fashioned pepperoni (this one was a salmon and cream pizza) it was still tasty and hit the spot.

This week we had a speaker from America named Dan. He talked about hearing God's voice and evangelism. Dan proposed that our two main areas of focus in life are to love God and make Him known, the rest is just details. He then asked a thought provoking question of us. Is it enough to just make God a part of our story or are we asking to be a part of God's story?

There were a lot of new experiences this week (every week will probably be like that though). We started our weekly outreach ministries to a township called Capricorn. Townships aren't nearly as fancy as they sound, we don't have anything comparable in America. In essence, a township is a slum, a small place where too many people are living with not enough of anything. The houses are small and dark and patched with whatever is laying around. Dogs and kids wander the streets without direction, old men sit in any shade they can find with alcohol on their breathe and empty bottles nearby, teenagers kick beaten up soccer balls around the narrow streets. Despite this though, there's happiness. We played with some of the kids we found in the street, their eyes lit up and mouths yelled out joyful noises. They climbed all over the guys in our group (and most of the girls as well) like we were a jungle gym. They flipped and twirled, showing off to the best of their abilities. They yelled ''Jackie Chan'' and ''Ninja!'' at the Koreans in our group (Asians are not often seen around this area). We sat and talked with a Muslim man and his family and shared testimonies of God's grace with them. One man admitted his alcohol addiction, a huge problem in Capricorn, but shared what God had been doing in his life lately with a joyous smile and tears in his eyes.

I can't help but have a broken heart for the people there, but they are happier than a lot of people I know. They lead simple lives, poor by every standard in America. They probably won't ever taste a latte from Starbucks, or put on a suit for work, or worry about what to post for a status update on Facebook but they know how to laugh with pure joy and take delight in the simpler things. I sat and ate a whole pizza covered in salmon and cheese tonight but I can't remember the last time I laughed with the joy that those kids at Capricorn had. Who's the poor person now?

The rest is just details....