Travelling light.

If I gave you a suitcase, what would you like to pack?

Some clothes, a novel, shoes? A home-made sandwich, a paintbox, a guitar? Perhaps rainbow sprinkles, a bicycle and a cat, maybe.

Beyond the basic necessities, there are just certain things we can't live without, or so we think. If you had a suitcase, just one suitcase, what would you pack?

Packing for my 3-week attachment to the jungle hospital in Kalimantan has been a process of self-discovery. I realised that what one packs, or hopes to, reveals a great deal about one's likes and dislikes, insecurities, addictions, and what is important to one's heart. What I wanted to pack, or not pack, told me a story of my character, or lack thereof, what I held onto tightly, and perhaps should not.

Suitcases are heavy, and they weigh us down on our journey in life. Travelling light, is therefore absolutely essential. Yet, each of us have different kinds of baggages, filled with different things we cannot let go of, revealing different stories about ourselves.

Of the extra things I packed, were my bible, colorpencils, sketchbook, inspirational reads and my journal- these things, I cannot live without. Of the extra things I brought, were my running shoes, sports attire and a photo of my cycling buddies- I would have liked to bring my bicycle too. Of the extra things I carried along, were muesli bars, dried fruits and my multivitamins-I would have liked to bring a carton of rose apples and strawberries too.

And God spoke to me, saying that while it is all good to be healthy and disciplined, I had to learn to let go, to travel light, to be able to surrender my routine, my schedules, my preferences so that I could accommodate to what the poor needed from me, so I could go further in life with Him without being weighed down by excess baggage.

Did you know, that the most innocent of things can be dead weight too? Like an inability to let go of sports, inability to try new foods or simply inflexibility. We just don't realise how much we are bound by routine and our own brand of comfort until we are forced to give them up for a reason greater than ourselves.

It made me realise that each and every one of us cling onto things which have a hold on us. Yet, to what extent can we let go of these things so very dear to our hearts?

This morning, I was really touched that 6 of my cycling buddies woke up before 5am to meet me for my last ride before I left. Each of them knew I would miss their company and said that they would await my return to ride with them again. Riding through the starlit city in predawn darkness, with the company of good friends, was more than amazing but even then, I knew it was time to let it go, and immerse myself in a season of asking God about His calling for my life with regards to missions, medicine and the poor.

I learnt from packing, that God blesses us with many a good thing in life, but there is only so much we can hold on to, so much that is essential. Anything extra we demand to carry at all costs will only weigh us down.

I can't take my bicycle with me. I can't fold my bed and my home into origami and keep it in my pocket. I can't take Roger, my dog, with me.

I learnt, that perhaps, travelling light is a lot about being able to let go, being flexible and being open to where God may be leading us. I learnt, that while we may be privileged to luxuriate in the sun-kissed blessings He has shone down on us, it may be wisest to accept that we can't store sun-rays, that we must be ready to let go of our treasures at anytime so that we are unbound by desire, free from slavery and liberated from routine.

I learnt today, while trying to pack a 3-week trip to a mission hospital in a jungle, that living wisely, is a lot about travelling light.

And perhaps, that may be the best way to travel. For in heaven, surely our suitcases are... empty, and oh, light as light can be.

Wai Jia will be in West Kalimantan from tomorrow onwards for 3 weeks. The missionary doctors tell her that there will be internet connection there (yes, in the jungle) so she hopes she may get the chance to share with you her journey- if not there, then when she gets back. Please write to her if you like :) She thanks you for all your love and prayers. May God bless you too.

Prayer requests:

that I may learn the art of travelling light with God,

to be able to hear what He has to tell me regarding His purpose for my life,

and to learn how to serve the poor,

care for the sick,

and love the hungry,

with much joy.