A Diamond at the End of the World

There is a cold nip in the air, and I stir to get out of bed. The morning is still dark. The bay and mountains still have the shadow of night cast over them. Soon the sun will peek-a-boo over the mountains to rise and take its place in the day. I am in the town of Ushuaia, Argentina. Snow, glaciers, penguins, seals and everything cold is all around the house I'm in. I get some warm clothes on and go make a cup of tea. I'm thinking about how I can't believe I am here. A few weeks ago, I looked at a book called Lonely Planet to see what the farthest city in South America is and discovered Ushuaia--the “End of the World.” Ever since that phrase entered my brain it has been ping-pong-ball-bouncing all around inside. “The End of the World, The End of the World, The End of the World...” And I am here.

My head is still waking up with my thoughts slowly coming to mind. It's funny how I'm at the “End of the World” with all the 2012 Armageddon talk. There is a common theme in Christianity with the word “world.” “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind...”(Romans 12:2) I keep asking God what he is saying through me being at the end of the world.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
Jonah being swallowed by a whale for three days and then being spit up is a prophetic sign of Jesus dying for three days and then being raised back from the dead. I feel that my team being at the end of the world is also a prophetic sign. We are at the end of what the world has to offer and give. We are at the end of ourselves. We are at the end of the world's cravings, lust of eyes and boasting of life. We want what only God can give. We want the will of our Father.
With snow-covered mountain peaks surrounding the city like castle walls, I take another sip of hot tea to drink in the moment. I look out over the bay filled with sail boats and cargo ships. Thankfulness has been pressing in on my heart relentlessly over the past two days. While I was sharing at a Baptist church, something changed in me. Normally thankfulness flows out of my heart, but in this moment, my heart became thankfulness itself. It's hard for me to believe I am here at the end of the world. It has been so long since I headed out from Vancouver, WA in the USA. For the last 8 months I have been getting further and further away from USA. But now I am headed back to USA with every time I travels. I have began the trip back home.