Reflections and Debrief by Kim Delp

After coming off of a wonderful week with a team, I realize I have a lot to debrief from it.  Each evening of the week with a team, we usually try to debrief, talk through the day, the highs and lows, new experiences, exciting things, hard things, so it seems appropriate that I would need to debrief after last week. It was really good with a mix of messy thrown in there, which is normal when you are working with families.  We try to do this holistically, which can get even messier.   As I have thought myself after counseling the team to have an answer when people ask how the trip was, something better than “good,” I find myself running in to the problem of describing the trip in just a word or phrase.  So, instead of talking through it, I decided to write about it.  Sometimes that is easier and better for me, it gives me space to just say it all and leave it all out there.

One thing that hit me the first day we were with the team was that I went around and hugged each of the team, whether I knew them or not (of course I asked, I mean we are still living in a pandemic) and everyone I asked said yes.  I didn’t realize the depth of this until later on, but  it was a beautiful, initial intro to the team.

For the first time, in quite a long time, my stress level seemed very low.  I was able to breath and talk and laugh, LOTS of laughing which was so good for my soul.

The laughing was something that got me thinking.  I laughed SO much and it was so good, not just for me, but I think for everyone.  There has been so much heavy this last year plus, some days it has been hard to laugh or even smile.  I think about those who I worked with this last week, front-line workers which I have SO MUCH RESPECT for.  Going day in and day out, encountering pain, and confronting the messy and hurt-filled situations; it must be so difficult.  To be able to laugh was a welcome relief from a stress-filled year.

To work with beautiful people that bring different perspectives and having conversations over the crazy of this last year.  It would have been easy to focus on differences, but the conversations were centered around our commonality and not differences.  The beauty of new creations in Christ, celebrating anniversaries of baptisms and ushering in new thought processes that have all come out of reading the same Bible.  The Holy Spirit at work?  Indeed.

To say the week was “life-giving” sounds a little cliché to me. Like something I SHOULD say because it is the right thing to say, but it was.  Joel even said before I left that he hoped that is what the week would be for me and it was.

It made me think as I looked back over this week what was so life-giving.  Of course all of the things I mentioned above, but I think at the heart of it, I really just missed touch.  I missed hugging people, I missed laughing with people in person, not just over a screen (I say this not to disregard my family, because we have loved and hugged and touched, I am talking more outside of my family).  I feel the things I have been learning over the last year was able to be lived out a bit not just thought about in concept only.  Being able to touch patients again both physically and holistically as well.  That always brings me life and I am so grateful that I had that opportunity to maybe help in a small way. There were challenging and heartbreaking cases this week as well.  Situations that even 4 years ago, there was nothing we could really do to help.  It was such a breath of fresh air to be able to tell a young patient of mine that one of my friends would be able to help her because she was afraid to be in her home because of her parents fighting.  We have a fabulous team who helps in situations just like this.  So, to be able to look her in the eyes and say we can help you, WOW, it just leaves me speechless.

I’m so thankful for this team.  For each unique gift they brought that made the team one of the best ever!