So here is where all that leads in my head: we try to protect ourselves by setting the bar low, but in the process we hurt ourselves and our relationships with others. We learn not to trust our community to help us carry our burdens, we learn not to expect God to move through us, and we learn not to expect Him to speak to us and have good gifts for us. All for the sake of safeguarding against disappointment. Its disappointing, huh? What if we are supposed to have high expectations? Not so much of African buses, Moldovan hostels and Indian clinics, but of God and the people surrounding us. What if we are meant to be vulnerable and hopeful all the time, hurt and disappointed some of the time, but amazed by His power and provision the rest of the time?