We’re at the end of the year, and thinking of the 1st half of our travels sends a fond feeling through my heart- sort of like a parent looking at a young child and enjoying what their becoming…
I remember when we flew off our first country, Tunisia, how ambitious, excited, and (now I see) how ignorant I was, except to go into Africa and change the continent for Jesus- sweep through like a wildfire igniting the passion I was feeling in my heart in others too. Little did I know what was awaiting me for our first country and the rest of our journey. I was ready to take the gospel to needy people there, to those who don’t have Jesus, but what I didn’t know was I was actually the one in need of Him, and He was going to use these simple, humble people to show Himself to me…… Here in Africa things work different, as I soon realized. In our western society(including SA!) the common mentality has always been “bigger is better”, why waste time and energy sharing with some random person on the street when you could be planning a crusade or a church service? It might work in our culture, but not really in others. It might work in a culture where Jesus is common knowledge, part of everyday life, and you find church buildings on every corner (not implying everyone knows Him though), but in culture where there aren’t many believers there’s no benefit from someone sweeping through, firing people with the “repent or burn” message and then dashing out of those hungry people’s lives right after the Amens, never to show/tell what it means to be saved, how to live, what the full extent of the freedom they just received means. . .It was a hard realization, that now I would actually have to open myself to people, let them into my heart, build relationship. How do you share yourself with somebody else if you don’t even know who you are yourself? That’s what that baby has become this year: a process of going to my DAD and asking Him who I am, and slowly growing into the plans He has for me, baby steps at a time. It’s so easy to grow up in a culture and just do what everyone else does, but who are you when it’s stripped away? It was a process of stripping for me in the first half of the year, and then a slow building of what it is I was really made to be. . .looking back now at the end of the journey, I can see the growth in bits and pieces, and it’s a process that’ll take the rest of my life- but I’m excited about it, and have the hope and strength I need to go at this because I know that the end of the journey is just the beginning and foundation of what DAD will build on for the rest of my life, and He promised that He’ll be there every step of the way! What more do I need? I Can’t wait to put my feet out of the bed tomorrow morning. . .
Thanks to everyone who have been supporting me with your prayers and finances! You have changed a young womans life forever!
Loads of love and blessings