The three words that sum up the two weeks I spent in Africa on the recent Global Action trip to Africa are challenging, heartbreaking and life-giving.
I thought I was prepared for the culture shock plus jet lag but found myself feeling depressed, confused, overwhelmed, angry, impatient, and just plain exhausted the first couple of days in country. Remembering that this was fairly normal helped, but I still felt unsettled and out of control. “This is hard, Jesus, I’m not sure I can do this”, I prayed. He said, “I know…you can’t…but I can. Relax and rest in Me, trust me with yourself. I’m with you.” The challenge the next two weeks was a moment by moment opportunity to take Him at His word. Spending that first Sunday in Judy Mbugua’s church and later her home began the first week with a focus on the reality of the hymn we heard called How Beautiful is the Body of Christ.
Yet God…how He showed up in HUGE ways, time after time. Oh my!! Watching the kids warm up and just enjoy having the freedom to play, laugh, eat when they were hungry, sleep in safety when they were tired, and experience Jesus loving them in countless ways during the camp week blessed me beyond words. Hearing their stories broke my heart, but also testified to the power of God to overcome the evil one. I received a note from one of the girls, writing words of encouragement to me after our group time in which I’d shared struggles in my own life. She asked to speak with me alone. During that time, she told me a story she’d not ever shared with anyone of rape at the age of six and female genital mutilation at age eight. Despite living in pain, she has a deep faith in God and dreams of becoming all that Jesus created her to be. She is fourteen years old, living in Kibera slum, yet trusting Jesus in ways that put me to shame. I am so grateful that God allowed our journeys to intersect now and for eternity.
Being in Burundi brought many more tragic stories from the 50+ PACWA (Pan African Christian Women’s Alliance) widows and orphans of the 1993 genocide that we met with. Their lives continue to be so difficult, most living in constant “survival mode”, but their faith and joy in the Lord was contagious and life-giving to me. It was my privilege to share with them for two mornings from a counselor’s perspective on the reality that Jesus loves them and wants them to give Him access to their past wounds/trauma so that He can heal them and set them free from the captivity of their shame. In many ways, I was speaking to the choir because so many of them have a deep, abiding experience of Jesus loving and caring for them. Meeting Peace, hearing her story, observing her great love and advocacy for these women caused me to praise God for the huge sacrifices she consistently makes in His service. Others like Pastor Alban and his heart for the men of Burundi also brought praise and thanksgiving. Being a small part of God’s ongoing work in Africa for those two weeks increased my faith, my appreciation, and my love for my God. I am in awe of Him. He can and He did!
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