I always love when God grants me the opportunity to dive into a different country, a different culture, a different people group…to be able to watch and learn and enjoy. God has wired my heart to be missional in nature, missional in a cross-cultural sense. I always feel more alive and more myself in foreign cultures. Africa was certainly no disappointment. And this trip to Africa was definitely an opportunity to gain exposure to something different than I had ever worked with before.
Spending a week out in the villages reminded me of how much I enjoy the simple life, and how far removed I am from it in America. Seeing the women of the Masai and Chuka villages…seeing their perseverance and determination, their hard work ethic, and passion in worship, fueled and challenged me. Their lives are an inspiration…seeing those with so little still be so generous. Amazing!
Regarding the second week, a camp for teens out of the Kibera slum, I loved every minute of it. It was the chance to remind these kids that they are loved, are precious, are valuable…a chance to love on them when you wonder if they feel loved by anyone at home. To hear heart-breaking stories of rape, physical abuse, and hunger and still see the joy of life in these children’s eyes is amazing to me. More important than doing for them, was being with them. And I enjoyed being with them. I enjoyed winning them over after seeing initial walls of mistrust. How can you come to love someone so much after only a few days? Only through God. I was confronted by my own lack of trust in God, having to wrestle with the tension between having mercy and compassion and at the same time trusting in God’s sovereignty in the lives of these children. And I also felt challenged in my thinking regarding what would help these kids. Am I tempted to think that if I could fix their circumstances that it would improve their lives? Or do I really believe that it’s more of the Lord they really need and not just more stuff? I still wear the cheap rubber band of our team color we were each given at the camp as a reminder to pray for them. I know they are wearing theirs too. My heart feels forever connected to them.
The third leg of the trip was in Burundi. I loved the fire in the hearts of the women we spent time with, especially as we worshipped with them in song and dance. Seeing their bodies reflect the attitude of their hearts of worship was uplifting. It really was a time of celebration. If someone walked into a church service in America during it’s time of worship music, would they know we are celebrating? Would they be able to see outwardly what is going on inwardly? And I felt really privileged to get to know Peace (PACWA leader there). Hearing some of her story, seeing her obedience to return to Burundi upon God’s call, seeing her be a strong rock for these women, giving them leadership and guidance, selflessly giving her life away. This is a woman who is truly in love with the Lord and committed to Him. She is constantly emptying herself. It made me want to move there just to be a friend to her, someone who she could turn to, someone who can fill her when so many others in her life drain her. And I am challenged to know she clings to the Lord to fill her up.
Overall, I’m still trying to process all that we saw and did on this trip. God really used it to refuel me. It was a gift of so many of the things that I enjoy…simple life, the outdoors, adventure, new experiences, relinquishing Americanisms, interacting with new people, teaching, etc… He used it to affirm my gifts and what He has made me for. He used it to show me more of myself. He used it to show me more of Him, and to help me see Him in new ways. He used it to show me changes I want to make in my life here because of things I saw there. He connected my heart to a different part of the world. He used it to increase my burden for the world, molding my heart to be more like His, a heart that longs to see people from every tongue, tribe, and nation worshiping Him. And this trip has left my heart in a state of greater determination to be used by God to bring this about.
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