As I sit aboard my first flight back to America I try to collect my thoughts and emotions for my arrival in 33 hours. I have no idea how to sum up this year of my life. How will I explain in 2 hours, 2 minutes, or even 20 seconds what this year has meant to me?
What should I respond when asked, “How was your trip?”
It’s not easy for me to wrap my head around the experiences and transformations that occurred in my life the last 11 months let alone try to describe it to you, but I know this is what I am called to do. I did not experience these miracles or have these revelations to keep them to myself. I was sent to grow in my relationship with The Lord and now I am returning to share what I have learned.
Each lesson has a story and each story leads into another which comprises the novel of my year spent getting to know The Lord and His heart. Below are a few cliff notes with the hope of answering some questions on what I learned and how this year changed the trajectory of my life.
God is a King that doesn’t just sit on a throne and observe the world but a Father who cares for and loves His children. He is a Father who delights in sharing His best and in surprising us with big and little gifts.
My prayers went from one-sided statements to full-fledged conversations. I not only more fully understand what I feel and think about things but what God feels and thinks about them.
We are conditioned to be content with a mundane, routine life but we were created for a lifestyle of uncertainty. We were created to live fully dependent on The Lord. (Matthew 6:25-26)
The Lord has a plan and a purpose for my life, and I will only be truly satisfied when I am living it out. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
Have you sought Him to know what yours is?
God sees and hears every desire of our hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves.
Marketing campaigns pay trillions of dollars each year to convince us our value and worth is in our looks, our prestige, or our power but God paid far more to redeem our value and worth in Him. When we are grounded in Him, we know how valuable and worthy we truly are for we are His children, and that makes us royalty. (Romans 8:14-17)
Magazines and movies try to convince women their desire for love can only be fulfilled in the attention and affection of a man when God says all we need is Him, for He is love. (1 John 4:8 & 16)
Genuine love can develop in a matter of minutes. When you share the same spirit God can connect you more deeply and more intimately with someone in less time than you imagine.
Prayers are our greatest weapon against this world. I have seen prayers heal over and over again; cast out demons; shift mentalities and atmospheres; and save lives. Nothing is impossible for God. Pray for the impossible.
Prayers are powerful. (James 5:13-18)
God is alive and the Holy Spirit lives within me. When I doubted this was true, it was not a lack of His presence but a lack of my faith and awareness of Him.
God is a god of promises, and He is faithful in fulfilling them.
Children are the same everywhere; little boys like to wrestle, and girls never tire of braiding hair.
The world isn’t as big as we think it is. Africa isn’t that different from America. And you can find something in common with anyone if you try.
Love always wins.
I know for some, these cliff notes will be sufficient for learning about my year while others will want to hear part or all of the novel God wrote with me this year. If this is the case feel free to contact me as I would enjoy sharing more about the work God has done in me and through me this year.
See you soon, Iowa!
