I did it! I lived in Africa for 3 whole months! Never in a million years did I expect to visit Africa, much less live there. Funny how God Works!
So, because I haven’t been the best at keeping up with my blog and I’m now in Asia, I want to give y’all a quick recap of my three months in Africa and my first three months on the World Race! I also want to share with you what God has taught me so far on this journey! So here we go:
Uganda – Month 1 – September:
One word to describe my month in Uganda is “amazing.” My team and I were placed with a ministry called “Raising Up Hope for Uganda” (aka RUHU) and our host was Patrick, the founder. We were the first World Race team to work with Patrick and it was probably the best first month we could have asked for. The work that God is doing through RUHU and Patrick was so amazing to see first-hand!
A lot of the ministry was focused on getting kids off the streets and feeding, clothing, educating, and loving them. RUHU has two orphanages, a safe house for teenage girls and their babies (where I got to work!), a free school for the community kids whose families can’t afford to send them to the normal schools (where my teammates worked as teachers), slum outreach for homeless kids living in the slums that are usually addicted to drugs to mask their hunger pains (read my blog titled “The Day He Broke My Heart”), and a village being built for future expansion to help and house even more kids. I can’t wait to see all the cool things that this remarkable ministry will accomplish in the future with God’s provision and guidance!
My favorite memory from this month (besides rafting the Nile River!) was the transformation my team and I went through from the first time we went to the slums to our final slums visit. After the first experience we almost didn’t go back because of how scary and uncomfortable it made us. But God graciously showed us that the slums are where Jesus would have been hanging out and that we were being Jesus to the kids simply by being with them and acknowledging them. Those moments in the slums were the closest I have ever felt to Jesus and being the person He calls me to be!
Rwanda – Month 2 – October:
In Rwanda, we were in a small village working with “International Healing Center Ministries.” Working with this church/ministry was a great experience! We spent our days doing a lot of different things. We taught at a school and shared bible stories and songs with the kids, we preached at small group meetings for married couples, ministers, youth, and single moms and widows. We also each got the chance to preach sermons at church!
Our host, Fatia, was the founder and pastor of the ministry and church. She was such a remarkable women of God and a great example for our all-girls team! It was cool to see how much respect she was given in the community and how much strength and influence her words carried.
My favorite memory from Rwanda was on the last Sunday when it was my turn to give a sermon. I got to wear my custom African dress for the first time and I got to share my sermon that really resonated with the congregation (read my last blog)! Also, we lived close to a national park were we got to go on a real African safari!
Ethiopia – Month 3 – November:
In Ethiopia we partnered with an organization called “Talita Rise Up” (look up Mark 5:41-42) which sponsors around 100 community members, providing them with food and clothes, and also runs the only orphanage in the community. We spent our days loving on babies, putting on programs for the community kids, and leading a three-day retreat for the community women!
Something that was unique this month was that we got a cool opportunity to pick what we wanted ministry to look like. We sat down as a team and decided what things we wanted to do and how we thought we could impact the community the best.
My favorite memory this month was simply just loving and spending time with the babies at the orphanage. The 8 babies that currently live there have seen more abandonment and hurt then you could imagine. Yet, they were able to teach me so much about love and how the Father loves me and all His children!
Lessons Learned:
Over the course of these three months, I have learned so much about myself and about God. I learned that up until the Race I have let fear control my life. I brought this to the Lord and decided that I was going to let go of all my different fears and take up the courage and strength God has given me! I learned that my words have power. God made me and He gives me the ability to speak truth and life into people and this is a gift that I should use for His glory! I learned that sometimes it is okay to not be okay. I don’t like being vulnerable with people about what I am working through or why I’m upset, but I have learned that those moments are the times when I can allow others to show me love and support and allow myself to fully depend on God and give everything to Him! And lastly, I learned how incredible our God is and how much I love Him and desire to rest in His presence!
After 3 months in Africa, it is safe to say that I fell in love with the cultures I experienced and the people that I built relationships with! I couldn’t have imagined a better start to my World Race journey and I am so grateful for the amazing experiences God has given me so far! Goodbye Africa!
Thank you for reading my blog, I will try to be better at posting more often now that I am caught up!
Also, my final financial deadline is in a couple of days (December 31st)! I am only $1,692 away from being FULLY FUNDED! That is only 57 people giving $30 each or 34 people giving $50 each! If you feel called to help me reach my final goal, please click the “support me” tab on this page! I could not have gotten this far without help from all of my supporters and I am so incredibly thankful for all of you! I wish y’all a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
