I am having to back track a little in my blogging because in South Africa I was really worn down with support raising and the last thing I wanted to do was blog about my personal state.
Honestly, South Africa was a rough month for me physically. We arrived in Cape Town the morning of July 4th after taking a overnight bus. Overnight buses can be detrimental to your sleep schedule. I was able to sleep about 1 hour each time I fell asleep. I would then wake up in a state of complete confusion as to what day it is, what time it is, and what country I am.
We arrived at our ACTS Team House at around 10 AM and started to get settled in the wonderful room they had prepared for us. It was such a blessing to stay in such a nice place for the month. We all planned to go out for dinner to celebrate my birthday that night at an American chain that had somehow made it to South Africa. The food was amazing and the fellowship was some of the best I could have ever asked for.
I had a delicious burger and onion rings for the first time in a long time. 3 AM hit and I could not sleep, I was terribly sick and in and out of the bathroom all night long. I had managed to stay semi healthy the whole race and so this bout of stomach issues was completely unexpected. It got worse before it got better and the morning came and I could barely stand up out of my bed. I found myself crawling to the bathroom (thankfully we had our own private one in our room) and just crying because my insides felt like they were being ripped out.
I missed the first day of ministry of the whole race that morning and I was MAD. I was mad that I had to send off my team to meet contacts, start relationships, learn the ropes of ministry. I was missing out.
After a few days, a trip to the doctor, and a blood test, I found out it was just a really bad virus. Funny, of all the times to get a virus right after eating at an American chain. I hope this isn’t a foreshadowing of what eating at home is going to look like!
I had already missed almost a full week of ministry and in the meantime had discovered that I had some stowaways in my feet…..little worms that fall off of mango trees and dig in to your toes to live and lay eggs (I will spare you the picture). At this point I am thinking that the Lord is just laughing hysterically at me and how I have tried to do all of this out of my own strength. The next week was support raising time and so I was grounded from ministry yet again.
At this point I am beyond frustrated with the Lord and the predicaments I am in. I just had to take a step back and realize that the Lord had to teach me a lesson in resting and understanding the meaning of relaxation. He had to show me that I would not be able to finish the race if I had tried to do it out of my own strength. Through everything I have to rely on Him, not a little, with EVERYTHING I have…..it’s just another little piece of me that I am learning to surrender to Him.
I know that Psalm 23 is so very cliche but, of course, like everything else in the Bible it is truth and so applicable to my life in this season in Cape Town.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me to righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil ,
for you are WITH me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER.”
My green pastures might have looked like a white comforter on a twin bed. The Lord leading me to righteousness looked like an increase of time to sit and study His word. I might have needed to get sick to realize the way that He comforted me. I can’t even begin to imagine the table that He has prepared for me and the ways that He has protected me from my enemies. He laid an anointing on me in this trip and provided the funds and made my cup overflow. I walk in full confidence that His goodness and mercies are never ending and He will be with me all the days of my life.
**My feet are worm free and completely healed:-)!
