Being in Ethiopia during the month of November meant spending Thanksgiving day away from family and friends back in the states. Although I’ve been away from home for the holidays once before, it was still not easy to adjust. It was through that and the vulnerability that our team went through this month that the Lord taught me a few hard life lessons which resulted in my faith being tested but also strengthened. I won’t lie, it was one of my hardest months on the race so far (I’ll get to that part in a bit).
While in Ethiopia, our team along with Team Devoted Love (another one of our WR teams) partnered with HopEthiopia to serve the people of Harbu Chulule, a village three hours away from Addis Ababa. The heart behind HopEthiopia is to bring hope and restoration to orphaned children and the homeless of Ethiopia by creating an environment of such for both the people and land. In doing so, our amazing host from Canada, Ralph Dubienski and his partners have built a small community in a beautiful piece of land (pictured below) to house some orphans and elders, with dreams of expanding.
They also own some other land that’s focused on reforestation. So part of our ministry consisted of painting homes, making bricks for new homes, planting trees, gardening, and even plumbing! 🙂 We also helped by serving in a two-week clinic held by an awesome team of doctors and nurses from Canada. I was so excited for so many opportunities to serve and doing so alongside another solid WR team of gals that I prayed for joy at the beginning of the month. Sadly, that joy was being robbed from me by the second week we were there.
During that second week of ministry two of my teammates, Morgan and Rachel, got sick with malaria-like symptoms. Within 24 hours, they were both taken to a nearby clinic in the village but tested negative for malaria (it turned out that this clinic didn’t have the best equipment to accurately test for malaria). Thankfully at that time, we just had the team of doctors arrive from Canada. They would periodically check on them, while also providing them with various medications. After three days of the same symptoms and no results of them getting better, the doctors suggested taking them to a hospital within the city, three hours away. Once they arrived to the hospital, they were retested for malaria (with much better equipment), where they tested positive for cerebral malaria (the most severe and even fatal type). It was not until then that we were able to understand the severity of the situation.
I cannot forget that November night that they were both being rushed to the hospital. The worries and the questions of the unknowns were evident in almost every person around. It was that night that I found myself broken again on the race. Broken and scared of the unknown. Broken for both my teammates and seeing all that they’d been suffering through. Broken that I couldn’t be there with them as they were taken to the hospital. Broken that I felt helpless and unable to do more for them. And broken that I couldn’t understand all that God was doing.
It was also during that same night, as I attempted to get some sleep, that I clearly recall the encounters I had with God. As I listened to music and cried the night away over all the worries that laid heavy in my heart, I kept questioning God and wrestled with seeing His goodness through the situation. Soon after that, I stopped questioning Him and started praying. Praying for complete healing for both my teammates, for clarity, and for peace. My prayers began turning into praises. And my praises then turned into moments of thankfulness. Thankful for having a Father who knows my heart, that I can run to when hard moments arise and who gives crazy amounts of grace in those moments when I wrestle with Him.
I remember at one point during the middle of the night, I got up to use the restroom and out of curiosity looked out the window of our house and (without my glasses) clearly saw a bright shooting star. I don’t know what that meant or what, but I know it was definitely a God moment (and yes, I made wish!). As I kept worshipping Him throughout the night, God kept giving me the word “trust”. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). It was through that word that God gave me so much peace about all that was happening in my life (from my teammates’ sickness, to missing family and friends back home). I’ve never experienced a moment such as that night, where I felt so broken but clearly felt God’s arms around me, catching every tear I cried.
As I now can look back at the month, I’ve realized that through that night of vulnerability I was holding too tightly onto my worries and my expectations, which didn’t allow room for all that God wanted to show me. So that night He had to take me into a dark room, all by myself, and break me. He wanted a quiet and intimate moment to remind me that all my worries are is in His hands and that He is faithful in all He does, whether I can see it in the moment or not. In the end, the Lord knew the outcome and the peace He knew I needed in order to continue to focus my heart on where He has me.
Sometimes in life we have to go through hard things, such as sickness, in order to put a few things into perspective. Maybe it’s meant to help us be more thankful for life. Maybe it’s meant to help us see how much God can overcome any odds. Or maybe it’s meant to have us realize how much your love for your teammates can grown in just 3 months!
I am so thankful for the healing my teammates received through the care of all the doctors. Above all, I’m thankful for the time I’ve shared with my two previous teammates and the awesome friendship we’ve established. (I love you, Morgan and Rachel!!) Malaria didn’t steal the joy we have in the Lord because Morgan and Rachel are now back on the field, doing what God’s called them to do: bring Kingdom to the nations!
(Rachel, Morgan and I at the monkey temple in Nepal! Their first month back in the field.)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
