Yesterday marks 50 days since I left home, family, friends, America, and life as I knew it to embark on this 11 month journey with the Lord. I thought it would be fun to look back on all the Lord has taught me in the first 50 days. Some may not make a lot of sense to you and others may surprise you, but every one has been a part of my story living abroad. So here are 50 things I didn’t know the Lord would teach me, or would happen during my first 50 days on the World Race.
- I really can live on even less than I brought
- Personal toilet paper is a blessing
- Kleenex is gold
- I have to be a Colgate girl temporarily because Africa doesn’t sell Crest
- Learning to live in community is hard
- Learning to live in community is good
- You can make friends for life in less than 50 days
- I LOVE sleeping in my tent (exception, see #34)
- It’s a good thing I like rice and beans
- I like to learn how to make local dishes (like Rolex and chapati)
11. Cooking on charcoal takes talent
12. African groceries are CHEAP if you buy from a street market (pineapple is 36 cents!)
13. Africans like salt
14. Ketchup and Ranch are rare delicacies
15. God would reveal to me lies I’ve been believing due to something that happened 10 years ago
16. God would give me a new heart for others
17. God would give me a new heart for myself
18. Full and total grace is for me
19. God’s goodness is for me
20. God is FOR me
21. Joy is a choice I make
22. The enemy can literally be fought in prayer
23. I fight from victory, not for victory
24. I would go white water rafting on the Nile River
25. I would be invited to a Rwandan wedding
26. I would have a dress made by a seamstress who makes gowns for the Miss Rwanda
27. I would take on a leadership role of logistics for the squad
28. I would learn how to take a Sabbath rest vs. a day off
29. That sending a package home via DHL in Rwanda would cost $108! (I did not send it home)
30. I would cut my hair…short
31. I would get a design in my new, short haircut and love it 🙂
32. I would see elephant statues at every Nakumatt supermarket in Rwanda!
33. My identity as a daughter of the King means He likes to spoil me
34. If it’s windy when it rains, I will get water in my tent (future racers, get a four-pole vs. three-pole tent!)
35. I would see the Egyptian pyramids on our way to Uganda
36. Essential oils have been well, essential
37. Mosquito bites in Africa itch way more than at home
38. In Africa, “we’ll leave in 20 minutes” is more likely to mean 40-60 minutes
39. Taking walks with the Lord is one of my favorite pastimes
40. I can listen to worship music and sit with the Lord for hours
41. Loving others is not affected by language barriers
42. A relationship with the Lord has no cultural barriers
43. That I can (and did!) bind the spirits of hoarding, perfectionism, legalism, and distraction
44. The will of God is not a “spot” on the wall, it’s not a pass or fail; instead just come, walk with and follow Jesus
45. There is so much freedom in Christ! (Galatians)
46. Average African church services last 3 hours
47. When walking, “it’s close by” is not our definition of close by
48. Grace removes the “ladder of legalism”
49. Life is about the small decisions which will affect the big decisions
50. Living with (and not just for) Jesus is SO much fun!!!
And 6 things I will be learning and working on for the rest of my life:
- To be still and wait on the Lord
- To hear the Holy Spirit’s voice clearly
- To interpret His voice correctly
- To apply what He has told me appropriately
- To obey immediately
- To live fully in today
