So we’re living with a local pastor, Joseph, his wife Mercy, and their precious little girl, Patience. I think this is especially funny to be living with these two, since as of late I have had pretty much zero of either. No matter how hard I pray I have been SO frustrated and annoyed. Maybe 4 months of no sleep is catching up with me. Not to mention I’m living in a single room with 4 other girls, I’m hungry, and hot, and dirty, not to mention the smell- I’ve stopped wondering where it’s coming from. But in spite of all this, God has put me in a house with Patience and Mercy.
I’m not going to lie; there are days when I just want to go home. I just want to be in my clean room, in my clean bed, in clean clothes, after a shower with non-dangerous water, eating normal food- preferably McDonalds- but God has me in Africa, and I can’t have any of those things. Not even McDonalds. We went yesterday to a home for the disabled, and it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The people there we’re so severely disabled most of them had to be put in these seat things… many were deformed, disfigured, many screaming, it was chaos. We were asked to feed them. It was slightly reminiscent of my days at daycare, other than it was a full grown African woman, who every other bite spit and coughed pieces of banana and Ugali on my face and hair. Let me just say- I was NOT comfortable. I had to force myself to be cheery, to be Jesus hands, and to not throw up. I felt God calling me to lay down my comfort on His altar.
My question to Him was “what other choice do I have?” I can’t go back to being comfortable, to living for myself, to going day after day without telling anyone about the treasure I’ve found in Jesus! When I was at training camp I told God he could have everything, and now slowly but surely He’s taking me up on it. Even though I want to yell at the top of my lungs, and throw a fit, and stomp my feet; God has given me Mercy. And although Patience is just a small child (like it is in me), when we live in God’s love He is raises us up.
As I’m writing this, about Patience and Mercy, the internet just will not work. You know what? The enemy wants you to be frustrated, and mad, and annoyed. As long as he has you yelling and throwing a fit you can’t live in the peace, joy, and love that God wants for you. So I’m going to smack the devil and the internet in the face, and say you know what? You have no power here, you won’t rule my life another day. I live in a house with Patience and Mercy!
