Rwanda is our half way point of the World Race. It is so hard to believe that we are in the middle of our trip, but at the same time, I feel as though we have done so much already. It is exciting to think that we will have just as much to look forward to during the second half of our journey.
I am trying my best to stay focused on the ministry at hand. Knowing that all of this will be coming to an end in less than six months, I have already started worrying about what my next step will be; yet, that is the last place I want my mind to be at. I want to trust God to make clear my next step. If anything, one thing that I have learned is that a life of trust is a movement into the gray, the ambiguous, the undefined. Though clarity is something we all desire, when I lay out my own path, how much room will I leave for God to reveal his own plan for my life?
Personally, being six months into ministry, I am exhausted. Africa has been chalk full of difficult times. I am being stretched in ways that I never imagined and have had to struggle through some really hard experiences. I know that God is using all of these moments to refine me; so it may be difficult and painful, but hopefully the outcome will be worth it.
In view of the bigger picture, I know that through all that I have experienced I am slowly gaining insight into what sort of direction I want to go in the future. I do not want to return without letting this year impact my life in a significant way. Even today, I was asked what my deep passion in life is, honestly I still don’t know. I desire to help others and I want my life to be used to impact others. I haven’t really been called to any specific country yet, but I do have a heart for perhaps working with an organization to provide opportunities for young people to be educated, trained, and develop their own business. I have met so many amazing people with deep passions and dreams, however they do not have the means to achieve them.
I can only pray that God will continue to direct my path over the next five months, so that when all is done, I will understand what His next step will be. I would love to find an organization, non-profit, or NGO that I share the same vision and perhaps continue to work overseas for a period of time. At the same time, if I have a specific direction, then I would love to go to grad school and further my education, to better equip myself.
Well… six months down, five to go. Praise God for all that he has done. I am bracing myself for the rest of the crazy ride he has prepared.
One of our crazy experiences… we got caught in a rain storm and ran to the nearest shelter, a prison. The guards were very nice to let us in until the storm passed.
