As I sit here on a plane bound for Ethiopia, one stop of many on our way to Estonia, I cannot help but reflect on all of the things I did and people I met in Africa. I grew up my entire life never dreaming that I would go to Africa, much less for 6 whole weeks, and now the time has come and passed by so quickly. It reminds me of how as a child we would wait all year for Christmas or our birthdays, and it would come and go, passing by like a quick dream, wonderful and over oh too soon.
Africa was a totally different world than what I am used to in the States. Don’t think your spoiled? Go live in Malawi for 3 weeks with no electricity, where you have to hike half a mile in order to get water, for anything. If you want to shower, or wash clothes or cook, you schlep that 40lb jug of water back up the hill. You will soon learn how spoiled, and fortunate, you truly are as a westerner. But there is something to it, the simplicity of life in rural areas and villages. Almost everything done throughout the day has a specific, tangible purpose. Wake up at 5 am to get water for the day so you can cook, shower, clean clothes and dishes and then either go to ministry or stay and repeat the process again for the next two meals of the day ( if you are on cooking duty). Its simple and beautiful and challenging and eye opening. I loved it.
My time in Malawi was a huge growth process. I was stretched mentally, emotionally and physically out of what I have so grown to love as my “comfort zone”. But I learned something amazing this month, when you allow God to take you out of your comfort zone, whether its not having running water, or having a conversation with your friend or boss that you know will be challenging, He shows up. Every time. You see in our comfort zones, God does not have room to move. Where we are fully comfortable, we are solely operating in and of our own strengths. Its when we step out of the norm, out of our routines and what we are familiar with that God is allowed to come in and fill those gaps. It’s a wonderfully painful process, and I loved and hated every minute of it.
This month we did not get to do typical ministry. We spent a little time doing outreach in the local communities and villages, but we really focused on internal ministry, within our squad. We ministered to each other, worked hard together, loved, argued and lived together. We worshiped together, cried together and laughed together. We were a big sweaty, family of young Americans who said yes to stepping out of the normal, and allowed God to pave the rest of the way for our month. And boy did he show up. Team Zoa grew exponentially closer together this month, as well as all of z squad. I know many of us were emboldened and empowered to enter into the next 9 months, standing strong next to the rest of our teammates and waiting for God to blaze the trail.
Here is a wonderful truth I discovered this month; you don’t have to be a missionary, a pastor, or away from home, in order to step out of your comfort zone and allow God the room to move and work. In my experience, most things the Lord calls us to are not easy, comfortable and are not conquered on our own power and skill. Take a leap, talk to that co worker, love that neighbor, smash down the walls of your comfort zone and let God work some magic.
