Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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  1. Africa Time – From 4 hour church services to waiting on busses and just the fluidity of life. Schedule, structure and timeliness have a completely different definition in this culture. There were multiple nights where we would be expecting a truckload of supplies from the capital and it would arrive at 10 to 11 pm instead of 4 pm. Or it would end up just coming the next day. People have cell phones but theres rarely much communication about things like that. You just have to take every day and each hour as it comes, because you never know what it will hold. 
  2. Stars – God is in control. The stars in Africa have shown me this in a whole new way. 2 weeks before leaving Africa my team gathered on the soccer field to have Sunday Night worship. Earlier that week I had mentioned that I’d never seen a shooting star before. One of my teammates confidently told me that I would see a shooting star tonight. However, this particular night had a full moon and a sky full of clouds. Theres no way it’ll be tonight, I remarked… About halfway through our time of worship I laid down in the African grass and began asking the Lord for a shooting star. I didn’t really know what I was looking for and was trying to choose the right star to look at in case it moved a little bit. I was so stressed that I was going to look in the wrong spot and miss it. After 10 minutes, across the left side of the sky flew a streak of light. I broke out in laughter. The Lord had sent me a shooting star. It was undoubtedly from Him. Yet, here I was trying to focus on the ‘right’ star and not miss it. In reality he wasn’t going to let me miss it. This truth applies to so much more than just that shooting star. If something is in the Lord’s plan for my life he’s not just going to let me miss it. And I don’t have to stress out about focusing on the ‘right’ area instead I can just look at the bigger picture and I will undoubtedly find Him in the middle of it. 
  3. Wifi – The things I once thought essential are not anymore. While it was difficult to abandon the ability to talk to my family and friends, it gave me a greater ability to be fully present where I was. And to take so many things and conversations to the Lord rather than those around me. I learned to appreciate and value this time of disconnection. When else in my life am I going to be completely disconnected from the world for nearly 3 months? 
  4. The Word of God is Alive and Active – This is something that Ive always believed because it is scriptural but Hope Ethiopia has given me an entire different perspective on this truth. When each building on this property was being built there was scripture written on the walls and embedded in the foundation. There are popsicle sticks planted all over the compound with scripture written on them and every inch of this property has been covered with prayer. IT IS OBVIOUS. The front of our compound is marked by large sticks marking the entryway and each time I walk back onto the compound and through those sticks I am overcome with the spirit. The peace that it carries and the comfort of feeling home. I firmly believe that this is because of the word of God that has been rooted deeply all over the compound. 
  5. Coffee – Coffee is such a cultural staple in Ethiopia. It is the foundation of community and the women take great pride in serving coffee. They hand roast the beans over an open fire and then crush them by hand and finally allow it to boil in with the water. They will sit for hours on end talking and sipping on their little glass cups. Coffee ceremony has taught me a whole new way of slowing down and appreciating the true community that coffee was founded on. 
  6. Just go with it – Whether it was literal bees in my honey or tearing down limbs from a tree on Ethiopian Christmas to decorate, I’ve learned to just go with it. Ive stopped questioning a lot of things and just pressed into the incredible opportunities that lie ahead.  Ive learned to just say “Why not? And then just go with it.”
  7. Laundry – This is something that I had to physically learn how to do. I had never hand washed clothes before moving to Africa and really struggled the first few times. However, as our time here progressed, I now love doing laundry. I’m able to sit and rest with the Lord while performing such a mindless task. I might even do it when I get home, just to remember the good times. 
  8. Water – Water is the most essential asset to humanity and something that I have taken advantage of my whole life. Here on the compound we have a water well that has completely fresh water, which is distributed to the community for free. While we were in Harbu Chulule there were a few days when the town water supply failed and everyone in the community relied on our water well. In helping to distribute the water it was mind blowing to see how many little children spend the majority of their days just getting water and then taking it home on their donkeys. It’s such an essential asset to life. 
  9. Healing – I never realized how much authority I held in the area of healing and over the past month have been walking through different parts of scripture and what they have to say about healing. I’ve come to realize that each person who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ carries the same Holy Spirit within them that Jesus carried. We have the power to perform miracles as we walk by the Spirit. I have been walking through the process of stepping into more boldness in this area of my prayer life and am expecting the Lord to continue to do incredible miracles. Make sure you read my story about healing while in Ethiopia on my ‘What Love can Do‘ blog. 
  10. Growth – After reflecting on the past year I asked the Lord what He wanted 2019 to look like. He said G R O W T H… To read more about what that has looked like go read my last blog!