It’s September and rainy season in Ethiopia is in full swing. It makes all my April’s back home feel like nothin. A typical day is waking up to the sound of rain coming down heavy on the roof. It lets up for a little while and sometimes a little sunshine comes out for the afternoon. Not for too long though because then a downpour comes for the rest of the evening. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I think it’s never going to stop but I’ve somehow found a lot of joy in the rain. I think there is something so refreshing about the rain here. A new kind of refreshing sense I haven’t felt until being here. One sunday we were walking back from church and it just starting downpouring on us. As everyone began to run back to the house, me and a couple kids I was with started to dance. We held our arms out, danced around and took it all in. I came back to the house and sat outside and just watched the rain come down around me. I couldn’t help but think of something new coming out of the rain that comes. It reminds me of Jesus washing away all our sins and His mercies being made new every single morning. It’s a fresh start. A new beginning. That’s something that has been on my heart since the moment I got here. I’m realizing that I’m stepping into a new part of life here and it is refreshing. This summer was bittersweet in every way possible. I graduated from college and got to look back on all that God has done the past 4 years in absolute awe of what He’s done in my life. And as I left my college town for the last time I was so sad. I feel so blessed to have a place that was so hard to leave, but nonetheless sad to leave such a joyful part of life behind.
The first night I got to Hopethiopia we were greeted by another squad that was here and had a worship night. After worship they gathered around my team to encourage and pray over us. The first thing I remember from that night is someone from their team saying something about taking these next couple months of being here and being who we always wanted to be and it’s stuck with me since. A time and a place to be who we’ve been created to be and take that with us for what’s next and the rest of our lives.
Whenever I told people back home my plans of coming here, their next question was always what I’m going to do when I get back to America. I always said I didn’t know but that I’d probably figure it out while I’m here. Most of that is true but I had lots of options and ideas runnin through my head. I could go back to the agency who already offered me a job and work with innercity kids in Toledo. I’ve thought about going back to grad school for a few different things. I’ve thought about moving cities or states and starting new somewhere. I’ve thought of all the different jobs I could work and what type of population of people I want to help most. But one thing that is true is whatever I do is going to be different than what I was doing before. I’m not a college student anymore living in my favorite town going to class and living with my best friends. That stage of life was the best I’ve had so far but it’s over but it’s time for new beginnings and fresh starts. It’s time for new “best seasons of life yet”. And while I don’t know what that looks like yet, I do know it’s going to be incredible because I have a certain peace about it that I can’t explain.
At that same church service someone from the team gave a small message on the Lord’s faithfulness. I came back and sat and just marveled at the rain thinking about the Lord’s faithfulness on my life and specifically the past 4 years. I wasn’t sad it was over anymore. I was overwhelmed at the goodness of God throughout it all and thought about all the exciting things He’s going to do next. A peace came over me as I got to leave that part of life behind and rejoice in the new part of life that is to come. A certain peace about watching the rain come down knowing all the grass is going to come back greener. The wildflowers around me are going to grow by multitudes and be even more beautiful. The fields and the crops surrounding us are going to flourish. There’s a reason it rains everyday for months here. The season before was so dry and everything was running out. It needs rain to bring more life. It needs fresh starts and new beginnings to start again and thrive. Rainy season comes and life begins to thrive again. I don’t think it’s a coincidence I got here during the end of rainy season and that I get to experience it all come full circle. I get to experience the truth in His blessings coming through raindrops. While experiencing all things new, I get to thrive into the person I was created to be in the first place. I get to thrive as I think about the faithfulness of the Lord in the past and the amount of faithfulness that is to come in the future. It’s a new beginning that I’m excited for. And for now, I don’t have to know what that is to know that it’s gonna be good. In fact I don’t think I want to know what that is right now. I just want to be right here. In the meantime, I want to be here all day every day and soak up everything God has for me right now. I wanna be the me that God created me to be and the rest will come when it’s supposed to. That alone is a new beginning in itself and it’s beautiful enough right now.
If you’re in a season of transition, rest assured that God has been faithful and he will continue to be faithful in the new. New beginnings are something to be celebrated. He deserves so much glory for the past faithfulness and the new future faithfulness.
