Many moons ago, I stepped off a plane in Atlanta, Georgia for this thing called Training Camp. Wide-eyed, slightly petrified, and much less mature Abby didn’t have a clue what she was getting into. I remember how stretching that week was, and how I started to realize that I was signed up for 9 months of much more intense stretching than I initially banked on. One of our sessions was all about the zones of the World Race. First, you’re in the A-zone. Our speaker explained that after launching, we’d most likely be on a high. Everything would be new and exciting. We would be living out our adventurous dreams while spreading the word of God to every corner of the world. Sounds pretty awesome, right? Unfortunately, it’s unheard of to spend your entire race is the A-zone. After the A-zone comes the B-zone. Using a pretty great analogy, our speaker had a brave volunteer come on stage, and out of nowhere slammed him in the face with an exercise ball. That poor guy was flatted on the floor in a half second. But that’s the point: one minute, you’re totally fine, loving life. The next, you find yourself sprawled on the floor, in pain, wanting nothing more than to quit and go home. I’ve spent most of my race in the A-zone. Don’t get me wrong, some days have totally sucked…but for the most part, I’ve been filled with a constant joy, and if there was ever plane sitting outside my door, waiting to take me home, I would’ve said, “No way! I’m supposed to be here…not home.” That is…until Africa.
Ethiopia is beautiful. The people…the land…the history…it is truly a special place. It’s also hard. Just plane hard. Of all the places I’ve been in the world, this is the most difficult place to be a foreigner. Some days I just want to be able to walk down the street without being treated like a celebrity or being expected to meet the needs of everyone around me. Jesus was so misunderstood when He was on earth….and I’ve never been able to relate more. In addition, this country is very, very old. Some of the first human civilizations were in this country. With this being said, there’s so much spiritual warfare that’s beyond anything I’d ever experienced…it’s weighty, ancient, and takes a toll on your mind, body, and spirit. After our first several weeks here, I went from, “OH MY GOSH I’M IN AFRICA!!!!!” to, “PLEASE GOD TAKE ME HOME!!!!!!” Three months is a long time to stay anywhere and serve. But when you add on the fact that you’re in the bush with nothing to do and nowhere to go…and it’s the final stretch of a long race…and you have approximately zero comforts of home….it becomes a lot harder. God started to strip me of everything…literally. For the first time in my life, time slowed down so much that I was left with a choice. Not tons of choices, like I’m used to having on a day-to-day basis. Just one. Will I choose God, or not?
I love staying busy. I love having people to see and things to do and places to go. While the pace of my life came to a painful crawl in this country, (and believe me, it’s still painful some days) this is where my character has been put to the test. This is where I’ve been refined in the fire. This is where I’ve gotten to take everything I’ve learned over the previous two continents of race and put it into practice. This is where God has revealed some of the most important aspects of life and taught me how to walk in them confidently day in and day out. This is where I’ve been tested the most, but heard God’s voice the clearest.
Hope…perseverance…positivity…purpose…expectations…these are several of the main things God has highlighted over the last three months. These are not things I would have such a firm grasp on unless God had stopped me and my tracks and slowed me down. I’ve learned that without positivity and encouragement, you can’t have hope. Without hope, perseverance is nonexistent, and without perseverance, it’s very hard to stay focused on your purpose and the eternal crown you’re straining for. In order for me to realize this, however, I had to get my expectations for Africa out of the gutter and have faith that God has me right where He wants.
When it comes down to it, you don’t get what you deserve…you get what you expect..
Ethiopia has been so difficult in so many ways, but it’s taught me to raise my expectations, and hence raise everything else: hope, perseverance, positivity…you name it. If I expected all of Ethiopia to stink, it would. By raising my expectations and deciding that I was going to leave Ethiopia changed, I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel and enjoy the blessings God was putting in my path every day. If I didn’t expect to make a difference here in the lives of the locals, I wouldn’t. By raising my expectations and deciding to ask God for opportunities to love these people well, apathy vanished and was replaced by answered prayers. If I expected my weaknesses to limit and debilitate me, I would sit in doubt and unworthiness. By raising my expectations and choosing to believe that God loves to use weak people, I’ve become more vulnerable and dependent on the Lord.
So yes, I finally hit the B-zone. It definitely was not fun. But the cool thing is that once you get out of the B-zone, you hit the C-zone. The C-zone is where you emerge from the pit of homesickness and mental breakdowns and come out stronger. In just over 2 weeks, I will be back home for the first time in 9 months and my race will be over. And while 9 months really isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things, I’m confident that having endured the hard and deciding to choose the Lord every day, I’m coming back a whole lot stronger.
“These [trails] have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:7
Me and Senna, my little princess.
Tirunesh, one of the amazing house moms at Hopethiopia.
Making Mother’s Day cookies!!
