I will cherish my time spent in West Africa for the rest of my life. From a very young age, I had a desire to be immersed in African culture. Far before I had developed a personal relationship with Jesus, my heart longed to go and “help” the people there. The only frame of reference I had at the time was what I saw through the eyes of American culture and the media. I always saw fundraisers/advertisements with the goal of mobilizing U.S. citizens to come to the aide of African families living in poverty, children experiencing starvation, and communities walking through darkness and despair. It was for this reason that I thought there was something I, personally, could do to change the world. It wasn’t until I encountered God that I realized that He is the only one who has the power to change the world, yet He is still willing to include me in His plan of redemption. But only if I am ready to yield everything I am to Him. I also realized that the viewpoint I had regarding Africa was extremely narrow-minded. Have I witnessed poverty, starvation, and darkness throughout my time here? Yes. But it is so much deeper than that. It is actually in the midst of the poverty and brokenness that I witness the greatest joy, humility, and generosity.
Our squad’s first month in West Africa took place in Lomé, Togo. Going into the month, I knew it might be the last time that team AMAZEd by You was together, so we wanted to make the most of every moment together. Our team, along with two other teams, partnered with Pastor Zank and Latter Glory Mission. Pastor Zank and the rest of the people who served us were the most selfless, generous people I have ever met. From the moment we arrived, they gave everything they had to serve us willingly and graciously. Most of our ministry throughout the month consisted of preaching at various churches in the city and teaching at a Bible college. Before the Race, preaching and any form of public speaking brought about feelings of fear and intimidation for me; however, this is an area that God has taught me to become fully dependent on Him, more than ever before. As I prepared my messages for the month, I received very clear direction of what to speak about each time. I even had a dream about the specific topic I would be teaching on right before I went to the Bible college! When I recognized that the Lord was paving the way and preparing me for each opportunity, all fear was eliminated. At first, I felt very unqualified to teach aspiring pastors about the Bible and to preach at Sunday services to entire church congregations, but it actually ended up being extremely humbling, eye-opening, and life-giving. At the end of the month, our teams were also able to host two separate events for women and children in the community. Because we were only the second World Race team to ever go to Togo, we were able to pioneer and open doors for other teams to follow-up in the future. Saying goodbye to our hosts and my team at the end of the month was one of the hardest things I have had to do so far on the Race. As more connections are made and deeper relationships are formed, the goodbyes get increasingly more difficult. With that being said, as I was grieving the end of one season, I was also so excited and expectant for what was on the horizon!
My fifth month on the World Race is now officially underway! I am with my new team, Kingdom Seekers, just outside of Accra, Ghana. Just being in Ghana is the fulfillment of a dream that the Lord specifically placed in my heart years ago. In addition, this new team is completely blowing away any expectations that I originally had! There is already so much unity and vulnerability present, and I am so honored to get the chance to lead another team of some of my best friends. I can’t wait to see the ways the Lord continues to challenge and grow me as a leader, while also binding this team together in unity and love. We are partnering with Grace Life ministry this month, and it has been the biggest blessing. Pastor Calvary and his wife, Abigail, established their ministry a little over 10 years ago, and now we get to come alongside them and form a partnership. God originally gave them a vision to start a Bible college that trains young pastors in biblically sound practices, found a primary school to teach young children about Christ’s love, and open a medical clinic to serve the community. Both the Bible school and primary school are up and running, but they are still in the midst of praying for God to provide the means for a local clinic! My primary role in ministry this month is to teach a class of 2-3 year old children at the school. I already love each and every one of the children in my class so much, and if I do nothing else all month but tell each child how much Jesus loves them, then that is enough for me. I have also gotten to take on some nursing responsibilities at the school! God-willing, I will come back to Ghana someday after I get my nursing degree so that I can help out as a nurse when our host’s medical clinic is open!
