Have you ever wondering why you are doing what you’re doing or why you are where you are?
We are now finishing up our ATL (Ask the Lord) month and God has shown himself to be extremely sovereign and faithful. At the beginning of the month most of my team felt called to work with MercyShips but I felt like the Lord had something different for me.
The whole month was somewhat frustrating because I had no idea what God wanted of me or how I was supposed to minister in Togo. I spent many days praying for my team and our squad but still felt like there was something else for me. I helped another team paint at a local Baptist seminary and then even painted at the hotel I am staying at. I knew that I was serving God by serving others and that my work was appreciated but I was still discouraged. I wanted to feel as though I had accomplished what God sent me here to do and I wasn’t satisfied. This went on for a couple weeks.
I had the opportunity to go with other squad members to a village about 2 hours outside of Lome, Togo. We left early Thursday morning and I actually wasn’t that excited or eager to go. I had gotten comfortable and lazy at my hotel with air conditioning and almost backed out, but I sucked it up and went. The only way I can describe my experience in the village is to say that it is exactly what you would picture Africa to be. It was everything I had been hoping to see and be a part of in Africa. We went to help fix a water well but we ended up spending most of the day playing with the children in the village. They are unlike any children anywhere else in the world and I instantly fell in love.
We couldn’t camp in the village so we came back to the city to camp at a church. I used my tent for the FIRST time on the WORLD RACE!! I was proud of myself that I even remembered how to set it up. As a disclaimer, I’d like to say that I don’t think it is typical for World Racers not to use a tent, my team is just unique and has been blessed with a bed every month! At the church we had ACTUAL worship which consisted of dancing, drums, shakers, and a cowbell (yes, that’s right…”I gotta have more cowbell!”). To say the least, it was amazing and I will never forget that night.
Even though we couldn’t understand each other the women we worked with were so kind and playful. They laughed when they compared my hands to theirs because mine were smooth and uncalloused. When we were leaving the village to go back to our hotels and teams, I felt like I’d been there for weeks. It was hard saying goodbye to the kids because I made such connections with them and I had only known them for two days! 
