Oh boy! Where do I even start? I guess that I will start with telling you why I am even here. I am on this route on The World Race because Jesus told me to be. I was worshiping and seeking answers in Woodland, Washington at The Promise. The Promise is an amazing church with a bunch of crazy’s like me that know how to worship. I would go up there to seek the Lord and get filled. While in the middle of the beautiful chaos they call worship, Jesus spoke to me. Not audibly, but distinctly. He said to me, “Choose the route that ends in Africa, because you will never want to leave and part of you never will!” These words spoken with grace to attain them, became a promise that I would hold onto. When it got hard, I would remember that I hadn’t even gotten to the reason I was on this eleven month journey of brokenness and flames. I didn’t truly realize how big it really was until I stepped foot in Kenya, where I write this from. I realized that very first day, even though exhausted from extensive travel and little to no sleep, that my Daddy had just fulfilled the first promised I had ever heard Him speak to me! That ladies and gents is an incredible feeling. It made tangible the things that I knew in my mind about His goodness and faithfulness! That’s kind of a big deal! I am actually getting hit with the truth of the matter. All I had to do to receive this amazing promise, was trust Him and walk the path He’d laid before me. This has really gotten me excited to receive the promise that He has next for me! I think I might have to write a book about that promise (if she’ll let me)! One of the best lessons I have ever learned, He can’t not be faithful!
Africa is a fulfilled promise from the Lord and in a lot of ways, has extremely overwhelmed me. As I write this, I am absolutely an emotional wreck and yet better than I have ever been in my life. I am working with a man name Moses, who carries the title of Bishop. This title means that he oversees multiple churches (I think 7) and works with other Christian operations around Kenya. In our three weeks here we have: prayed for the sick in a local hospital; worked alongside selfless Christians at a children’s orphanage/school; and done door to door evangelism in which Jesus showed up, healed and brought freedom to His children! We have made relationships with some truly amazing African’s. They carry a joy that can only come from Him.
One of my favorite things, is how no matter where you are going, you will most likely have an entourage of children following you. If you turn around, look them in the eyes for too long, or try and get near them, they will run. It has become a pretty great game. This actually comes because of one of the hardships of Africa, poverty. It is everywhere and in your face. It isn’t one of those infomercials with the swollen bellies anymore. It’s real and it can get overwhelming because there is so much of it and so little I feel like I can do. I am so glad that my God is bigger than Africa! He had to remind me of this after I had prayed for countless people for provision. He had me write it down even. “My God is a God of endless provision who provides for His children!” If I do not hold onto this truth, there is a strong possibility of losing hope, which is not an option.
I have heard so much talk of how exhausting Africa is for missionaries. I think that it has so much to do with this. I have only been here for 3 weeks and I believe Africa to be the place where missionaries come to die to themselves and find out (possibly the hard way) how there is no way we can do it in our own strength. Our strength stops working when we try to do the impossible and it is at that very moment that we must call upon Him or utterly fail. It is the beautiful dance that has called upon every ounce of my faith and then made me cry out for more when I come to the realization that I don’t have enough.
My favorite thing about Africa is the worship! There is a spirit of worship here that has been an amazing thing to experience and I have not gotten the full scale experience yet. There is something about the way that they worship here that breaks chains and bestows freedom! It is so good and I want more! I crave it! I have found myself dancing and worshiping all by myself in the middle of the day. There is so much more to come and already I find that as I write this, I need to write more. I am working on another blog at the moment and actually mulling over a third in my head. So there is more coming soon! Next week we will be working with street children, who have been imprisoned by poverty. My hope is to show them Him Who is Love!
Photos courtesy of Nelly and Willy!
