realized I had quite a skewed vision of what life was like on this
continent. I knew that much of the culture especially in the cities was modern
but secretly deep down I was thing there were still many “unreached� and tribal
people groups to be visited. Since being in Africa for the past two months I
can honestly say that I’ve gained a huge appreciation for the modernization
that has occurred in cities like Kitale and Kabuga.
thoughts as my hands bounce up and down on the keys. I cant help but look out
the window and think about these “Hollywoodized� tribes. I see the stretch of
empty rust colored grasslands pass by and imagine African warriors chasing
after lions and zebras. Another thought comes to mind, maybe it’s a life
changing realization, or maybe its just the deliriousness of another long bumpy travel day.
about the warriors in face paint carrying spears (I’m not that delirious
yet)…but I am talking about the towns way out in the middle of the bush who
seldom receive visitors. To be perfectly honest I now understand why not many
visitors venture out there. The ROADS ARE REALLY BAD….If you’ve never been on a
27 hour bus ride through Africa…take my word for it, seriously crazier than
riding backwards on Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point! I don’t know why it
never occurred to me back in America, that in order to get to the unreached
locals we’d have to travel on crazy dusty bumpy roads to get there, I guess I just thought there were paved roads
everywhere? As nuts as it sounds I never really processed the JOURNEY it would
take to get to the ministry that we wanted to do.
the roads in Africa are….promise I have an important point 🙂
to think about how this bumpy road can parallel life. How many times throughout
life do we encounter a situation or circumstance that we know is going to be
incredibly bumpy and potentially painful. Honestly I’d prefer my idealist paved
road to get to the ministry, but that’s not real life.
time to experience grief, to allow myself to feel what I needed to feel when I
needed to feel it, because in the end…down the road…I could look back and have
dealt with the loss, rather than avoid it and still be dealing 10 years later.
I remember thinking…screw that…I hate grief, it hurts, its hard, I hate crying
and having people feel bad for me….this road looks WAY too bumpy and hard I
don’t think I’ll ever get to the end of it.
Not all bumpy roads in life are thrust upon us like death,
some we get to choose, like going to college, or spending a month in rural
Cambodia teaching computer classes…
What I’m coming to learn from my past and this year’s
experiences is that the destination at the end of every bumpy road, if traveled
with complete dependence upon Christ, is SO worth the journey. Thankfully, I
took my friends’ advice and waded through the crappy grief when I did…if I
hadn’t I wouldn’t be able to experience this incredible gift of healing and
restoration in my life. I wouldn’t know the deepest intimate relationship with
my Father in heaven through reaching rock bottom.
like rural Cambodia has been uncomfortable to say the least but I wouldn’t have
traded the impact we made in that community for the world. The smile of Sokun
when he received the devotional was worth every bumpy road we drove and even every
puddle of waste that we walked through.
The bumpy road even though daunting is worth wading through, its worth fighting for, its worth traveling to get to the blessings on the other side.
I think there’s an even greater lesson to be learned from
this bumpy road as well. It’s not just about “making it through� the bumps to
get to the wonderful destination, it’s about the JOURNEY. It’s about enjoying the JOURNEY, learning to thank the Lord for every good time and bad time that comes our way, to thank Him for the amazing things He’s doing in and around us every day! Paul during his journey talks about
finding contentment in the Word, and I love the message version of this verse:
“Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve
learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just
as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found
the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands
empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in
the One who makes me who I am. ” Phil. 4:12
we’ll miss a lot of the amazing blessings that God has available for us. I
could sit here and say, “wow I hated that bus ride it was long and hot and VERY
bumpy.� Instead I’m learning how to say, “wow what a crazy adventure, I’ll
always share these hilarious memories with my teammates…thank you God for safe
journeys, thank you for the opportunity to see your beautiful creation from
this bus window and share it with your people�
Christ there is so much beauty in the journey to experience, please don’t miss
it even if it is an incredibly painful bumpy road. Dont shy away from the road even if it is incredibly bumpy, and when you find yourself on a bumpy road, ENJOY THE RIDE!
