Wrapping up in Month 2, seeing Christ through the eyes of the beautiful people in Africa. Seeing who I am in Christ. I am seeing more clearly my identity in Him, nothing else compares. He is patient and kind, slow to anger towards everything I do and think. Our team walks a lot everyday – to and from where we’re staying and the church and school. On days when it has stormed and rained hard, the roads are flooded and muddy. We carefully walk through it to make our way to the school or the church and sometimes get caught in the mud – it makes us laugh. At night, we use our headlamps or the lights from our phones to make it back home. It’s dark enough to look up and see the stars.
The community here defines true fellowship and service in the body of Christ. Not thinking about what tomorrow holds, but living in the moment today. I am humbled to live life here in Ghana, being a part of the day to day routine of the ministry we are serving alongside. They have cooked us some amazing meals, many are Ghanaian dishes; then we are able to serve them, cooking breakfast and cleaning everything up. Isn’t that how families are with each other? Doesn’t the body of Christ work together and serve each other joyfully?
The students in the classroom I helped teach this month are so precious and full of life. They blessed me so much and taught me the true meaning of loving and caring for each other. They listened and received well from me, a foreigner who dropped by for a little over three weeks right at the beginning of their school year. They allowed me to love them well and share a few of my favorites from home, totally engaged and loving the stories and photos I shared. I pray for each and every child in this school, that they would desire first and foremost Christ and how to better serve His Kingdom! Secondly, they’re on my hearts throughout the rest of this year, making an impact on me that will set the stage for the rest of the race!
I am learning to be patient and kind and slow to anger the way Christ is with us. I mean this with patience with myself. My future. My desires and thought up plans. It is so natural to be sitting in a room in a city in Africa. It just feels right to entrust the Lord with where my next meal will come from and sleeping in comfort at night, or remaining happy even when it’s uncomfortable. I give my good or bad health to Him to carry and trust He will bring me through each day. I don’t live in fear, but wisdom and discernment, trusting His Word with my entire being.
Back to identity…I am able to meet myself in so many ways on this journey. I see very clearly who I am as a person and what I care about deep, deep down. It is such an in depth lifestyle – learning so much about my team of six as we live with each other every day. The relationship building is so intentional and real, caring about each other the way God calls the body of Christ to. The Lord is discipling me through my team, the ministries we serve alongside in these countries, and through the people He brings into my path throughout this journey.
“Once the call of God comes to you, start going and never stop.” –Oswald Chambers
**I was ready to go, so I went! Stop talking about what you want to do for Christ if you’re not just going to get up and GO! In your community, your country, or around the world.
“I will instruct you and then teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8
