I really loved Central America. The hosts. The ministries. The kids. The food. The experiences.
In a lot of ways, it’s very similar to the United States. The culture is very different in a lot of ways, but you can usually find American food and coffee and wi-fi when you want it. Central America brought about a lot of growth in my life, and it provided a great place to start my Race. But, after four months, Central America became pretty comfortable, and I didn’t come on the World Race to be comfortable. So, I prayed that God would send me into situations that were uncomfortable.
I got what I asked for.
Not only did we leave Central America and go to a whole new continent and culture, we went to Africa with brand new teams. We also went in December, which meant celebrating Christmas far far away from family and friends in a country with limited access to wi-fi. I knew that Africa was going to be a culture shock I had never experienced before, but it shocked me in ways I didn’t expect or even consider.
I expected to be in a village in the middle of no where. I didn’t expect to go to a village that had never before seen white people. I expected to stick out because of my skin color. I didn’t expect the level of white privilege that we encountered, and I didn’t expect to have my every move photographed or videotaped. I expected long church services and lots of dancing. I didn’t expect prophets and wearing them on my clothes. I expected to eat “weird” things. I didn’t expect to eat so much fish and rice. I expected a wide variety of new ministries. I didn’t expect to struggle so much with evangelism and teaching yet enjoy preaching and basketball the way I did. I expected to get frustrated and stressed because of all the new and different. I didn’t expect the strength I found when I chose gratitude and joy when it got tough.
I was uncomfortable, just like I asked for, but every mountain I faced showed me more of or a new aspect of God’s character. Without the struggles, I may never have seen those sides of God. I will forever praise God for each moment I was uncomfortable and for what I learned in every one of those moments.
