We have about 3 or 4 more days left here in Tanzania. We leave Sunday for Nairobi where we will have our 2nd debriefing with AIM staff. As the days have been rolling down, I’ve been thinking about what I have learned and experienced this month. There are many things, but I thought I’d share a few.
1. I’ve experienced God’s restoration as a testimony of His coming restoration of ALL things.
You see, my team leader & I, had probably spoken a mere 5 times during the last month. We didn’t really know each other or spend time together…apart from doing ministry together or playing spades. I’m not really sure why we didn’t talk…we just didn’t. But having 2 of your team members go home to America, makes your team smaller…and well you REALLY notice if you haven’t had a conversation with each of your individual team members in days. Somehow, my team leader & I, have become close within a matter of 3 days…at the beginning of this month. There is no bonding moment to trace it back to. It just appears that we became friends, real friends. We laugh about how we didn’t talk & now we talk all the time. And it stands as a testimony to both of us of how God can truly RESTORE anything FAST! Praise The Lord!
2. I’ve once again have appreciated the way sickness has driven to cling to God’s Word.
Again & again I have thought about David’s words of
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statues.� —Psalm 119:71
Being sick this month has really forced me (though I love it) to read the Word & declare it forcefully over my life. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed constantly repeating Scripture over and over again in my head. I haven’t enjoyed the actual sickness. But it driving me to the Word & prayer has revived me. I have felt like I am coming more & more alive, like I am being more & more of who I REALLY am. And feeling ALIVE…is a VERY good thing.
3. I’ve learned that I really will eat what is put in front of me.
I’ll be honest, I knew that people eat some really weird things. Well different than what I am used to. But I just assumed I’d refuse to eat, thinking “Surely they will understand I just don’t eat weird things.� Seriously that is what I thought. And for the most part, I haven’t really had to eat anything utterly nasty. But early this month the family set fried fish in from of us. Like fried large minnows. I was like…�NO WAY!!!� Tracy, my teammate, was like, “I don’t eat things with eyeballs. Sick!� Next thing you know, I am chewing a fish up in my mouth…minus the head of course. I’m just hoping that’s all of the weird food I’m fed. Though I do remember some pig snot being mixed in with our meat…but we all just picked around it. J
(Mom: I still won’t eat Salmon patties. I’d take those fried minnows any day compared to Salmon patties. Gross!)
