The family playing Ukrainian Instruments & A beautiful Church!
I
sit here in Saky, Ukraine in a cute, little flat, owned by a family with 10
children that we are staying with for the month. (They are AWESOME, by the way!) A little ways down the hall there’s a western
toilet that flushes with a sink nearby, hand soap sitting unusually next to the
faucet. There’s a tub with a shower head
that provides hot water by the turning of a handle without needing to be heated
up on a coal burning fire or used with a bucket. There’s this thing called a washing machine
that makes your clothes look spiffy and new and our food is served around a
dinner table with chairs – no need to sit on the floor. There are sauces to put on our food called
ketchup and mayonnaise served with every meal and it’s been a week since we’ve
seen rice on our plates. Identifiable
portions of meat are served with no need to wonder whether or not you will soon
bite down on a bone. We have beds,
electricity and internet that isn’t barbaric in speed.
The coast of the Black Sea & me with the Ukrainian instrument
Alright,
I haven’t REALLY forgotten what it feels like to be a part of the Westernized
world, but one thing I can say, is that I’m not entirely over my culture shock
after being in Africa for three months.
If anything is certain, I’ve been reminded of the things we take for
granted and often forget to be thankful for.
I’ve been reminded of the small blessings that so easily go unnoticed,
but still deserve the same amount of recognition as the things we consider to be of
great importance; a job promotion, the healing of a disease, finding someone to
spend your life with or a newborn baby. We repeatedly forget how GREAT our God really
is to us! Africa taught me this and so
much more.
Africa
was a beautiful, messy season of my World Race and most racers would probably
claim the same. There was so much joy,
yet so much pain and moments of confusion and questions of, “Why God?” There are moments and memories that will forever
be imprinted in my mind. There were
people I had the opportunity to meet that will always have a place in my heart,
some of which I hope to visit again one day.
There was a ridiculous amount of growth.
So much growth, a blog of typed up words would never be able to truly
explain. There’s been laughter, tears,
moments of desperation and hope, revelation, conversations I wouldn’t change
for the world, cultural barriers to overcome, children that displayed love like
I’ve never felt loved before, admiration of God’s gorgeous creations, the list
could go on forever.
Rwanda,
Kenya and Tanzania; three countries so close to each other, yet so unique in
their own way. We spent three long
months in Africa, each month commencing a new challenge, resulting in a
different area of change in my life.
Rwanda,
our first month in Africa, 7th on the Race, was certainly a month of
emotional stretching. I can’t deny that
it is probably one of my top two favorite months, but it challenged me in ways
I never knew were coming. The work that
Pastor Moses and his family are doing for God will never stop encouraging me or
pushing me to love as we are called to love.
The impact that the genocide left in Rwanda is so prevalent – It’s
obvious that generations to come will be forever impacted by it. You can see the pain in the eyes of those you
talk to about the genocide. They will
tell you vivid stories of running away or watching loved ones’ lives being
taken right before their eyes. I will
never forget the women in our bible study who shared that they are now impacted
daily by HIV from their experience of rape during the genocide, nor will I
forget meeting children who are now living without family or will soon lose
their parents to AIDS and are not sure what steps they will take next for
survival. Despite aching hearts, the
beautiful people of Rwanda taught me to be an overcomer through my relationship
with Christ, no matter what situations I may be facing. They don’t hold back their love for God. They don’t let pain of the past hold them as
a victim, but they have taken it as an opportunity to walk as a victor. They are not led by their emotions, but are
led by the Spirit of God that lives within each of us. They choose daily, to lay aside what they may
feel, for what they know they have been promised through living their lives for
Christ. It was emotionally challenging
in so many ways, but I am stronger and encouraged by the Rwandan lifestyle.
“The most beautiful
people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known
struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a
sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion,
gentleness and a deep loving concern.
Beautiful people do not just happen.”
– Elizabeth Kubler Ros
Mixing mud for constructing the church!
Our
second month, in Kenya, was physically challenging. With 15 of us in one compound, we were living
in very close quarters with no place to go that would give us private space. (On the World Race, headphones in and eye
mask on is the only “alone time” you get.)
Not only that, but our surroundings were typically pretty loud, children
crying or running around, and the sound of music being played at 5:30 AM mixed
with the crowing of roosters, awoke us every morning, bright and early. We were doing hard, physical labor, helping
build a church in the sunshine. After
several days of this, I started to become very exhausted, which began to really
impact my overall health. The exhaustion
that I experienced is what led to the reinforcement of what Paul says in
Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.” A
simple and well-known verse, but sometimes so hard to live by. This verse crossed my mind daily. It reminded me that if I’m attempting to
strive in my own strength without relying on the Spirit inside of me, I will
burn out in only a matter of time.
Making sure to spend time with God every day is also what served as a
fuel that kept me going no matter how tired or frustrated I was with my
circumstances. I began to learn that we
can choose whether or not we want to lead with the Spirit inside of us and I
learned, through first-hand experience, what the result of both ends of the
spectrum look like. When we choose the
Spirit over our own flesh, we can live positively, overcoming any attitude or
feeling that could possibly tear us down.
The minute we allow our humanly response to take precedence, we find ourselves
in troublesome situations, finding it harder to overcome and have a positive
attitude than it would be otherwise. I
was able to exercise the ability to choose the more difficult path, yet most
rewarding; to rely on Jesus’ strength and not my own.
“So I say, walk by the
Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
– Galatians 5:16
I
encountered a lot of spiritual and relational struggle in Tanzania, by far the most
difficult month on the race. This was a month
where I was tested and challenged to live out the lesson reinforced the month
before: Lead by the Spirit. The minute we crossed the border from Kenya,
you could feel the heaviness of the atmosphere.
The people in Tanzania were surprisingly much different from the two
African countries we had previously visited.
It was evident that not many Americans visited the area we were staying
in, called Sumbuwanga. It was a joy to
serve the community through helping in the church, the neighborhood and other
orphanages, but cultural and spiritual differences made it somewhat difficult
in moments. The lack of English speakers
made it tough to truly build lasting relationships and a smile and handshake,
partnered with an African greeting, was usually the extent of communication
with those around us. Varying religions,
including beliefs in witchcraft, along with misunderstandings of what the Bible
says about living a Christian lifestyle, displayed the need for long-term, dedicated
missionaries in the country to truly make an impact. It was also difficult to sometimes be seen as only financial providers and not as individuals who had come
to also love people and build relationships. During the
month, I was reminded that God is bigger than anything I do. I was reminded to pray, pray, pray, and to
continuously walk by faith and not only by what I visually see. I often didn’t understand the heaviness and expectations
of those around me, but I continued to learn the importance of releasing
uncertainty and confusion to God, trusting that He was doing work behind the
scenes.
“When you do what you love, the seemingly impossible becomes simply challenging, the laborious becomes purposeful resistance, the difficult loses its edge and is trampled by your progress.”
– Steve Maraboli
I will never forget the three months I spent in Africa on the World Race. I’m thankful for the time I had to be submersed in a culture that taught me lessons that will never leave my heart. I will always remember the beautiful people, the beautiful scenery, the joy and hope found in the worship and the moments that were difficult — those moments that changed my life forever.
