Month two of the World Race is here and my team is now in White River, a small town about five hours east of Pretoria, near the Swaziland and Mozambique borders. We are living at Michael’s Children’s Village, an orphanage that is a part of Iris Ministries. It is a rural gated community with a bunch of houses and huts. It’s a nice place to serve, and we even have beds, showers, and a kitchen.
For the last week, we’ve been spending time with the kids. There are about twenty or so orphans at MCV ranging from infant to teenage who have been rescued from difficult pasts. One girl describes her past life in broken English, “everyday beating, everyday beating” but now that has changed to “everyday love, everyday love.”
It has been interesting living on the MCV campus though. We are protected from the outside villages, and with all the time we spend here, there isn’t a lot of exposure to the real Africa. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The World Race is different than I thought it would be.
I went in without any expectations, but honestly, I haven’t felt any abandonment from my lifestyle at home at all. I’ve still been eating well, taking care of myself, and thriving in a great community of other awesome people my age. This year I was hoping to face serious changes that would lead to brokenness and transformation, but I’m realizing that God has other ways He wants to transform me.
I have been blessed with the ability to adapt and be present in any circumstance, but this causes me to want to struggle for my own glory and not God’s. I’ve been realizing this more and more as other groups go into extreme circumstances and our group stays near comfort and civilization.
Sure, I would probably thrive in places like the African bush, but God has called me to something different. There are lots of things that would push me further than I am being pushed now, but there are a lot of orphans that need to be loved and God has called me to do that this month. His will is greater than mine and He wants me to be a part of that “everyday love.”
Ironically, there are ways I’m being pushed harder here. It’s that same everyday love that God has been showing me. He wants me here because of His great plans to grow me. That’s my biggest goal this year: to grow into the person He wants me to be. I’m realizing that His vision for that is different than mine.
Growth won’t necessarily come through seeing “the real Africa.” It will come from following God’s will to give everyday love to those who have been hurt by the real Africa. AIDS, abuse, poverty, and hunger won’t be a part of my life here because I’m called to show orphans something much better.
One example: I may not have a tough African diet because I have American food cooked with other Americans. I may not be facing major cultural challenges like this but I am able to serve and love with extra energy instead. This energy comes from having a bed and a shower as well. If I don’t have any challenges from the lack of these, I’m called to more with the strength I have. With this strength, I have greater responsibility to take advantage of my blessings and not complain about living outside the real Africa.
When the World Race is over, the most important experiences won’t be from my own strength, but rather how much I grew up in God’s strength. I am learning to surrender daily and become stronger in my walk with the Lord, which is more important than any crazy experience I can endure on my own. This mindset is beginning to change me as it lays the foundation for the man of God I’m called to be for the rest of my life.
The World Race isn’t just the trip of a lifetime; it’s the trip that defines a lifetime. It isn’t about having the craziest experiences, but rather in setting up a foundation for a crazy experience filled life. I’m totally happy with that and falling more in love with Jesus everyday as he teaches that to me.
And you know what? Jesus wants me to see the real Africa too.
Now that the kids are back in school, we’ve been visiting Backdoor, a nearby poor village thrown together with concrete, metal, and dirt. One thing we are doing there is home visits with a local pastor and translator. Most people are joyful that we want to spend time getting to know them and praying for their ailments.
On Monday, we prayed for a lady with kidney problems, who said she felt so much better afterwards. (My hand was on her lower back and felt incredibly warm during the prayer.) We also prayed for a pregnant lady who fell in love with my squadmate’s name (Jochem, pronounced yoke-em) and plans on naming her son that.
And we met an 89-year-old woman who was bedridden and couldn’t walk very well because of bad leg spasms. As soon as we entered her dark bedroom, she was filled with joy and told our translator she knew she was going to be healed before she even knew who we were. Afterward, she got up from her bed and danced all the way to her front door.
I’m learning to have faith like hers, especially in trusting God with the rest of my World Race and lifetime. His everyday love is more than enough for me and is exactly what others need to see in every circumstance, whether I am in “the real Africa” or anywhere else He takes me.
