I cannot even explain the amount of people who have blessed my team and I while in Africa.
In Lesotho our ministry hosts were the most kind and hospitable people, they drove us around whenever we needed groceries or supplies. They took us on adventure days, and helped us countless times with arranging travel and hosting other teams when they needed it. We met another American woman in Lesotho who didn’t know us, but wanted to bless us and not only bought us dinner, but invited us to her home to visit.
In Swaziland, a couple of my squad mates and I were at a local restaurant on our day off doing a devotion, and a pastor randomly came up to us, prayed for us, encouraged us, and spoke into us.
In South Africa, not only did our ministry hosts bless us, but many others as well. Our neighbor ran a taxi business and ran us all over town dealing with 7 crazy girls, invited to his home for prayer nights, invited us to help at a soup kitchen, and his local church. Another neighbor took us out to eat, drove us around town, had game nights with us, and loved us so well, she even brought us medicine when we were sick. We had another volunteer bring us to coffee, then two more friends show us around another part of town.
Every step of this journey we have been blessed. It’s been amazing to see how many people God has placed in our path and how many blessings He has poured out on me.
Africa and it’s people have taught me more than I could ever dream to teach them. It’s true that I needed Africa more than Africa needed me.
More than anything, these people have taught me how to love, how to be thankful when life is hard, and how to have a smile even when you are wearing tattered clothes that are 3 sizes too small. One of my favorite quotes from mother Theresa says, “How rich you are has nothing to do with what’s in your bank account, it’s about what’s in your heart.” Most of the people I’ve met are a million times richer than a lot of people in the states.
My favorite thing about visiting other countries is their dependency on Christ and his radical life, especially in the midst of hardship. There’s a quote I heard from Jefferson Benthe in his book ‘Why I hate Religion, but love Jesus’ where he quotes C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia and says,
“Safe? Said Mr. Beaver; don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” That’s what the real Jesus is like. He isn’t’ safe. His words, his life, and his cross completely destroy the notion of him being safe. His grace is dangerous, ferocious, violent, and uncontrollable. It can’t be tamed. Does it bother anyone else that seemingly the first, and sometimes only, prayer people pray when they go on a missions trips is that they’d stay “safe”?
“Safe? He isn’t safe, but He is the king and He is Good.”
That’s truth. Learning about how to have faith from the people I’m meeting is showing me how true that statement is. I don’t just want to be safe on this mission’s trip, I want to be radical. I want to follow truth. I want to see miracles. I want to help fight this spiritual war across the globe. That’s why I need Africa more than Africa needs me, it’s taught me that I want to encounter God’s grace that’s dangerous, ferocious, violent, and uncontrollable.
Africa has taught me God’s blessings are never ending, His people are ever loving, and He is the same here, at home, and all around the world.
Africa, you have a special place in my heart.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. “ – Nelson Mandela
