During our time in Mozambique, my team and I had the privilege of spending our month in Kedesh sanctuary, an all-boys orphanage. It was a sanctuary full of life where 30-40 boys call home. It was a sanctuary that my team and I found out what it means to simply live.
We had a simple life in Kedesh.
For food, we ate oats in the morning and, either rice and beans or rice and greens for lunch and dinner.
For Internet, we each had 1 GB to use for the whole month.
For groceries, we bought ingredients locally around the community.
For transportation, we rode in a back of a truck.
For fun, we played volleyball or soccer with the boys.
For night activities, we watched a movie every night with the boys using a projector.
We spent most of our time hanging out with the boys, playing sports, throwing water at each other, or walking around the community. Each day I spent with them, drew me closer to them. They lived a simple life, and I was jealous. I was jealous because back in Austin, I needed my food to always be different each day. I needed to have my Internet to be 24/7. I needed my groceries to have multiple brands for one type of food, and the more “organic” they are, the better. I needed my own seat in a car. I needed to have a room with air-conditioner in the summer to play games in. I needed to be in a fancy movie theater or a cool fancy coffee shop just to hang out with friends.
I needed…
Needed should really be substituted for wanted. I wanted all those things because they made me comfortable to live. I wanted to have all those things because I thought my life would be better and easier with them. I wanted and wanted more stuff to fill my life. When in reality, it was that same stuff that kept me from living fully for God.
It took a home with about 40 boys to help me realize the life that I lived is not easy, nor is it simple. It is congested full of stuff that I do not need. Full of activities that does not give me life. Full of expectations about life that I needed to be met before I can give glory to God because He provided all those stuff.
Society is not to blame for this complex life, but it does play a huge role. Society tells us that the happier people have more stuff, more activities, more money, and more jobs. I want to challenge you to live differently than the status quo.
I abandoned many different things in Mozambique, all of which were unnecessary stuff that just makes my backpack heavier and my walk with God more complex. My hope for whoever reads this blog is to live a life that God calls you to live. I am not telling you to sell all your belongings or to abandon your jobs. What I am asking you is to abandon the things that God wants you to abandon to have a simpler life. Abandon the things that prohibit you from being closer to God.
As you let go of your stuff, I want to challenge you to partner with me. I want to challenge you to pray for the stuff that is prohibiting you to have a closer relationship with God. I want to challenge you to keep me in your prayers. Finally, I also want to challenge you to give the amount you abandoned to my mission trip. For every stuff you sell/abandon/let go, consider giving the same amount to my WorldRace journey. I am still $5,200 away, so please consider taking on this challenge and this journey with me.
