I have roughly two weeks left in Africa before our squad jets off for our last continent of Europe. I have learned so much from being in these new cultures. I’ve been around children more than I have in a long time, and I have learned what it really means to thrive on less than what I thought I could back in the states.
I haven’t had wifi in every place that I have lived. Honestly, I haven’t really had great wifi like I am used to in the states or even in Asia. I haven’t had running water in every place either, and this month in Uganda, my team’s hut doesn’t have electricity. The only place that does have it is where we eat.
These past three months have been hard. I’ve been stretched in so many areas of my life. I’ve learned what it means to live in community and have to choose it or I’ll be unsatisfied with my time. I’ve been more conscious of what I say and how it affects other people.
Just these past two weeks or so, I have been reading my Bible more. I’ve been really paying attention to the things it says. I’ve been writing down what I learn and it helps me learn more. I was reading Philippians 4 yesterday, and I noticed that Paul wrote, “…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.(Phil. 4:11-13)”
These past three months, I have been learning that I control my emotions. I have the power to decide how I react in certain situations. I can either be brought down by things that have happened at home or I can choose to find joy in the things that God is teaching me in those times. I can choose to complain about not having power to charge my phone or I can choose to be content with talking to my team.
If you don’t know me that well, I am highly affected by things that are going on at home. It affects my mood, my approach to other situations, my guard I have around my heart, literally everything. Let’s face it, my family has a ton of medical issues that have become a force throughout my race. I’m not going to go into it because like I said before, it’s excessive and I will probably leave something out on accident. Well, these issues have shown up and when things do happen, my mood, my actions, and my spiritual health shifts. Everything is connected, and typically I let these things determine my experience on the race.
With this being said, I have learned and am still learning to not let situations determine how I do my ministry and how I connect with God. I’m not perfect. I make mistakes, I mess up and get dramatic, and I feel like I can’t continue on with things going on at home.
BUT
The devil is STUPID and I am taking back my reactions. I am going to do the things I have set out to do. I am going to love people as hard as I can regardless of what’s going on because that’s why I’m here.
That’s all I had, but let me encourage all of you to take back your reactions and your situations because they should not determine how you live your life. They should not determine how closed off you are to others. They should not determine how much you love.
By the way, I am so close to hitting my next goal of $15,000! You can peek up at the top of the page and see my progress, but if you feel called to help me stay on the field and help me keep loving people and growing in my relationship with God and others, just hit the donate button and follow the instructions. I have to reach this goal by February 20th to stay on the field, so please join me in this journey!
Thank you all and I’ll see you soon!
-Jo
