Uganda… that’s where I am right now. It is crazy to think that before the race, Africa was just the hard part of the middle that I had to just get through, and now it is almost over. Out of the three countries, I think I like the feel of this one the best… the people are hilarious and are always expected to laugh at our corny American jokes… I am going to miss Africa. Like the last two countries that we were in, our ministry this month is not much different than before: lots of preaching, door to door, and school visits coupled with the randomness of all that African time has to offer. We arrived pretty late last Monday night and were exhausted, so we were told that Tuesday we were permitted to rest until the afternoon fellowship service at the church across from our new home. I was also told that we had to simply attend… relief… just attend… no expectations, but then again, the phrase “lost in translation” has come to mean so much more to me on this race.
We arrived at the church after a restful day, prayed for a while, then took our seats. The pastor said a few words then introduced the “visitors” as we have been so affectionately referred to for some time now. The leader of the team was then called forward to fill the next hour… the hair stood up on the back of my neck… yeah that’s me. I was given the church for an hour…no plans, no agendas, just one big hour that was supposedly all mine to fill. I walked up to the podium, took a breath and said “let’s pray.” I was later told that during this time Samantha was praying over and over “give her a word, give her a word, give her a word…” Thanks, friend… that’s why my team is the best for real.
I looked up and all I had before me was a Bible, a mic, and eager, silent faces. I began, told my story, read several scriptures that came to mind and just talked really. I can’t take all of the credit though because for the last 20 minutes, I threw my team under the bus, requesting that they all come and introduce themselves one by one and say something small. All in all, it worked out. I walked away from that service sort of marveling at God and the fact that He still uses me.
A few days ago, we drove four hours there and back to have three hours of ministry in another town… world race… 8-9 hours in a car= 3 hours of figuring it out. On the way there though, we passed from the Northern Hemisphere into the Southern one. This was fun because we all straddled the line saying that we were truly in two places at once… on both sides of the world. I had a thought there… I feel like I am in two places at once. The last couple of months have been a struggle for me, just wrestling with God about things, figuring out who I am, fighting old habits, just trying to get it right… on the other hand though, God is using me to do things like speak for forty minutes with no preparation. I don’t feel perfect enough to be used right now… I often ask God why He’s still around or why He decides to give me something to say. I might feel like I’m straddling the line most days, but I know I am leaning on Him because I can’t do this on my own.
