The past 3 months in Africa were SO great.
As usual, I went in with the hope of being a blessing
and instead I'm leaving blessed beyond words.
My heart hates to leave this place
but I'll never forget the things I learned here.
Dont even worry Africa…
I'll be back!
——–
1. Joy is a choice.
When I’m having a bad day or I haven’t had much sleep
I usually feel entitled to a little more grace than usual.
Getting easily frustrated or upset is just sort of expected.
I mean…I’m human after all.
But then I spent 3 months in Africa
where it seemed like people there had every reason in the WORLD
to have a bad attitude or be in a funk for the day.
But that was never the case.
And last time I checked…they’re human too!
In Zimbabwe the government came into the bush one day
and plowed through people’s land
reclaiming any parts they wanted,
so they could resell it in exchange for more political votes.
People lost their homes.
The church lost part of its property.
But the people didn’t mope around or get angry.
Instead they gathered together in the church to pray.
They danced and sang and laughed as usual.
And they never ever stopped smiling.
2. Everything I have is a gift from God.
Holy wake up call for this girl!
And my independent spirit still fights this constantly.
I own nothing.
God has blessed me with all that I have
so that I can share it and spread the blessing on.
I saw this put into action best in South Africa
when I lived with my host family for the week.
Auntie Katie and her family gave up their room and beds
so Stephanie and I could sleep comfortably and have our own space.
When my feet were freezing from the cold rain
Anwyne gave me her warm boots to wear for the week.
The kitchen cabinets held the basic essentials and not much more.
But every night without fail we’d come home from ministry
to a warm, home cooked meal of deliciousness
and wonder silently if they even had enough food for themselves that day.
3. Don’t forget to look UP.
There’s just nothing like a sunset in Africa
or the crazy clouds stretched across a deep blue sky
to remind me of the creativity and majesty of God.
I’m convinced God communicates to me through pictures.
And it always seemed like the crazier my day had been
the greater the beauty of the sunset was that night.
It was almost like God was saying straight to me
I love you.
Well done today.
4. Don’t reject a blessing.
I told you about Anwyne giving me her boots for the week
when my feet were freezing cold and all I had were flip flops.
Well, when it came time to leave
I tried to give back the boots
but she insisted that I keep them forever.
I tried every excuse I could find-
They wont fit in my pack…
I’m headed to India where the temperature is currently 1000 degrees…
I have my own shoes…
They look better on you…
But she wouldn’t take no for an answer
and she was hurt that I wouldn’t let her bless me.
Auntie Katie pulled me aside and told me that
she was trying to spread God’s love and live out her faith
and I was keeping her from doing that.
Moral of the story:
don’t ever reject a blessing.
5. Forgiveness is possible.
One of the reasons our host families in South Africa were so special
is found deep in the history of Cape Town.
Our families lived in a part of Cape Town called Oceanview.
At first glance you’d wonder why everyone in the world isn’t living there.
It’s a beautiful community tucked in the middle of breathtaking mountains
and surrounded by the clear blue water of the Indian Ocean.
But the people of Oceanview didn’t get there by choice.
In the 1980’s something called Apartheid happened.
Maybe you’ve heard of it?
Basically white people thought they were the better than everyone else.
And colored people better than blacks.
And blacks better than no one.
So the whites went around Cape Town
and pushed out anyone who wasn’t “like them”.
They forced coloreds and blacks out
to the farthest point of Cape Town aka Oceanview
and made them start over with absolutely nothing.
No homes. No jobs. Nothing.
And now here we come-
white missionaries into their homes
while Apartheid is still fresh on their minds
and the wound is still tender.
Even still they welcomed us into their new homes like family.
They shared their stories, their families, their beds, and their lives.
They showed no bitterness, no resentment towards us.
Only grace.
Only love.
They’ve learned to forgive.
6. Poverty is more a mentality than a set of circumstances.
I’ve sat on dirt floors in empty homes made of bamboo.
I’ve held naked babies.
I’ve been inside the bare empty kitchens.
I’ve experienced the filth, the disease, the dirty water.
I’ve seen the poorest of the poor.
You might think they’re poor
but they will fool you.
They’re usually the ones with the big smiles
and wide open doors into their homes.
They are the ones serving you the very last of their food
and borrowing all the neighbors chairs so that you can sit down.
They are the ones with dirt-covered knees
from hours spent in prayer.
And you would have no problem finding them in church.
Just follow the really loud off key voices.
You see- they just don’t care.
They know God loves them.
They know He provides.
And its that simple.
They have all they need
and deep down in their soul…
they KNOW they are rich.
7. Some of my questions will never be answered.
I met a woman whose son was hit by a bus on his way to school.
Now he’s lifeless in a coma and her husband left her alone.
Why didn’t he wake up when we prayed?
I watched in awe as Suzanne taught sign language to a deaf girl in Swaziland.
Before we came, that girl had no language whatsoever.
When we left that day there was no one to continue teaching her sign language.
Will someone else come in to teach her?
Or will she stay silent in the back of the class forever?
I played soccer and jumped through hula hoops
with kids who live every day with the affects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
because their parents are paid with alcohol at the end of every day.
How is that fair?
I held a beautiful girl who was raped on her way to school 2 days earlier.
I held her in my arms and mustered out the only words I could find…Jesus…Jesus…
and then at the end of the day,
I watched her walk that same dark path home,
knowing what would probably happen when she got there.
Who will rescue her?!
LORD I DON’T GET IT.
I hate this.
I don’t know why these things are happening.
I cant find the good.
And I don’t know what to do.
That beautiful girl stole my heart
and yet I couldn’t save her.
Why am I so lucky?
It hurts God.
It hurts…
But I trust that You’re sovereign.
I do.
I’ve seen it over and over again.
In Africa and Asia.
In Europe and Central America.
At home in the USA.
You are good.
And You reign.
