Adventures in Africa!

Maybe because I have too much running through my mind and my heart…

 

 
Being in Africa has been quite the adventure and quite the challenge.
 
The living conditions are not always ideal…squatty potties, flies swarming around food, and bucket showers. (I did take a bucket shower this morning though, and was so thankful for hot water and so thankful to be clean!)
 
A positive is that I’ve slept in a bed in every city (both Tanzania and Kenya) and I’ve eaten delicious meals, much more yummy than former World Racers described.
 
There are days that I love being in Africa (well love is a strong word)…there are days that I like being in Africa and there are days that I’m very ready to leave…forever.
 
The ministry is mostly evangelism, which I’m just starting to fully appreciate and understand. We also preach at crusades, visit church members, teach in schools, play with orphans, and spread love to Africans.
 
Being a squad leader, I travel around to different cities…well in Tanzania I stayed with one team all month, but here in Kenya I’ve lived one week in Ngong Hills, Nakuru, and I’m now in Bukembe.
 
I don’t always participate in ministry because I focus more on the men and women of my squad…

 
When in Nakuru I spent two days in ministry with the team…both days we did street evangelism (of course, my least favorite ministry). Well after two days of visiting homes, sitting in living rooms, listening to women’s hearts, praying fervently, and blessing families, I found a new appreciation for street evangelism.
 
I prayed in tongues for the first time in Nakuru…facing a wall, praying over a home, and suddenly God gave me two words (in a strange language) to pray. The cool part of this story is that, before the Race, I didn’t understand the gift of speaking in tongues and didn’t know that I truly believed in it. Many people on my squad speak in tongues and after a few months of hearing it, I began to love the sound and desire the gift. I prayed for the gift and then one of the contacts, Zack, told me, “I can see the desire in your heart and by the end of the week you will be speaking in tongues.” I spoke in tongues on Friday.
 
I like Africa today. Get me out of here tomorrow. Every other day my heart changes for this strange land.
 
The people of Tanzania and Kenya are wonderful! I have been so blessed by their welcoming smiles, open hearts, and enthusiasm to have Americans live with them. Sometimes I feel like we’re famous because the Africans are so excited to see us.
 
God…oh my Daddy is so wonderful! I have been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past week and God has been so faithful in providing encouragement. My parents constantly send me random emails with words of love and affirmation. When I read these emails, it’s such confirmation that I'm exactly where God wants me to be.
 
I’m so tired! Tired of being on this journey and tired of going constantly…it’s non-stop. God has been showing me daily though the beauty of Africa and his creations. It’s normal to see “safari” animals while traveling by bus from one city to the next…zebras, elephants, giraffes, impala, etc. Surprisingly (to me anyway), there are hills and mountains, and the Great Rift Valley…gorgeous. Sometimes I think, “Where am I? This is amazing!”
 

 
There are times that I’m ready to give up…go back home to the comfort of the U.S.…return to the people, places, and food that are familiar. I feel that I’m coming to the end of my own strength…the end of how much I can handle…the end of being in foreign places…the end of me being on this Race.
 
That’s when God shows up in BIG ways…when he picks me up and carries me…when the love of Jesus overwhelms me…when my weakness becomes His strength…when everything I can’t do anymore, God does for me, by providing love in the form of an email, a word, a scripture, or even a simple hug.
 

 
I’m on a crazy, awesome journey with God and I can’t stop now. He has changed my heart beyond what I ever expected and He’s created me into a new woman. A woman of God who I’ve learned is also a daughter of the Most High King!
 
Typing all of this out makes me feel better! I’ve learned this year that I’m a verbal processor so talking out my feelings usually helps me process what I’m going through.
 
Physically I just found out that I have malaria…Praise God that I caught it early and I haven’t had terrible symptoms, but I have been fatigued and weak. I’m not necessarily glad that I have malaria, but I’m thankful for this time of rest.
 
I carry a Song of Joy…and I will sing joy wherever I go…I will sing joy in any circumstance…I will sing joy with whomever I encounter…I will sing joy when I am up or down, healthy or sick, strong or weak, happy or sad…
 

 
So this is where I am now…sitting in a tiny living room in Bukembe, Kenya…finding JOY in all circumstances… resting in God’s peace…resting because I have malaria…loving Jesus with all my heart…smiling because I finally wrote this blog…happy that you’re reading it…hoping that your day is as blessed as mine.