Where do I begin?
It has almost been a month since I have left Africa.
It has almost been a month since I have parted with my team, my family.
It has almost been a month since I have began transitioning back to life in America.
I’m sorry that it has taken me so long to write a transition blog about coming home. As I have been living in America again, there have been days when I am just sad because I miss my life while I was on mission and I feel that I am grieving a loss of the countries I’ve parted with and the people I’ve had the privilege of meeting and walked through the pain of leaving them. I am still in contact with many of the locals I got the joy of meeting and I am so thankful for technology to FaceTime them and my teammates.
I learned so much during my mission in Africa. I learned about God in ways I never knew I could understand and I learned so much about myself and my life. I discovered my deep passion for missions work. Most importantly, I’ve learned that life is all about Jesus.
For so long, my love for people has always come first. I grew up knowing that God commanded me to love others the way he loves us. But too often, I’ve let my love for others become the focus of my life instead of my love for Jesus.
Honestly, since being home, this is becoming the main theme of my life. Because when I try to do things without Him, I will never be content. I will never truly be living. As much as I will always love Africa and every moment and person I met there, the thing that made my trip so unbelievably special is the fact that Jesus was the focus of every single second. But I don’t have to be in Africa to focus on Jesus.
My new mission in America is something I am still learning to do. For me personally, I’ve learned a lot about my schedule. I like to stay busy because I don’t like to think or be silent with the Lord. I often struggle to make time with him or be in the Word as much as I’d like to. But, so much of what I am learning is that life as a Christian is not a religion; it is a relationship with God. As important as it is for me to spend alone time with God every day, it’s also so important for me to invite him into every area of my life. What do my friendships look like when Christ is the center of them? Or my relationship with my boyfriend and my family? How can every moment be spent intentionally to point people back to the Lord? And most importantly, how am I living my life-even in the mundane areas-to serve God and always keep him first? Because Jesus wants to walk through life with me. He wants to be a part of everything I do, not just my morning devotion.
Life as a missionary is not a mission trip; it is a mindset and a lifestyle. No matter where I am and no matter what I’m doing, I’m doing it for Jesus. It was so easy for me to strike up a conversation in the village with a stranger about how the Lord can change their life. So it should be much easier for me to do it for the people who I care so deeply about here at home too.
I am learning to walk in the love that is Jesus.
I am learning to choose life over death.
I am learning to live in America with the experience I have had overseas and trying to integrate the two vastly different places.
I am learning to be Jesus’ hands and feet in America too.
Most importantly, I am learning to walk in the freedom of God and to prioritize my relationship with him over every other aspect in my life. Because at the end of the day, what will matter the most is loving God, learning how he loves me, and then learning how I can love others and use the gifts that he has given me to do so.
I am still learning to adjust to life in America and getting used to showers in hot water, air conditioning during church, being the only one who always wants to dance and sing, craving nshima, and missing the people there. But I am still living on mission. And ultimately, God was with me in Africa and he is with me now in America. And that is one thing that will never change.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support!
