One continent.
Three countries.
Ninety days.
Six mzungus.
This is Africa. And boy has it been an adventure. Looking back just three short months, it's hard not to be amused by the Sarah who stepped onto a plane bound for Nairobi, Kenya, having no real idea what I was getting myself into.
And let me tell you, after spending these three months in Africa, I could never have expected what I have encountered.
For example…
-Matatu rides. Stuffing 16 people on a matatu that only should hold 7.
-The beauty of Africa in rainy season…seeing such vivid, brilliant greens everywhere we go.
-Rafting down the Nile River (and then getting hit across the nose with my paddle, resulting in a week of black eyes)
-The interesting mix of foods…ugali, squmawiky, matoke, the pethora of potatos, maize, and of course the gems of East Africa…chapati and samosas.
-Just how much chai tea we would consume in three months. It may be in my blood now.
-The experience of squatty pottys. You hear stories before you come on the race, but nothing can ever TRULY prepare you for the experience.
-Mastering bucket showers and rain showers, and basically adapting to any and every living situation.
And this is just scratching the surface. It makes me smile thinking back to all of the random adventures we have had in Africa. Like pushing a matatu up a muddy hill. Touching a rhino. Riding an ostrich. Visiting an island on Lake Victoria. Preaching door to door in Kenya and Uganda. Getting malaria in Uganda from those darn mosquitoes. Playing with the children of Africa. Having mice and rats for roommates in Uganda. Enjoying city life in Rwanda.
Africa has been full of many surprises, adventures and experiences.
And God has grown me in so many ways through these three months on this precious continent. Looking back to month one in Kenya when I questioned what my role and purpose was on my team. So confused and trying so desperately to find a concrete title and “slot” on my team. I missed God's gentle whispers for a while that told me that He has a specific purpose for me every day exactly as I am, where I am.
Then moving into Uganda, trying to figure out my identity. Knowing in my head that my identity is in Christ, but still trying to figure out what identity I had been living under. God again met me in this and whispered that I was living under the identity of “the girl who is always passed over,” and told me that I am CHOSEN. He broke down a stronghold that had been tripping me up for many years, and flooded His truth in.
Rwanda has been a month of finding confidence and boldness in my voice. A culmination of the last two months, expressing itself off of the foundation God has been leading me through in Kenya and Uganda. In all reality, God has had me on this journey of coming into my voice for the past four years. Realizing that I have opinions to share, that I don't need to be afraid to share them. That my words have value. That there is authority in my voice and that I can speak life and truth as God pours it into and through my heart.
This last month has been a lot of coming into that freedom, of walking in the use of my voice. Through teaching, preaching, confronting issues and talking through them, to just expressing my heart to those around me as God moves.
It's so interesting and fun how God moves, and how He is continuing to grow me in this journey of finding my voice. That he brought me all the way to Africa to work on coming even more into the truth of who I am, how He has made me, and what He has for me.
Africa, it's been great fun. You've had a lot of fun surprises, a lot of interesting times. You're full of beauty. Your people are my stunning brothers and sisters in Christ. Their joy and faith is contagious. It's been real, and I hope to come back one day to visit you, to see how you and I have grown while we're apart.
So here's to you, Africa. Thanks for all the memories! See you later!
((Thank you so much to all of my supporters who have made these last three months possible. I could not be here without your love, prayers and support. Know that your hands and feet have touched down here in Africa. You have touched the hearts and lives of precious orphans, the sick, the poor, and your brothers and sisters here on African soil. Thank you for joining in this with me!)
