I cannot believe that month one debrief is already here! We arrived in Nelspruit, South Africa ready for a week of rest and reflection with the Lord. This is a week that is dedicated to resting and processing the past month: the wonderful things and the hard things that God has trusted us with.
“Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
-Matthew 11:28-29
We started the week off with an adventure day to the best safari in the world, Kruger National Safari. Within an hour we saw “The Big 5” (lion, elephant, giraffe, leopard, buffalo) and our guide Rufus had so much wisdom to share about the animals with us. It was a full 12-hour day with the most beautiful view of the land. I loved getting to see the animals so close up in their natural habitat. I am blown away by the Lord’s creativity when he made each animal just for us and because He had the power to do it.
The hostel that we are staying at is absolutely beautiful. We have hot water for our showers and Wi-Fi to get caught up with family and friends. There is a nice mall about a 10-minute taxi ride away which is a great place to refresh the three-shirt wardrobe we all have. There’s a mall, grocery store, and coffee shop in the same area that has been a blessing as well. Although these things are such a treat, it has been hard to find a balance of getting things checked off our to-do list and resting with the Lord. After getting back from a full day out, I realized that the distractions of the first world ultimately frustrate me. I had not spent nearly enough time with the Lord and became so easily distracted by the worldly things around me. I realized how quick we can fall back into old habits of putting the things around us over God. The day taught me that it’s good to have priorities such as posting blogs and facetiming people, but the ultimate priority is keeping my eyes on the Lord. The distractions of the world will leave me frustrated, while our Father will bring me joy.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
-1 John 2:15-17
I was sitting on the porch at our hostel yesterday drinking coffee and listening to the many animal noises around me. (A big monkey ran by on the railing!) My plan for the day was to stay there and reflect with the Lord about the last month, which is exactly what I did. It was a relaxing day that left me feeling refreshed.
“But whoever listens to me will dwell secure…”
-Proverbs 1:33
Also, a couple of fun things…
- I am sitting outside of H&M right now in the mall because it has the best Wi-Fi lol.
- I got to lead worship with my squadmate Abigail last night. I played guitar while she sang. It was out of my comfort zone, but I really feel like the Lord has been telling me to use my gift of music to glorify Him for a few years now. Simple worship is so special… just a guitar and 50 voices praising God… so amazing. (Hoping I run into a piano at some point on the race.)
- I am reading through the book of Genesis right now and the Lord is giving me some intentional questions to ask in order to gain a deeper understanding of His word. I am loving it.
PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for my squad and leaders as we continue to rest. Pray that the distractions around us would not get prioritized above our time with the Lord. Pray that we can process with the Lord and that He would bring clarity over the last month in Swaziland.
