I’ve been in Africa for nearly two months now, and crazy though that seems, I’m beginning to think of it as normal. Though my team changed in January, I stayed at the same contact doing the same ministry. I’ll be leaving in just a few days for a week of rest before a month of new ministry. As this chapter is closing and the Race is over halfway done for me, I thought I might summarize what the last two months have been like.
Though I miss Team River Jumpers a lot, I’m very proud to be a member of Team Batala, which means butter in Chichewa. It all works out see, because we’re on a roll bringing the bread of life by spreading the word of God. If you have any inkling of my personality and obsession with puns, then you’ll understand that I get along with this team very well. We’re an all-girls team since this month is “Manistry” month – that is, the men of our squad go and do ministry together in a different location. I believe their blogs are now linked to mine, but in case they aren’t, their names are Julie McFarland, Kaela Kreis, Molly Babuk, and Anna Blank.
Being here for two months has challenged me in many ways. Our ministry is 9-4 or 5 every day with two off days…so it’s kind of like I have a job and my employer is God. It can be exhausting since we are pouring into people all day long but it’s also very fulfilling as we encourage people in their faith or bring them to Christ for the first time.
When I first arrived in Malawi I would have told you without hesitation that preaching was not my cup of tea. However, God uses challenges to grow our faith and make us stronger, more confident, and more trusting in Him. He certainly has done all of that with me over the last two months. From someone who would be mortified to whisper the words “Jesus Christ” in public, I now trust God enough to share my faith with complete strangers. There have been hard times, there have been uncomfortable moments (countless ones, actually), but looking back I am stunned by how much I’ve grown.
From someone who stumbled through the books of the Bible trying desperately to find an encouraging verse to read, I have become a confident speaker able to draw knowledge from all over the Bible at a moment’s notice. Not to say that I’ve mastered this art, but I certainly can hold my own. The strangest part is that I enjoy it. I always believed that I hated public speaking, but maybe that was because I never had anything that I truly wanted to speak about. And now I do: the love of Jesus Christ.
I’ve grown in other ways as well. Since I spend my whole day speaking the gospel, I’ve discovered anew the necessity and joy of morning devotional time. My time with God before I begin my day is one of the best parts of my day. He fills me with the inner peace I require to face the chaos of our world.
Of course, God has also taught me how to live in uncomfortable situations and how to even be thankful for them. In our culture especially it seems ridiculous to thank God for something we don’t like, but He’s teaching me otherwise. Who am I to resist where God puts me? My life is His and I’m sure His plan is a whole lot better than anything I could dream up. So while I wasn’t exactly thrilled to eat the exact same foods for every meal for two months, it seems kind of a silly qualm to have in comparison to what he did through me these last few weeks.
I also thought you all might like to hear some of the highlights of my time here. Since I haven’t been in school for eight months I’ve kind of missed bullet points, so I’ll seize on the opportunity here:
- Playing with African children every day. I’ve rediscovered my sense of childish play with them and they never cease to make me smile with their enthusiasm upon learning how to high five or fist bump for the first time.
- How hilarious it is when little babies take one look at you and start screaming their heads off.
- Visiting a prison and preaching there. I went outside of my comfort zone and volunteered to preach to the men. I had my fears at first, but the instant the men started singing praises God put my heart at ease. It was honestly the most beautiful worship I’ve heard in quite a while. I spoke to over a hundred men about the apostle Paul and came away with a stronger faith because of it.
- Getting to see many areas of Lilongwe and the countryside around it as we drive to villages.
- Sitting down with women in the village and encouraging them. There are a few women who have actually encouraged me with their depth of faith.
- African worship in general.
- Planting a church in a remote village and preaching at their very first service in the shade of a tree.
Thank you for your prayers and for taking the time to read my blogs. It touches me that so many people are genuinely invested in me. Always feel free to email me at [email protected] to catch up. I would love to hear from you. Your love reassures me and keeps me motivated to do the good work here that God’s called me to do. Blessings to you all.
