After 27 hours of traveling and a bit of jet lag, I find myself writing this from my cozy and air conditioned room. It almost feels like a dream being home and I cant seem to grasp the fact that I am now in the Dallas heat as opposed to the wonderful African winter. It was obviously bitter sweet to leave but I knew I had to come home because otherwise my mom and dad would have probably been on the next flight out to come fetch me...but Africa changed me an my heart and it will always be apart of me...
Ever since I was 5 the word "Africa" has been put on my heart, and I had always been a broken record about it because I was constantly telling my parents that I would go some day. The lord finally called me there and I followed the call, and I tell you that was one of the greatest decisions of my life. I went out of my comfort zone and immersed myself into a whole other world, one that would change me. Throughout my time there, I learned how important it is for us to listen when the Lord is calling us and that we must follow. It is not the easiest thing in the world to do, but sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and go for it. Often times I think we find ourselves on the brink of an amazing opportunity, and the thing that holds us back from going for it, is ourselves. We come up with excuses and "what if's" and "but's" but at the end of the day we must put those things behind us and go for it. That is what life is all about. But also when we decide to follow the call, we must follow it whole heartily and remember to serve selflessly. So take time to listen to the big man and follow his call, he can take you to some pretty amazing places.
I will miss my little children calling me mom while they kissed and hugged on me. I will miss their sweet smiles and their joy for life. In their own little ways, they taught me how to be content with life and to always trust the big man above. To them happiness doesn't come from how much money you have or how much stuff you have...but happiness comes from within. Its a pure feeling. They find happiness in the simplest things and they showed me how they can overcome issues and learn to love one another whole heartily. I will never forget last Monday when I was teaching the kids about Moses and the 1st Commandment, and I look out and see Roxy and Tania throwing words and kicks at one another. Obviously that wasn't going to fly around me, so I pulled the girls out and we had a little chat. Roxy told Tania that she was ugly, so naturally Tania kicked Roxy...I found myself in a sticky situation because I wasn't really sure how we were going to settle this. So I had the girls on either side of me and I made them look at each other and say " I am beautiful" over and over until they were literally shouting it, and then I made them do the same thing again except they were saying "And we do not kick each other". Smiles started to come back on their faces and with that they said I'm sorry to one another and then we had a group hug. They ran back into the church and I didn't really think anything more of it, until the end of club when I noticed they were the last two girls in the church over in the corner, giggling and playing together. That was one of the most beautiful things I could have ever seen. The girls realized they needed each other and that amidst adversity they were always going to be there for one another. And what do you know the next day I drive into Red Hill and there are Tania and Roxy holding hands and running for me. That image just reminded me of why I was called to serve in Red Hill.
These kids also just gave me a new taste for life, and they made me realize that I don't want to miss a beat. I want to be a light in dark places. And these dark places don't only exist in Africa, but they exist everywhere. I don't want to have to wear a cross around my neck for people to know that I am a Christian, but I want them to see that I am Christian simply by the way I live my life. And I know there are times when I mess up and give people reason to doubt my faith, but I know that I have been given the gift of life for a reason and I want to be a light in those dark places...Life is so full of endless opportunities and it is way too precious to waste a day of it...
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light"
1 Peter 2:9
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