And so it’s
on to the next chapter in life, as some would say. Except in my case, it is
nothing short of typical. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have
wrestled with the Lord as I was getting ready to flip the page and begin a new
chapter. Funny thing is: He won. I shouldn't be surprised. I already know the
end. The story of my life has already been written. What a sweet reminder, our
sweet Jesus has so carefully pieced together a beautiful story for each of us.
It may be messy. It isn't always easy. It may take longer than expected. And
then again, it may be everything we dreamed of and so much more.
My hope
is that through this blog, you will be able to catch a glimpse of what the Lord
has done, and is still doing in my life. This next step is teaching me more
than I could have ever dreamed and stretching me to trust solely is Him alone,
but I am loving this season of life.
Do you
want to know what the first sentence of this next chapter in my life is?? Are
you ready for it?? Here it goes.... "Some may call me crazy, some say it
doesn't make sense, and some tell me I'm wasting my time. But my response to
this is: Being a missionary is kind of crazy and doesn't always make sense, but
one thing is for sure--not one second of my time is being wasted."
Most of
you know, my last semester of college was spent doing my internship for school
at a non-profit organization
based out of Birmingham, AL called Sozo Children. "Sozo” is a Greek word
found numerous times in the New Testament meaning “to save; to nurture; to rescue;
both physically and spiritually.” We currently have 3 running orphanages in
Kampala, Uganda, partner with a school called Rays of Hope and have on ground
contact with missionaries in Costa Rica and Haiti.
The past
five months, I have been in a "peeling season". A season that the
Lord has peeled me away from everything I've always known, everything I have
come to know as comfort, and every direction I was "supposed" to be
heading after graduation from college. Was it comfortable? No. Did I ever
question if my next step was the "right one"? Absolutely. But in the
midst of it all, I was daily reminded and reassured with a peace that truly
does surpass all understanding. I was reminded that Christ is the positive and completely consistent living Word from God while reading 2 Corinthians 1:20 that says "For all of the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." Christ is the fulfiller and fulfillment of all the promises of God because He is our sum and substance.
There
were moments throughout the semester that I knew without a doubt that Lord was
shifting things around in my life. Like when I would sit and look at an excel
sheet until my eyes were crossed but still had joy. Or when I was looking for
company sponsorship for a fundraiser and was told "no" 84%
of the time but still pressed on until I heard a "yes" the remaining
16% of the time. Or when I licked about 500 envelopes to mail out to
sponsors and donors that left me with a nasty taste in my mouth and my
fair share of paper cuts on my tongue, but did it with an excitement that
made me begin to wonder what I had gotten myself into. I can remember laying in
bed at night about halfway through the semester and thoughts like these would
run through my mind... "What if this is what I was made to do?!"
"What if i'm not supposed to settle for a normal job?" "What if
my parents think I have gone off the deep end when I tell them I think I have
found what I am supposed to do after college?!"... The scary thing is I
could shake my head all I wanted to in hopes that these thoughts would pass and
that I was just excited in the moment....BUT this is what the Lord designed me
and created me for, I'm not supposed to settle for the norm and my parents
didn't think I had gone haywire. All of this because the Lord has gone before
me and has prepared the hearts of many for what is to come. And I am confident
that the Lord is continuously going before me, I need to only step forward in
full obedience.
I am 100%
okay with every bit of this life. I have no doubt that the Lord is my provider
and I stand with complete faith knowing that provision will overflow
abundantly. I love what I do and I consider myself blessed that at the age of
21 I can confidently say I am doing exactly what the Lord has designed me to
do. I always thought people were crazy when they used the phrase "when you
know, you just know" but I stand here today and say that is not crazy. It
is true. I am abundantly thankful. I get up each day knowing that whatever I do
that day will bring Him honor and glory and I leave each day with a full heart.
As for
when I will get these two feet to Africa to meet these beautiful babies that I
feel like I already know....that will not come until October. I would love
nothing more than to hop on a plane tomorrow and kiss those ebony colored faces
and hug my Sozo family that I miss so dearly, but for now, my place is here.
His timing is perfect and I rest in that. I long to have feet covered in red
dirt, sleep under a mosquito net and soak in the beauty of Uganda. But tomorrow
when I wake up I will rejoice in the here and now and work at what the Lord has
placed before me at this moment in time with all of my heart.
--A very fun family if I say so myself.--
How could
I forget to mention that as these sweet people who I have been allowed the
opportunity to work with over the past semester left to go to Africa just a few
short weeks ago, the Lord so preciously brought Africa to me. Phiona and
Shamira are two beautifully created little girls that are here to
receive medical treatment in the States. Most of my time has been spent with
Phiona and I am positive that you will be hearing more about this sweet angel.
I cherish the moments that I am getting to spend with her and even trying to
pick up a few Lugandan words along the way. The Lord is so good.
--At the barn with Phiona--
--Phiona riding Titan the horse.--
--Phiona has turned into quite a little fish. She loves to swim!--
I leave
you with this from a book I have been reading called "The Circle
Maker" that talks about praying circles around your biggest dreams and
your greatest fears: "Drawing prayer circles often looks like
an exercise in foolishness. But that's faith. Faith is the
willingness to look foolish. Noah looked foolish building a boat in the middle
of a desert. The Israelite army looked foolish marching around Jericho blowing
trumpets. A shepherd boy named David looked foolish charging a giant with a
slingshot. The Magi looked foolish tracking a star to Timbuktu. Peter looked
foolish getting out of a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. And Jesus
looked foolish wearing a crown of thorns. But the results speak for themselves.
Noah was saved from a flood; the walls came tumbling down; David defeated
Goliath; the Magi discovered the Messiah; Peter walked on water; and Jesus was
crowned King of Kings."
Be
encouraged today, your next step may look foolish to the world, but is it
really just one big leap of faith?! He's got you... GO FOR IT!
