A glimpse into Africa…
Rafting the Nile. African sunsets. Praying for healing. Eating with my hands. Beautiful, dirty feet. Holding hands with school children. Sharing a testimony. Dancing to the beat of a drum surrounded by a hundred children. Evangelizing in the market. Leading someone to Christ. Star gazing in the bush of Africa. Community living. Chapati. Being attacked by a mob of children when i take out my camera. Soap as a luxury. Naturally sweet, ripe bananas. Teaching and demonstrating the love of Jesus with African children. Goats milk. Holding a malnourished baby for the first time. Hearing the little children scream, “Muzungu, Muzungu!” as we pass by their village. Learning different tribe languages. Being blessed by watching people reach into their pockets and put everything they have into the offering basket on a Sunday morning. The beautiful, formless clouds in the evening. Riding on the backseat of a Boda [motorcycle]. Washing my clothes in a bucket. “African Time”. Jack Fruit. Sharing the Gospel with someone who has never heard of Jesus! Green oranges. Little children falling asleep in my arms. Waking up to a rooster’s crow. Eating dinner by candle light.
Africa has made me thankful for a lot of things, but most of all, I am thankful that God always gives me opportunities to love more. Every moment is an opportunity to give more. To sacrifice more of myself for the salvation of someone else.
Sometimes, I can see Jesus. I can feel His presence when I am discouraged, and I watch Him walk over to me and He lets me cry on His shoulder. When we evangelize in the market, He goes before me and leads the way. He shows me who to stop and pray for. He shows me who to love. When our group prays before diving into ministry, I can see Jesus walk on the inside of the circle, and He gently touches our hearts and fills us with His Spirit. When we were at the hospital, I sat with Jesus on the persons’ bedside, and we both laid our hands on them and prayed fervently.
I am Jesus’ hands when I rock a malnourished baby to sleep. I am Jesus’ feet when I walk from village to village in the blazing African sun, preaching that the Kingdom is near. Jesus walks beside me on this journey through Africa, and as I look behind me, I can see two sets of footprints perfectly outlined in the red dirt of Uganda.
