Africa is my home…..

I am finally in Africa!!! After 6 months of preparing for
this trip, I cannot believe I am finally here. As I sit here and think about
being here with 7 other people I did not know a week ago, I get a bit
overwhelmed. Never in my life did I see myself doing this. Honestly the only
picture I had for my life was going to school, getting a job , getting married
and raising a family. That is all I ever thought about. Going overseas and
doing mission work was never part of MY plan. But here I am, getting ready to
backpack for two months through Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania sharing the love of
Christ. It is so unreal but I am so excited and can already see God changing
me! As scared as I am, I really believe this is where God wants me to be. Now,
I can picture this in my life. I no longer picture a life of serving myself and
attempting to live the American dream. I no longer picture a life of being
fearful to boldly cry out the name and beauty of God. I no longer picture a
life of hiding my faith. I no longer picture a life of brokenness and continual
battles to find joy in the things of the world. Now…I picture a life of serving
others all around the world. I picture a life filled with fearlessly
proclaiming the name of God, of sharing boldly what He has done in my life and
a life of courageously sharing the love of Christ to those around me. I see a
picture of pouring out my faith everyday. I see a picture of a life filled with
healing, beauty, wholeness and joy beyond my imagination provided by my father in
heaven. I see an abundance of love, an outpour of joy, an unimaginable amount
of peace, and an indescribable hope. A
hope that believes in the unbelievable. A  hope that believes in the indescribable. A
hope that believes in miracles, that believes people can be raised from the
dead, that the lame will walk, and that the blind will see. A hope that
believes lives can be made new. A hope that believes brokenness will be made
whole. A hope that believes the sick will be healed and people will be brought to
Christ all over this world not by those deemed adequate and prepared but by
those seen as useless and outcasts. I believe. I believe in GOD!! I am not
adequate or equipped. God is. I am not strong or bold. God is. I am not a
warrior fighting the battles against the evils of this world. God is. I do not
have knowledge or words to clearly speak to those around the world. God does. I
am broken. I am a sinner. I am not holy.
I am not immortal. I am not powerful. I do not have self-control. I am merely
human. But God….God is perfect. He is
powerful. He controls everything. He is righteous, holy, alpha and omega, King
of Kings, and Lord of Lords. God is adequate. God is equipped to change this
world. And because I now have God living inside of me through the Holy Spirit,
I am made new. Alone I am nothing….but with God, I am everything. With His
spirit pouring into me, I can speak truth and change this world FOR Him. That
is what I want to do with my life. I want to change this world not only through
God but FOR God.

PS…This is what has happened so far….rafting down the Nile…bungee
jumping..climbing Tororo Rock (ridiculous hike)…sleeping in a tent in a house
which is EXTREMELY hot…no running water for days which means no showers…eating TONS of AMAZING African
food….loving on people…praying in the hospitals…preaching to the children…Ugandan
wedding…being in the wedding picture…riding on the back of a motor cycle into
town….picking out a live chicken to eat for dinner and then carrying it through
the market….basically I just LOVE Africa!!!!!

Pss…mom I am getting a weave tomorrow…its gonna be awesome J oh yeah and IYAUMAS!