Well hello again from Uganda. If you read my last blog entry you would think I was superwoman. I am not! In my quest to bring all of Africa to the people who love and support me and the boys and the women, I think I made it sound like it was all up to me. Ha, that is the funniest thing I have ever heard. But I have to ask myself, do I sometimes think that way. I just finished the book, Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. He writes with his heart, and I like that. He posed the question that I need to be constantly reminded of, "What if you died in the next 30 seconds?" Possible? Absolutely! Could Jesus come and take me home now? Absolutely. Am I living like I am homeward bound? (to coin a phrase from Simon and Garfunkle). Is my pride keeping me firmly attached to tera firma, or is my love for Christ keeping my eyes on him. A bit of self reflection never killed anyone. Yes I am blessed to live out an amazing journey in Africa, but it is a SEASON, of my life. What if my next season was being a clerk at a Walmart? Would everyone still want to read weekly updates? Probably not. But the fact would remain that God is still on His throne, and that he could still use me to be His hands and feet in Walmart. W.A.L.M.A.R.T. Yep! Are there hurting people that need encouragement in Walmart, probably. Can I be seeking social justice working as a retail clerk? Yes...which leads me to gently prompt..you can too! Take the time to look up for yourself the word justice in the Bible...and let those verses soak deep into your soul. I will be doing my own research on pride. None of us is a finished product, all of us has work to do and needs the author of justice and humility to fill us every day with His power. So yes my life looks really interesting...but really it is only because it so very different from suburban American life. God loves and is calling us to help the broken-hearted in America. He loves homeless children, HIV patients, victims of sexual violence, the poor, the hungry, the hopeless if they live in America, or Mexico, or Uganda or China...you get the idea. Please, please, please, continue to support me with your prayers and your money but please, please, please...be His hands and feet wherever you are. And know that Social Justice is messy, and you may have your heart broken a million times...don't worry God is the mender of the broken-hearted, even yours! I love you all and call it a privilege to be working with you in Africa.
My biggest struggle right now is what should I be leading the women in? They are struggling with identity, jealousy, envy and feelings of worthlessness. Tough stuff. I am not really a preacher. I just love Jesus and I love these women. So I will be praying that God gives me all of the right things to say that honer Him and help them. Jeff Merry always said, "What do you want people to 'know' 'feel' and 'do' with what you are bringing them. So yes Jeff, I am thinking about that. If you have any ideas or suggestions...I am very open. Just shoot me an e-mail. You are my partners. Oh and check me out on pinterest. I am trying to put up pics that reflect the real African life. Plus you might really find some inspiration from other people. God bless you, please keep praying for the ministry here.
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