A trip to the other side of the world....

If you would've asked me a few years ago, "would you like to go to on a mission trip to Africa?" I would have happily answered NO WAY.  "I'm not called to missions",  I've always said.  So I never gave it much thought.  Sadly, anything that had to do with missions has never really interested me.  I thought it was great if someone went on a mission trip or moved across the world to be a full time missionary, but personally I never had any interest in doing anything even remotely close.  Until this year.

In January of this past year I made alot of decisions in my life.  One of those was to pursue Christ deeper than I ever have.  I wanted to dig deeper, to dive deeper, to live deeper than what I had known before.  I was tired of being normal as it pertained to me spiritually.  I wanted something more than what I had, more than what I had ever known.  And I went on a journey to pursue just that.  

And while I don't feel a call to sell all of my belongings and move halfway across the world, I have felt a call to do something else, which I believe is what Father calls each of us to do.  Say YES.  Put our yes on the table and let Him decide what that means, where that leads us.  We say yes before we even know the question.  And that's what I've done.  I've put my yes on the table and said whatever, whenever, whomever, however, whereever. 

I started reading the book Radical a few months ago.  It changed my life completely.  It turned the whole "yes" into something deeper.  And it challenged me to go deeper in so many ways.  While reading that book I felt such a strong calling to go on a mission trip.  I didn't know where, I just I wanted and needed to go.  And it was a strong desire in my heart.  Actually a very foreign desire because I'd never really wanted to do that before.  So as it all turns out, I found out about a trip my church was taking to Zimbabwe on a Friday, 2 weeks before they were scheduled to leave.  Turns out God had that trip in mind for me because 2 weeks later I had a passport, a plane ticket, and was on my way halfway across the world to step into something I'd never dreamed possible.

To say that this trip was life changing is an understatement.  I saw things I never knew.  I saw God in ways I had never had before.  I saw Him in a different people group as they worshipped Him in their tribal tongue.  I saw Him in glorious creation through wild animals and majestic waterfalls.  I saw Him in the eyes of children who had nothing, yet had everything.  HE was all they had.  And He was enough.  It was a humbling thing, needless to say.  Here in America, we have all we need.  Our faith doesn't cost us anything, really.  Maybe our pride at times.  But its not at a point where it costs us our lives. 

One thing that has stuck with me is desperation.  How desperate am I to see Him?  Not just see Him, but to see Him around me in ways I've never looked for before.  To see Him in the people I meet.  To see Him in His creation.  Just to SEE Him.  Theres a song that's near and dear to my heart, "The More I Seek You" by Kari Jobe.  That song came to life for me in Africa.  Because I went seeking Him, and I found Him in so many unexpected places.  And the more I found Him, the more I fell in love with Him.  It's hard not to fall completely head over heels in love with Him when you start seeing Him, seeing Who He is.  Who He REALLY is.

There's so much I could say about Africa.  It's hard to put into words sometimes how amazing that trip was.  It has put a love in my heart for a people group I never even heard of until those 2 weeks in August of this year.  And now the people of Zimbabwe are forever etched into my heart, into my soul.  If you're my facebook friend you can view all of my albums from the trip.  If not, I'm attaching a few of my faves here.

I'll leave you with this, if you haven't put your yes on the table yet with God, do it.  Throw caution to the wind and let yourself jump into complete abandonment to Him in every way.  I promise you won't regret it.  

Always....

Well, it's been a while since my last post, but my heart is full tonight and I want to write.  I've been doing alot of thinking lately about our stories.  God really opened up my eyes last week to how everyday of my life and what I'm going through is just a page in the book of my life.  I never know what that page is going to say, what that chapter is going to be about, what the details that will be surrounding it.  Sometimes its good and fun and joyous.  Then other times it's challenging.  And painful.  But the best part of all...I know Who wrote the book.  I know the Author of my life.  And His endings are always redemptive.  They are always glorious and holy.  They are always beautiful in every way.  And He has an ending for my story.  He has an ending for this chapter of my life right now.  And though the pages from start and the pages in between may be filled with hard days, I know there is an end in sight that is beyond my mind to comprehend at how beautiful and redemptive it will be.  He will bring about His purposes. And His great Name will be glorified.

I guess thats why it makes it easy to serve Him, to love Him.  Because no matter what, He always has my best interest at heart.  He is always working the circumstances of my life to bring me to Him,  to draw me to His heart and to ultimately bring Him glory.  Is it always fun?  No.  Sometimes the journey is tough.  But when I keep my eyes fixed on Him, the waves don't seem so big.  The storm doesn't seem so strong.  There's something about looking at Him that makes everything around me seem so small and insignificant.  Do I always keep my eyes focused on Him during the storm?  No.  Sometimes I take them off and look around.  That's when is start to sink.  Like we all do, really.  I forget Who I am looking at.  But if we could just realize the power to His gaze...wow.  There is so much in His gaze.  Look into His eyes and you'll find courage.  You'll find strength.  You'll find love.  You'll find peace.  You'll find the I Am.  The Great I AM.

Theres a new song out by Tricia Brock.  It is beyond amazing.  It's called Always.  The chorus says,
"Oh my God, He will not delay, my Refuge and Strength always...I will not fear, His promise is true, my God will come through always...always."  That song has become my life.  I have kept it on repeat this last week.  It is a breath from Father Himself to my spirit.  He knows all that we go through.  He knows every struggle-big and small.  And He will not delay in coming to our side.  He will not delay to bring us strength, to be a refuge for us in times of trouble.  And He will ALWAYS come through.  ALWAYS.  What a comforting thought.

Sometimes things seem overwhelming.  We all encounter things that are bigger than us.  More than we can handle.  But that's when He steps in.  He shows Himself strong.  He shows Himself true in every way.  And He shows us that He is God, that He is good even when the circumstances are not.  He is still holy.  And more than that, He shows us that He is able.  Our God is able. 

He is the place our soul finds rest in the battle.  Sometimes when the battle is most intense, when we have been injured from fighting, when we are deeply wounded, He steps in.  He becomes that shelter.  He cleans us up, and fills us with strength to go another day.  To keep fighting.  I know in my life, the battles are raging.  Some days they are more intense than others, but one thing remains the same....He is my refuge and strength always. And He WILL come through.  Always.

So I want to encourage you.  If you are in the midst of a battle, if you are wounded, if you are just tired from it all, then do this...lift up your eyes, for your help comes from the Lord.  He will be your refuge and strength.  You can rely and stand on His promise.  He WILL come through.  ALWAYS.