The end is near! Yes, it is near as it always has been that Jesus is coming, but no that's not what I am talking about. About my time in Africa, THE END IS NEAR!
Africa is winding down! It is blowing my mind. I am both happy but sad. I am excited to come home and see everyone I have been missing these last few months. It will be weird coming home and people being at different places in their lives. Sissy will have finished school, Cody has a job, people will be working this summer, and Loriann is on leadership at Laity Lodge. However, I am also beginning to count my time as even more precious than I have been. I am leaving this place that I love, not so much Arusha, but East Africa. I have never liked living in the city here.
I will be leaving people who bring me such joy with the simplest of conversations, smiles, and handshakes. Leaving people who I have been building relationships with for the last 4 months even though there was always a major language barrier. And leaving my wonderful roommate who has continually built me up and been an encouragement and friend as we cling to the Lord together. With out the roomie, this semester would have been a lot harder. Leaving the church and community I have been so blessed to have found there. Leaving the beautiful nature that surrounds me. Mount Meru has become a sight of home for me. When flying in from Nairobi or driving in from any trips, I can always see Mount Meru before we get into town and it always puts a smile on my face. No matter how many days in a row I see it, I still continued to be amazed at it’s beauty. The smell of crowded people and sweat has become a smell I have learned to love. A smell of hard work, determination, and a challenging life. Similarly, saying “shikamoo” (i am lower than you) to people oder than me on the street or in greetings has become a term I truly endear. I will miss my attempted conversations in Swahili with the most patient and loving people. Conquering the daladala and the market still brings me a sense of accomplishments. I will reflect more after I get home, but I can easily say this has been a semester of learning, in all possible ways.
Even in this time of transition I still find such joy in knowing that God and His love is BETTER THAN LIFE! There is truth in that, what a promise!! CBC sings a song, Better Than Life and it brings me joy each time I hear it. Psalm 16: 2,9-11 (NIV/The Message) “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.’ I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I am fully formed. You cancelled my ticket to hell--that is not my destination! You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with JOY in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
And as this semester is coming to an end, I am prayerfully trying to seek what the Lord has in store for me for this summer. Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. As the roomy and I have been talking a lot about living to please and exalt God instead of focusing on what we think life should be like, Psalms 46:10 is a perfect reminder.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I [God] will be exalted among the nations, I [God] will be exalted in all the earth.”
Oh, what encouragement and peace that brings me. It is our responsibility to obey and live a life that is honoring and pleasing to the Lord, but in the end God has power and control of everything and really doesn’t need us, but let’s us be a part of the process of showing the world His amazing love. I just got off on a tangent, but I just need to be still and know that God already knows what is planned for this summer and in his perfect time, he will let it be known and give me a perfect peace about it.
Isn’t He just SO amazing to us? I think so---about 500xs more than I deserve.
Today was a day of passing on kindness. While running errands in town, I ran into one of my friends who owns a tourist shop. He walked me to phone shop where I bought a phone for a friend (more to come on that later), then to the grocery store. He doesn't ask for money when he helps me, he just walks around with me and takes me where I need to go.
Then on my way back to the house I ran into this hopeless looking European girl who has probably not been here for more than a day. She was standing on the corner hopelessly holding a painting that a man had shoved into her hand. She obviously didn't want it and was trying to tell him that but he was pretending he didn't know English. So I walked up to her and told her she doesn't have to buy it, she looked at me with a look of relief. I explained in Swahili to the man that she didn't want it but if she changed her mind she would come back later. She handed it back to him, he wasn't happy with me, she gave me a huge thank you and a look of "you just saved my life" and went on her way. I hope that she will return the favor to someone else today.
So here is my moral of the story: do a selfless act of service today and encourage them to do one for someone else. It is simple. And it just makes the world a better place.
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