And We're (almost) Off
...well not quite yet, but very very close. I knew 3 months would go by fast and that this day would sneak up on me before I had time to blink. And it has.
My first flight is tomorrow and first I stop in New York. Our team will meet in New York and we will all fly to South Africa the next morning. From there, one last flight to Zambia and it all begins.
I'm currently taking a break from trying to figure out how to pack all of my stuff in a carry-on. As I sit on my bedroom floor, looking at the clothes, ministry supplies, and other items I am taking with me I can't help but think about how God made each and every person and thing to be a blessing to someone.
I look at each item not as a material thing that I am bringing for my own satisfaction (although, I do think clothes are important to have) but as things that God will use to bless the people of Zambia and to bear fruit.
I see my Bible and know that that is the most important thing I am packing. Without it, I wouldn't know the God I know. Without it, there would be no purpose for any of this. But with it, I have a guide for my life. I have a way to not just know what is written in it, but to personally know the Author of it. With it, lives are changed and people get to meet the One who died for them. With it, I get to share the Gospel with those who have not yet heard. Wow.
I see my shoes and think about the miles that will be walked in those shoes. The places my feet will go in those shoes in the next three weeks. The people I will meet while on the journey. I don't just see shoes, I see paths that will cross and places that will be changed because God has been equipping me to love others and share Him with people everywhere I go...my shoes just help me get there.
I see tape and gauze that have been packed to bless the medical portion of the ministry. I don't just see materials used to cover up wounds. No, I see healing. Full-blown, Holy-Spirit filled prayers of healing over physical ailments, over incurable diseases, over brokenness, over hearts, and over lives. I see healing.
I see yarn and crocheting needles that will help start a women's ministry and business. I see women learning a new skill. Women starting their own business, selling their creations, and transforming their family's lives because they can now work. I see connections being made and women teaching other women a new skill, so that even more can have some income and give back to the community.
I see Jell-O and pepperoni (yes, Jell-O and pepperoni) and think "well, this is random." In Zambia, you can't get American pepperoni or Jell-O. Both are items that the missionary and local children absolutely love. For their birthday, they get to have sleepovers and make pizzas with American pepperoni. So simple...to us. But so big to them. I don't just see food. I see children who are blessed by it. I see relationships being built and kids being loved on all because of some American pepperoni and Jell-O.
I see all of this and I still wonder how I got here. I see all of this and am still in awe of the fact that this is my life. I see all of it and see how God moved and continues to move every step of the way. I see all of this and I can't help but think about how fast it's been but also how far I've come in the last 3 months.
I see all of this and I see Jesus. My prayer is that others do too.
So, tomorrow is the beginning of a journey that is so unfamiliar and yet so full of peace. My bags are packed. My body is rested. My mind is set on Jesus. My heart is ready to love. My eyes are ready to see what God will do. My feet are ready to go where love is needed...and right now, that is Zambia.
My first flight is tomorrow and first I stop in New York. Our team will meet in New York and we will all fly to South Africa the next morning. From there, one last flight to Zambia and it all begins.
I'm currently taking a break from trying to figure out how to pack all of my stuff in a carry-on. As I sit on my bedroom floor, looking at the clothes, ministry supplies, and other items I am taking with me I can't help but think about how God made each and every person and thing to be a blessing to someone.
I look at each item not as a material thing that I am bringing for my own satisfaction (although, I do think clothes are important to have) but as things that God will use to bless the people of Zambia and to bear fruit.
I see my Bible and know that that is the most important thing I am packing. Without it, I wouldn't know the God I know. Without it, there would be no purpose for any of this. But with it, I have a guide for my life. I have a way to not just know what is written in it, but to personally know the Author of it. With it, lives are changed and people get to meet the One who died for them. With it, I get to share the Gospel with those who have not yet heard. Wow.
I see my shoes and think about the miles that will be walked in those shoes. The places my feet will go in those shoes in the next three weeks. The people I will meet while on the journey. I don't just see shoes, I see paths that will cross and places that will be changed because God has been equipping me to love others and share Him with people everywhere I go...my shoes just help me get there.
I see tape and gauze that have been packed to bless the medical portion of the ministry. I don't just see materials used to cover up wounds. No, I see healing. Full-blown, Holy-Spirit filled prayers of healing over physical ailments, over incurable diseases, over brokenness, over hearts, and over lives. I see healing.
I see yarn and crocheting needles that will help start a women's ministry and business. I see women learning a new skill. Women starting their own business, selling their creations, and transforming their family's lives because they can now work. I see connections being made and women teaching other women a new skill, so that even more can have some income and give back to the community.
I see Jell-O and pepperoni (yes, Jell-O and pepperoni) and think "well, this is random." In Zambia, you can't get American pepperoni or Jell-O. Both are items that the missionary and local children absolutely love. For their birthday, they get to have sleepovers and make pizzas with American pepperoni. So simple...to us. But so big to them. I don't just see food. I see children who are blessed by it. I see relationships being built and kids being loved on all because of some American pepperoni and Jell-O.
I see all of this and I still wonder how I got here. I see all of this and am still in awe of the fact that this is my life. I see all of it and see how God moved and continues to move every step of the way. I see all of this and I can't help but think about how fast it's been but also how far I've come in the last 3 months.
I see all of this and I see Jesus. My prayer is that others do too.
So, tomorrow is the beginning of a journey that is so unfamiliar and yet so full of peace. My bags are packed. My body is rested. My mind is set on Jesus. My heart is ready to love. My eyes are ready to see what God will do. My feet are ready to go where love is needed...and right now, that is Zambia.
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