As i prepare to go back to South Africa it brings back wonderful and challenging memories of my first year and a half of missions work. There are days i sit and wonder how in the world a girl from Ohio country ended up being a world traveler. There is only ONE reasonable explanation...its simple...God brought me here.
I was raised by wonderful parents. They taught me the difference between right and wrong, to work hard in life and that i could do anything that i put my mind to. They taught me that being faithful to your word - and that going to church was important. I was raised in a Catholic home. We went to church every Sunday and as kids we attended Catechism every Wednesday night. Friends, sports and anything extra took back seat to going to church. If we didn't feel well enough to go to CCD on Wednesday then we wouldn't be well enough to go to a friends house on the weekend. The values and morals my parents taught me carried me through life. But i went to church because i had to go. It didn't mean anything. I didn't understand who Jesus was or that it was even possible to have a friendship with Him like i would anyone else. Fear of disappointing my parents, encouraged me to make good decisions in high school. But no matter what i achieved or had in my life...there was still an emptiness that remained.
When i was a junior in high school a friend started to take me to church. It was different than any mass i had ever been to. There was drums, singing, hands clapping and everyone was so full of joy! They were so welcoming and made me part of their family. As the pastor preached i knew that this was the something missing in my life. I knew my life had to change and on April 26, 2001 i made a decision that i was going to give Christ my whole life, and i wanted to love and serve Him all the days of my life.
As i continued to learn more about who Jesus was I found purpose and belonging. I began to say "Lord i will do anything for you...but PLEASE don't make me a missionary...i could never do it!" What a sense of humor the Lord has...
As life went on, it had its twist and turns, disappointments, joys and failures. But when the unexpected happens it can definitely shake the foundations. In late 2001 my mom was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. They told us it was the kind that could shrink but would never go away. This was scary, i was only 18 and my youngest sister was 15. I was due to go off to college in six months. As a family we walked through radiation, chemo and all the effects that it brought. There would be nights Mom would go to bed asking for us to pray because she was in so much pain.
It was a week before i headed off to college that my Mom passed away. This heart crushing news brought a lot of emotions. Bitterness, anger, questioning, doubt in going onto school and leaving my sister. I won't lie and say that i wasn't upset with the Lord and these feelings definitely didn't go away quickly. I fought and worked through them for years. And there are still days now that i have to deal with them.
It wasn't until i sat in a primary school in South Africa in 2007. I was asked to share my story with the kids. We found out that these kids are shuttled everyday, and most of them have lost one parent if not two. These kids could relate my story...and see that even though loss is such a hard thing to deal with - there is HOPE. Hope of living a life of joy and purpose. Purpose that can only be found through a life with Christ.
We all have different stories...but i know God gave me a heart for Africa for a reason. Thousands and thousands of kids are orphaned every day in Africa because of AIDS, starvation, war and other causes.
God brought me here because not everyone can relate to that child...and I am determined to share with everyone i know that there is hope, purpose and joy that we can all have in our lives.
Until next time...who can you relate to?
