Twenty four hours from now I will be boarding my flight to begin my journey to Nairobi. It's hard to know what to say. Sure, I don't know the details about my living situation or the work I will be doing, and I'm sure I don't know much about the culture or what to simply expect from everyday life, but I have felt a peace and confidence in the midst of all the unknown and uncertainty.
Some people may say, "there's no way I would be able to do that. I have to know what's happening. I'm glad you can," and my response would be, "Who ever said I could either? I'm not different. This isn't about what I'm capable of handling or if I enjoy the uncertainty. The truth is that God is God, and He is in control, whether we think we are in control of part of none of our lives. He leads, we go, and it usually works out better when we can trust God and get 'us' out of the way."
Experiences like flying across the globe to live and serve for three months don't change who God is, but they sure can show us the real source of peace. Is our peace rooted in our circumstances or in our control over them? God brings peace; He is our peace. This isn't just a defense mechanism for us who have no other option because we're going into the unknown; this is an unchanging truth, just as true for me in Nairobi as it is for you in your suburban living room. I challenge those who are reading this to seek out God as the source of their peace in the coming months.
On a different note, I am excited and also apprehensive for what God has in store for my time in Kenya. I know He has been refining me and preparing me for my time this fall, but I still have no idea what God wants to do in or through me. But, I know He is at work; I know God is waiting to reveal Himself in powerful and unexpected ways. I also know form the amount of spiritual warfare that has been going on that there are forces that are terrified of what God has planned. My response: Good. Let's get to work God.
Lastly, as I step out into the more unknown part of this African journey, I want to thank many of my friends and family for all of their prayer support. I feel very blessed, and I know I will continue to be blessed by the waves of continuing prayer. Thanks especially to my immediate and extended family, the congregations of Indian Valley Faith Fellowship and Fillmore Wesleyan Church, and my remarkably "multicultural" friends and townhouse mates who are carrying on with their own adventures up in the Houghton area.
See you all on the flip-side.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD yoru God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
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