For such a time as this ~
As I was approaching my birthday this past September and reflecting back on life this last year - Where I'd been, what I'd seen and experienced & how my life was different or changed ... My heart first went to Africa - the people, the landscape, the beauty amidst such heartbreak and ultimately the indescribable JOY... yet my worldly mind quickly went in the direction of all the things I had NOT done or accomplished or had yet to experience. The constant struggle of head vs heart for me is one where I ultimately cannot lean on my own understanding and must rely on the TRUTH that was promised to me from the cross.
With a heart yearning for more of the Africa "joy" and experiences I felt called towards, I prayed and sought out where and when my next opportunity would lie. Quietly at first, I felt the passion inside me grow as I explored a trip to Uganda with Visiting Orphans while wrestling with possibly returning to Kenya solo. I sought counsel from my sister Christina, one of my most trusted confidants, and then began opening up to others and asking for their prayers as I tried to discern the wisest course of action. I felt God closing the necessary doors to help me ultimately chose Uganda and I was genuinely overcome with a sense of Peace that it would all work out, and only He would make the path.
I applied for the VO mission trip three days after my 32nd birthday with an open heart and calm reassurance that God would make a way, and low and behold He did! Three weeks after that, my trip was FULLY funded with an overage of $1,000 that was able to purchase medical supplies, sponsor 50 pairs of shoes and other needs. I continued receiving items to donate and carry with me up until the last few hours before departing Atlanta, wherein due to baggage overage and poor airline experiences I missed my first flight to meet the team in D.C. and fly to Uganda. Once again, I was not in control and yet He made a way for me to continue on this journey. I was a day late in country, though I met four families en route to Ethiopia to bring home their adopted children and experienced ultimate faith in knowing God had me exactly where He wanted me to be.
Faith undoubtedly was the ONLY way that I made it on this trip to Uganda, at this time and with perfectly dynamic and impactful teammates.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" Proverbs 3:5
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