What Africa Taught Me
About a week ago I was given the opportunity to travel with a group from school to Zimbabwe on a mission trip working alongside an organization running a VBS for the children that attended the preschool that the organization ran. Now, I have wanted to go to Africa for a very long time and when I first heard of Katie Davis and read her book, I thought, “that’s it! That’s what I want to do with my life”. I want to be the next Elisabeth Elliot or Amy Carmichael, I want to travel the world and share the Gospel with those who are broken. I want to love on the children and teens who don’t get love. That’s all I want to do.
So I took opportunities to go to other countries and took some classes about missions at my school. I thought maybe I was “called” to be a missionary. After all, I have a heart for missions, a desire to share, travel well and don’t get too homesick-seems only fitting right?
Going into the trip I was praying about whether or not this could be a country I could return to someday long term and that in general, God would be clear if I should be pursuing overseas missions as a career. However the answer that I was given wasn’t quite the one I was expecting.
I’m not God-so I could be wrong here but through the events that occurred during my time there. Well, it’s never been so clear that this may not be somewhere I would return long-term anytime soon. I would like to still go here and there but to live there permanently for a long span of time, maybe later it will change but for now I don’t have peace. And I’m actually learning to be okay with that.
See, though I wouldn’t admit it even to myself because it was almost like something I thought so deep down it was hidden up until now (if that makes any sense? Like subconsciously almost?) I’ve always held “missions” or “ministry” as the highest and most important calling. But it’s not. The most important “calling” we’re given is to go share the Gospel and daily die to ourselves for the sake of Christ and we don’t have to be on the mission field to do that.
We’re all called to take up our crosses daily, if we choose to follow Christ.
Every one of us has a choice daily to take up our cross. We take up our crosses, when we go out of our way for someone and do something selfless for them. We take up our crosses, when we make time for the friend who’s hurting and just listen to them. We take up our crosses when we sacrifice our time for God. I think we even take up our crosses daily when we just in general seek Him and allow Him to work in our hearts-let go of our jealously or bitterness and let Him replace it with thankfulness and joy.
The thing is while the things we hold as “big stuff” (mission trips, service days, missionaries, Christian artists, pastors, youth pastors) are very important I think it’s important that the little things we do to share the Gospel with others or just seek to be selfless in how we serve are equally important.
Because even though what we’re doing may not be as in the spotlight as other things, they still matter because it’s still for the kingdom and the glory of God.
So the biggest thing I learned in Africa is that I don’t need to go to Africa to do something that “counts”. And the things I do here-if they are for His glory, count just as much.
I’d like to close with a quote from Ann Voskamp that a friend of mine shared shortly with me after my trip, which could not have come at a better time:
"Living radical isn’t about where you live — it’s about how you love. It’s about realizing– Love doesn’t happen when you arrive in a certain place. It happens when your heart arrives in a certain place – wherever you are, right where you are, dirt road Africa or side street America.
Because it isn’t where we love. It’s how we love. It’s who we love. The reward of loving is in the loving; loving is itself the great outcome of loving. The success of loving is in how we change because we kept on loving – regardless of any thing else changing. The value of loving is in the value of being like Christ."
-Ann Voskamp
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”
-Colossians 3:17
To Him Be the Glory,
Amy
So I took opportunities to go to other countries and took some classes about missions at my school. I thought maybe I was “called” to be a missionary. After all, I have a heart for missions, a desire to share, travel well and don’t get too homesick-seems only fitting right?
Going into the trip I was praying about whether or not this could be a country I could return to someday long term and that in general, God would be clear if I should be pursuing overseas missions as a career. However the answer that I was given wasn’t quite the one I was expecting.
I’m not God-so I could be wrong here but through the events that occurred during my time there. Well, it’s never been so clear that this may not be somewhere I would return long-term anytime soon. I would like to still go here and there but to live there permanently for a long span of time, maybe later it will change but for now I don’t have peace. And I’m actually learning to be okay with that.
See, though I wouldn’t admit it even to myself because it was almost like something I thought so deep down it was hidden up until now (if that makes any sense? Like subconsciously almost?) I’ve always held “missions” or “ministry” as the highest and most important calling. But it’s not. The most important “calling” we’re given is to go share the Gospel and daily die to ourselves for the sake of Christ and we don’t have to be on the mission field to do that.
We’re all called to take up our crosses daily, if we choose to follow Christ.
Every one of us has a choice daily to take up our cross. We take up our crosses, when we go out of our way for someone and do something selfless for them. We take up our crosses, when we make time for the friend who’s hurting and just listen to them. We take up our crosses when we sacrifice our time for God. I think we even take up our crosses daily when we just in general seek Him and allow Him to work in our hearts-let go of our jealously or bitterness and let Him replace it with thankfulness and joy.
The thing is while the things we hold as “big stuff” (mission trips, service days, missionaries, Christian artists, pastors, youth pastors) are very important I think it’s important that the little things we do to share the Gospel with others or just seek to be selfless in how we serve are equally important.
Because even though what we’re doing may not be as in the spotlight as other things, they still matter because it’s still for the kingdom and the glory of God.
So the biggest thing I learned in Africa is that I don’t need to go to Africa to do something that “counts”. And the things I do here-if they are for His glory, count just as much.
I’d like to close with a quote from Ann Voskamp that a friend of mine shared shortly with me after my trip, which could not have come at a better time:
"Living radical isn’t about where you live — it’s about how you love. It’s about realizing– Love doesn’t happen when you arrive in a certain place. It happens when your heart arrives in a certain place – wherever you are, right where you are, dirt road Africa or side street America.
Because it isn’t where we love. It’s how we love. It’s who we love. The reward of loving is in the loving; loving is itself the great outcome of loving. The success of loving is in how we change because we kept on loving – regardless of any thing else changing. The value of loving is in the value of being like Christ."
-Ann Voskamp
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”
-Colossians 3:17
To Him Be the Glory,
Amy
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