6 days!...Learning to Abide

I can't believe it is less than a week before I go to GA to prepare to meet my team! I just got home from a relaxing vacation with my family, but that leaves little time to finish everything that I have to do. I know that only through our Lord will be able to finish it all! However, things are starting to fall into place. All of my money is in and being mailed to AIM today! Bwana Asifiwe! Thank you for all of your prayers and your support in that!

I have also begun to dive into the devotional that AIM provides for our teams. It starts 3 weeks before we head to the field and contains some wonderful insight about God's heart and cross cultural ministry. In the past week, one of the days focused on abiding in our Lord....just living for him and savoring his goodness throughout the day. I learned that day just to have my eyes open to those around me, and see the LIFE exuding out of them like never before. I found such joy in just watching people live the lives God gave them. I know that sounds funny, but that's the only way I can describe my feelings from that day. I hope that on my trip I can watch my team and the people of Swaziland and see GOD in each one of them...not because they do or say anything super spiritual, but just because they are taking full advantage of every opportunity this life affords and just living it up! Too often we sit around and wait for something better, when God wants us to live each moment as if it were the last. As Jim Elliot said once, "Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living!"

Also in the past week I had the opportunity to read through my entire journal from Kenya. One thing that pervaded my prayers throughout was that God would give me a broken heart for the people and that he would remove any barriers that I had keeping me from "experiencing" and savoring every minute God had given me in Africa for his glory. I pray that for this trip as well, as the last thing I want is that it should pass me by. I feel that this time my trip will be very different, but I'm not sure how yet. I'm excited, however to see what God will do and to learn how to abide!

I wanted to leave with a quote I found in my journal from my third day at training camp in 2005. It echos my current thoughts and prayers:

"I'm not here for a cool trip, stories or pictures. I'm here to praise YOU and love you and make you known to the nations. It's not about me. I die to myself. Help me to bear my friends burdens and lift them up to you Lord. Lay down my life and pick up your cross daily. Change me to be refreshed in you...in wonderment and awe of who you are. Make me genuine. Don't allow the devil to gain a stronghold. Protect all of us and make us YOURS...whole-heartedly and single mindedly!"