There really is no blogable way to convey the ways, in which
my heart was tugged, pulled, strengthened, opened and therefore changed this
summer. Judging by the time that goes by in between my posts, its safe to say I
am not very good at this. However, I do believe that there is important to at
least share something...
This is my fourth trip to Africa and for the most part
Africa is all I have known of my adult life. No matter how many times I do
this, the end is what seems to hit the hardest. Maybe it’s the reflection of
all I have been witness to and the challenge of Christ is sending me back into.
Either way, I am learning how little all that I am learning has to do with
Africa but rather His Kingdom.
I struggled all summer to discern the real reason for being
here. I didn’t have the giant task of opening a medical clinic, I didn’t bare
the burden of what’s next, and there was no projects with my named stamped on
it. So, I had to learn that this trip wasn’t about me doing but rather being.
Man, but what a challenge for someone who doesn’t sit still.
When I look into the eyes of Nikotwo a young boy that lives
in the slums of Katanga, when I am embraced by the warmest hug from JaJa
Margaret at the kids house, when I walk by the medical clinic and the children
cheer my name joyfully as I pass by, when I hold hands with Paul as we walk
home from school and talk about his day, when I remember the countless babies I
have held on taxis and watched the way the mothers care for their little ones,
when I share tears with my American friends that have come to serve alongside
me, when I think back to all of these things I see our friend JC (jesus) smiling down
on us and loving every moment of these interactions.
Without too much detail… What’s the take away?
For me it’s this:
I have not arrived, nor will I ever. I am called to make
disciples, and through that process I too will battle my own crud. I will
commit to standing in the filth of my brothers and sisters, just as they have
done with me. I will challenge those around me to seek the seriousness of
Christ through the scriptures. & I will remember that we are all merely
beggars helping other beggars search for bread.
In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to
pay back the people in this world that sustain our lives. In the end, maybe
it’s wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to
just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have
voices.
No matter how hard it is saying goodbye I can’t help but think
that there are so many more people to meet and to love.
See you on the other side,
T
Baby Job
Paul
Medical Outreach
