Halfway

Hebrews 6:10-12 “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show the same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” 

This season has been a lot of growing - in a really good way. There has been so much going on! With Island medical outreaches and mission teams coming to stay with us and many different tasks and jobs being handed out, it seems like I have had a huge opportunity to be serving. That in itself is extremely refreshing because the Lord fills me with an extra portion of joy when I am able to get to know other believers, or developing relationships with the kids in this country at this time. However, going full speed for a long amount of time becomes exhausting. It’s easy to start to brush off small responsibilities and become lazy and uninterested. The flesh takes over, you start to become numb to the works of God and you completely forget to consider that this life is not your own. 

It’s hard for me to imagine what it is like to be numb to the mission field here on the Island of Nangombe. I wish you could all see it for yourselves - it’s the most surreal, unexplainable experience to walk on the dirt path that leads you to different huts (homes) around the village, to hear the kids yelling “Muzungu, muzungu!” and to see the smile that stretches across their face as you reach down for a hug. Sharing the love of Jesus with them is the most gratifying and inspiring thing I have been able to enjoy in my life this far. There is nothing more beautiful than the joy that radiates off of their faces when you learn their names and play with them and show them love and give them a piece of your heart. 

I can honestly say that I haven’t experienced that “burnt out” feeling since arriving to Uganda, but I know as time goes by it will become more difficult to run the race full force. More than anything, I want to use every ounce of energy I have to show the love of God in this community and to my team, and reading these verses gave me a renewed perspective. Every time I think about  heading back to the States it really puts a damper on my mood. Don't get me wrong, I miss a lot of people and many aspects of living in a first-world country, but I love being in Uganda more than any season I’ve had elsewhere. But what I do recognize, is that this love I have is God-given and He has me here for a reason. That being said, I can’t back down, slack off, or get lazy. I have to be intentional with my time here and pour myself out until I have no one to turn to for strength besides the Lord. Also, I want to touch on the last part of these verses as well. I love that I have plenty of examples in my life to imitate! There are people who have shown me how to be sold out for God back at home through teachers and pastors in my life, and now I have many leaders in the ministry of Potter’s Field that want nothing less than to see my life and others around me transformed by the Holy Spirit, and I have full confidence that they are running their race for the Lord whole-heartedly and are reliant on the Lord for energy all of the time. So I have no excuses to live without utter devotion.