Sunday, July 14, 2013

Thursday-June 20, 2013

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As I am sitting on the deck of the beautiful guesthouse I will call home for the next 6 weeks, there is a cool breeze blowing followed by dark clouds, and I can’t help but wonder, why am I really here?

I started my morning, just like any other, with a big cup of coffee with more cream and sugar than normal. (I blame the jetlag, but we all know that’s my normal routine anyways.) Then we ventured into town to get a look at where we would be spending the majority of the six weeks working. Stacy had painted a beautiful picture of what Korah would be like once I got there, but I didn’t fully understand it all until I saw it for myself. You’d think that a town with a label such as “extreme poverty” would be such a sad, dark place. But it was just the opposite. As I entered the compound I was greeted with big white smiles peering through the dirt-covered faces of the children. They grabbed my hand and led me through, stopping momentarily for hugs and kisses from some of the sweetest ladies you will ever meet. I got to spend the afternoon laughing with the women of Korah as they worked diligently making some of the most beautiful jewelry and scarfs. They even let me make a few, and graciously helped me when I made a mistake. (Which was often. Those ladies are good at what they do!) But the happiness I felt in that small room was overpowering. I’m sure I’ll have the biggest, cheesiest smile in all of my pictures, but I can’t help it. They have a joy that is contagious. It’s only day one and these people are already doing way more for me than I could ever do for them.

I brought Kisses from Katie thinking it would be the perfect book to read when I have some down time. The first chapter is already stretching me even more out of my comfort zone, so I might have to put finishing this book on hold. One thing that did stick out was the verse Luke 12:48, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Katie writes that she has been given so much. I am no different from Katie in the sense that I, too, have been given so much. What a waste it would be for me to come here and boast about the things I am doing. It’s not anything that I can do. It’s all Christ. Without Christ I would not even be here, and not to mention fully funded. (Still praising God for that!) And to answer my question “why I am really here” I believe it’s because I have been demanded to give much of myself. I have a heart for the poor and orphaned because that’s a part of God’s heart that he has entrusted me, and so many others, with.

I am beyond thrilled for this opportunity to serve in Ethiopia and love on these precious people. There is no doubt in my mind that God is working here and will continue to work throughout the next six weeks. And I can’t wait to share this journey with you all through stories and pictures.

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