"We're Going to Africa."

That is one phrase that we thought we'd never say. Not because it isn't possible for us to go, but because we never really gave it much thought. Until a few weeks ago that is. Matt and I had talked about going on a missions trip this year as one of our goals for 2011, but at the time it wasn't much more than that. A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to attend a missions class at Journey where we could hear testimonies from a few people who went on missions trips and also get some information about the trips that Journey offers to Honduras and Uganda. We were totally set on Honduras. We went in with Honduras on our minds. We took notes on Honduras. We imagined ourselves in Honduras. But we walked out with excitement for Uganda, much more than anticipated. Matt was more excited than I was and challenged us to pray about going to Uganda. I freaked in my mind. Uganda? Africa? Really? I agreed and we left it alone for the rest of the afternoon.

The next morning Pastor Jimmy preached a powerful sermon challenging us to stop letting opportunities pass us by. He preached about living a life of faith. It means to say yes even when I don't understand it. It means to say yes even when I cannot see how it will work out. It means saying yes all the time, every time. Matt walked away with full confidence that he was supposed to go to Uganda. But I still wrestled. Honduras or Uganda? I just couldn't decide. So, I committed to pray about it and see where the Lord led me. For the rest of the week, Matt and I would wrestle in our own ways of which trip to take. It wasn't a matter of "if" we were going, it was just a matter of "where".

So, I prayed and prayed, and Uganda wouldn't leave me alone. Thoughts of Honduras never entered into my mind that week, but thoughts of Uganda sure did make themselves known. I weighed the pros and cons, if you could do that with a missions trip. Logically, I tried to come to a conclusion on why I "chose" Honduras in the first place. Placing the purpose of the missions trips aside, the reasons I came up with were pretty lame: it's one week (not two), it only takes five hours to get there (not 20), it's on the beach and near a coffee shop, Dunkin' Donuts and Pizza Hut (not out in the middle of the bush). See? I told you they were lame, and selfish. When I thought of Honduras, I thought "I could do that." When I thought of Uganda, I wondered, "Could I do that?" I mean, let's face it. Traveling to Uganda seems a little bit tougher than Honduras. Even the things we would be doing in each country differed somewhat. Yes, they were all about sharing the love of Christ with the people there, but the way in which we would go about that looked different. In Honduras, we would have the chance to help build a church, put on puppet shows for the children or teach in the pastoral training center. In Uganda, we would be going hut-to hut evangelizing and sharing the Gospel, we would be ministering to prisoners and working in an orphanage. To me, Honduras seemed like it was the "safe" option. I felt like I could help build a church and put on puppet shows with ease. But when I thought about Uganda and going hut to hut and even into prisons, I found myself in a more desperate place for God's help. I wouldn't be able to do this on my own.

Over the week, I started to receive clarity on the situation. I continued to pray that if the decision came down to me going to Uganda that it would not be for more selfish reasons. I didn't want to go because Matt was going. I didn't want to go because my good friend, Carla, was going. I didn't want to go because I would get to wrap my arms around Hilda. Yes, all those things are bonuses, but I wanted to make sure that I was going for the right reason - to love the people of Uganda and to share the love of Christ with them.

Besides, after all I had been learning through Pastor Jimmy's sermons, the discipleship class, small group, quiet time and other readings, how could I say no to taking a step of faith that, deep down, I knew was what God was calling me to? How could I turn my back on God and reject what He had been teaching me and showing me and preparing me for all this time? I had been learning how to surrender to God, to give up my will and pray that my life would be aligned with what He wanted, to bring Him glory.

There was only one "problem". The dates of the trip were the same as the dates for our family beach vacation, one of my favorite times of the year. Sunset Beach is one of my favorite places to be, and to be with the entire family in one place for a whole week is special. But choosing Uganda would mean saying no to the beach. It would mean saying no to family vacation. It would mean saying no to family. Was I ready for that? To be honest, it really hurt my heart to think that I had a tough decision to make, one that would certainly leave some hurt feelings and a hole in my heart that I would miss out on that week full of memories.

But I soon realized that this was a crossroads in my walk. I was either going to say yes to God, walking in faith and responding in obedience to His calling or I was going to say no to God, turning around and going back to what I desire, what I know and what is comfortable to me. That right there sealed the deal. As hard as I knew it would be to essentially say no to family in order to act in obedience, I knew it had to be done. I knew what my decision would be. I was going to Uganda.

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So now what? We are looking forward with excitement (and lots of nervousness!) to the days ahead. Turns out that another friend from our small group is going on the trip. That makes four out of nine going and that is something to be celebrated! We're in the process of creating support letters and prayer cards and selling car washes to raise funds. Our small group has really pulled together and come behind us to help with other fundraising ideas. Now we get to sit back and watch our God show off. $6000 is a lot of money to raise in less than three months! But we are confident that He can do it. We continue to stand in awe of Him.

It feels really good to be obedient to the Lord. Nothing else is quite as satisfying to the soul. We are so grateful and humbled to be able to be a part of God's work. That He would include us in the building up of His Kingdom blows us away, and to think we have a front row seat to all the action is something we still can't quite wrap our heads around.

Thank you, Jesus, for promising that when we seek You with all of our hearts, we will find You. Thank you for teaching us to walk in obedience and to simply say yes. We are grateful to be a part of Your plan and Your will, to help build Your Kingdom, all for your glory. Work in our hearts and through our hands and feet to reach the lost people of this world for You.