Final Thoughts

Our team, pastors, translators and staff from Arise Africa

Our final morning at the guesthouse, we had a pleasant surprise by all the pastors. They came to say their good-byes. I was so glad Matt had the chance to say goodbye to Pastor Stephen. He came into the dining room where we were eating our breakfast and it was like reuniting with an old friend.

All packed up and ready to go, it was a rainy morning. We were just waiting on the word to board up so that we could make our way to Kampala to fly home.

A bittersweet moment, we all said our good-byes and gave final hugs. We took a team photo and then were on our way to a mall for lunch and a marketplace before heading to the airport. You didn't think Americans would come back without souvenirs, did you?!

City traffic in Uganda might actually give New York city traffic a run for it's money. At that point, I was sure that I was ready to go home!

Our flights were uneventful and on time, for the most part. The power went out in the airport in Uganda for some time and we were delayed an hour, but after we got off the ground, it was smooth sailing home. As suspected, the flights home were the worst part of the trip. They seemed to last forever and with Matt still not feeling great and me coming down with a sore throat, you can imagine it seemed like an eternity.

At least I had plenty of time to think about the past two weeks, reliving each day as I glanced through over 2000 pictures that Matt and I had taken between the two of us.

Had I really been in Uganda for two weeks and now on the way home? It seemed like the time leading up to our trip did not hurry by. Sure, we only had about three months to go by the time we had made the decision to go, but I sat there thinking about how quickly two weeks had passed. A great two weeks. Two weeks that I'll never forget. Two weeks that I will forever be grateful for.

-----

Now on the other side of the trip, the memories of Uganda never fail to show up in my mind each day. Looking back through the photos and my journal leads me to daydream about my new friends, wonder what they are doing seven hours ahead of me and if they are well. I miss them. Life seemed so simple there. There were no distractions of televisions and computers. No distractions to take us away from our day to day mission: preach the Gospel, make disciples and love the people.

Back home, I find myself pulled in many directions, distracted by the available technology and daily to-do lists. Distracted by what I think is important in this American life. My mind goes in a hundred different ways.

Plan our meals.

Shop for groceries.

Clean the house.

Do the laundry.

Work on designing photo cards for Christmas.

Prepare for a new trimester as small group leader.

Pay the bills.

Blog about this.

Blog about that.

And on.

And on.

And on.

As I was reading the blog of another team member, she shared something that she came across that has helped me to have a better understanding of why, although I was ready to come home, it was so hard to leave. It says what I want to say better than I ever could in my own words.

"The hardest places to leave are the places God leads us to. Because those are the places where you are shaped and molded into a new person. Those are the places where your heart expands, your mind is open to new perspectives, and your eyes begin to really see.

The places God leads us to are holy, set apart from the places we travel to on our own will. But here’s the wonderfully divine thing about God: he meets us in the places we go on our own. When our sin or stubbornness or selfish desire takes us to places he doesn’t intend, he will not abandon us. He will come to us, enter into our ways, our brokenness – like when he became flesh on this earth. He is good. And present in all things, in all places.

But the places where God is present and the places where he wills you are very different. When you’ve experienced both, you feel and know the difference. They are both special. They are both spiritual. But the life that pursues God will find herself following God, rather than God finding her. And these places where she follows God requires great faith. Because sometimes these places are new or mysterious. Challenging or confusing. Like going to a land you have never been. Or traveling to a city to deliver a message of judgment from God. Or carrying a child that is from the Lord, not a man. Or fellowshipping with a Gentile. Or dying a humble death on a cross. Or leaving a job with great pay, in order to take one that is more right for your family. Or leaving behind a life you love in order to learn how to really live. Or adopting children after your nest has been empty for years. Or stepping away from church activities and programs in order to be more available to those who need to taste and see that the Lord is good.

It’s often difficult to anticipate a holy God. Because his ways are so different than our ways. We want higher, he wants humble. We want fast, he wants eternal. We want an easy journey, he wants a holy journey. We want to fix, he wants to redeem. We want what we think is right, he wants what he knows is good. We want perfection, he wants a genuine heart.

His ways truly are higher than ours. The places he is going are better than the places we are going. So why do we struggle with saying yes? With being available? With joining him? Do we not trust him?

Do we not trust our life to the very one who breathed it in us?

The places where God leads us, takes us, pulls us aren’t always fun filled, but they are spirit filled. And it’s this presence of the Spirit that keeps us longing for those places, drawing us back to serve more, love better.

Africa is not more spiritual than America. It’s a holy place on the journey of people seeking the will of God. And that is what sets it apart. In the hustle and bustle of American culture, those holy places are harder to find. We get lost in our schedules and religious practices, and we find ourselves following culture and traditions more than Jesus. But our faithful God comes looking for his people, enters into their buildings of worship, hears their cries, forgives their sin, and draws them closer to his heart. But it’s when God’s people begin pursuing him with genuine worship, available hearts and willing hands that radical living, going and helping take us to those holy places where God intends us to walk and live."

~ Lori Manry

We are so thankful that God led us to this place. A place that opened our eyes to reality. A place that reminded us of what it means to be humble. A place that is fertile and ready to receive the Word of God. A place where people are desperate for Jesus, who hunger for more of His word. A place where nothing is taken for granted and people rejoice when those with a different skin color show up because we are a picture of hope to them. A place that shows true hospitality. A place that gave us a glimpse of what the body of Christ was meant to do.

I know that if the Lord calls us back, we will certainly go. We left a piece of our hearts in that place. We will forever be connected through our Savior, as the church of Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful that we were obedient. I'm so thankful that God's plan since the beginning was to use us, mere humans who mess up, to do His work and help Him unfold His eternal plan. He calls us alongside Him to carry out His will. Does anyone else think that is crazy?! I do. I cannot completely understand. But what I do know is that I am grateful to be called alongside our Great God.

If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, may we encourage you to say "yes" to Him no matter what He is calling you to do. You won't regret it. Sure, you might be a little scared or a little worried. But God won't call you to something that He won't bring you through. If He calls you, go. Surrender your will to His. Be a part of His plan. It's far greater than the one you have and it's far greater than you can imagine.

If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, feel free to ask us questions. We'd love to talk to you about it more. He's the only way to heaven. He's the only way to eternal life. He is Peace. He is Hope. He is Comfort. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He wasn't just a good man of history. He wasn't just a prophet. He is God's one and only Son who, in obedience, humbled himself to death on a cross because of your sin and my sin. His death on the cross bridged the gap that was created between God and man when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden. But here's the thing. Jesus didn't stay dead. He rose from his grave three days after his crucifixion and He conquered death so that we may inherit eternal life. God's grace is waiting for you today. He loves you more than you will ever know.