Oh America

  Well, as a lot of you know, i have been here in America for two weeks now and i am getting ready to head back to Africa tomorrow afternoon.  It was so amazing to be able to come here and see everyone.  It means so much to me that there are several people who are praying for me and are excited about the ministry God is doing over in Africa.  I hope that you all will stay tuned and look for more blogs as my time continues over in Swaziland.  I promise to try and keep more posts coming on frequent occasions…just know that internet is harder to come by in Swazi than it was in Jeffreys Bay.  However, i do enjoy writing these because they keep you informed and they are a good way for me to process the things the Lord is taking me through.
One quick thing i wanted to share was about my experience back here in America after living in Africa for the past four months…
It was a very unexpectedly hard transition, almost like i had culture shock coming home.  Something i was definitely not prepared for.  When i first arrived, i went down to Annapolis with some friends to go shopping at the mall.  It literally appalled me to see the “richness” of this country and how people were choosing to spend their money.  I wanted to tell everyone how big a difference a few dollars could make in third world countries…i wanted to ask them why they were “wasting” their money on material things when in reality “stuff” doesn’t really matter.  For some reason i was so bitter and angry with America that i came to the conclusion that i no longer wanted to live here.  I knew that the thoughts and feelings i had, maybe were legitimate, but were not Christ like and definitely did not need to leave the inner workings of my mind.  That evening i had a long conversation with the Lord trying to figure out how he rationalizes all this in his head and how America and her society are a part of His great plan.  So kindly God reminded me that he has called everyone to a different standard and how his plan is different and unique for each individual.  Some people he has called to live a comfortable lifestyle able to support others who are called to live off of much less going to places like Africa, or China, or South America.  Everything he graciously reminded me of immediately made me think about the body of Christ and how each member plays a special and unique role that in turn will help further Christ’s kingdom.  If everyone thought they were called to live with less than it would be very hard for Christians to travel to the ends of the earth spreading the good news because there would be a lack of funds and on the other hand, if everyone felt called to live a comfortable lifestyle in the states than there would be nobody to fulfill the callings of Acts 1:8.  So after that long and wonderful conversation with my Father, i am more content with America and how people are choosing to live and spend their money.  I still think that EVERY Christian has things that they can improve on in following the will of God in their lives, but that is why we have Holy Spirit to remind us that every moment of every day should be focused on Jesus Christ and his love for his children. 
It was an experience i needed to go through and work through with the Lord.  Now i know that i need to prepare my heart spiritually to return to the states to live full time when i come home in May.  I am excited about the challenge to live radically in a society that does not require it.  
 
 
Thank you everyone for your prayers and thoughts…i really appreciate every one of you who is partnering with me in this ministry!!  I will send out an address for Swazi ASAP :0)