Let's start with the title of the page: "Making a difference". This has been a goal of mine for a long time. I have a heart that longs to bring smiles to the faces of others. I see so many hurting people out in the world, and I really just to help. Last weekend I got to spend most of Saturday at camp hanging out. I learned two things. The first is that I greatly miss the relationships that I built while I worked there. I spent hours talking and sharing with old friends that I wish I had kept up with more since I left camp and it was a highlight of the weekend. Second, I realized how fulfilled I was while I was there as part of the full time staff. When others would ask if I liked my job, I used to always say, "I work in full time ministry. What's not to like?". I felt a sense of purpose and direction. I miss that too. Last night I found some old CD's with some old STOP the Violence photos on them. I reflected for a while on the different trips that I've been on with STOP. One of my fondest memories is of a girl standing up during a training in Utah and telling us that her school has a problem with gangs. She asked us what she could do about it. Do you know how encouraging it was to hear that! We inspired her! She believed that SHE could make a difference in her school! And you know what? SHE WAS RIGHT! Working with STOP was such an incredible experience. I was making a difference in lives of students who were then going on to impact others.
This kind of leads to the first cool thing - Africa. A couple weeks ago while in church, I started thinking about Kenya. It's one of the countries that my church has adopted. I went home and prayed about it and really feel a strong calling to go. I'm going as a part of a team with my church towards the end of July. There are some really hurting people there who just need someone to love them. Right now, that someone can be me. I know that God is doing amazing things in that country, and He is going to continue to do amazing things in Kenya. But here's the deal: He doesn't want to do it on His own; He wants to use US! I'm always blown away by that! A lot of people have been asking me what we'll be doing in Kenya. Well, I'm not sure. We're not building anything, or providing medical care, or painting a building. We're simply going there to serve. That may mean playing games with the orphans one day and listening to widows the next. The only thing that I know for certain is that we'll be showing the people love. I've been reminded a lot lately of Matthew 20:28: "Just as the Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve...". You see, Christ didn't come to have everyone serve Him, but rather for Him to serve us. I'm not going to Kenya as a missionary; I'm going as a servant. I'm going to Kenya to serve the people in whatever way that I can.
I'll be in Kenya for two weeks this summer. But, if I'm completely honest, I could see it being longer. It's been on my heart lately to possibly stay overseas and serve. I enjoy my job that I have and I'm very thankful for it. And I am satisfied with my job, I just don't know that I'm fulfilled. This is by no means a definite thing, but it could be. I've always had a heart for underprivileged children; it's a passion of mine. I've always known that I'm supposed to do something with my life that is greater than me. I'm supposed to do something with my life that makes a difference daily.
I guess I'll wrap this up. For those of you reading this that believe in prayer, I ask for you to pray. Pray for the people of Kenya and pray for our team that is going. Pray that as we serve, the people will not see a group of Americans, but rather that they see the love of Christ being poured out upon them.
"And He (Jesus) said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach he gospel to every creature'." - Mark 16:15
Good post Ray
ReplyDeleteVery exciting to read; glad you have the blog so we can discover all of this with you!
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