Why have these people been put through hell? Why have I lived a life of comfort? Why has God brought me here to see all of this? How is my life going to be different now? These are some of the hard questions I have tried to reflect on since I’ve been back.
Seeing these people who were
completely broken down now clinging to the Lord as they rebuild their country
is enough to know why the war has happened. It gives me a wider perspective of
something that seems all bad. All of these people have an intense story because
of the war and it has allowed them to build extremely deep relationships.
Having everything taken away from these people has put them at a point where
the only thing they have is Christ and faith. We have been treated so well our
trip here, but seeing kids at camp eating 3 bowls of rice because they don’t
know when they will have their next meal is devastating. Seeing the toilets
they have to use, or lack of, and smelling their body odor knowing it is not
their choice to smell that way. Because of these things they are less caught up
with body image and impressing others with looks. They are satisfied if they
can wear a clean shirt that day whereas I impulse buy on a daily basis. My life
is cluttered. I want to live differently
now that I’m home by ridding myself of some of that clutter. I want to go
though my closet and donate clothes. I want to look at my bank account, analyze
my income, and challenge myself by giving more. I am going to put more effort into my studies. Every kid I met had
the biggest hopes and dreams and goals for their education, but money is
holding them back. I'm getting a college education and I view it as a much larger blessing in my life
now. I hope to help fund people here in Liberia to help them go to college.
Why am I in the top 1% of the
world? Why did God place me here? I don’t think I will ever be able to answer
that question, but the fact that God did put me here, and that he sent me to
Africa, I know I need to be an ambassador for Liberia. I need to share with
others what I have seen, and what I have learned. I need to redirect my
finances to helping the poor instead of living more than comfortably. I need to
have a consistent prayer life and expect to have prayers answered if they are
in his will.
God did not bring me to Liberia to
give me an ‘experience’. God brought me to Liberia to change my life. To return
with a new relationship with Jesus, and a new resolve to see and live life
differently.
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