What We’ve Learned So Far…

We’re inching up on the half way mark of this journey. I thought it might be good to make a post about the things that we’ve learned thus far.

First, let us revisit why it is we came here in the first place. Well, our first reason was of course our belief in the Gospel and it’s ability to transform hearts, minds and lives. We still firmly believe in this calling for every believer’s life, not just our own. Our second reason was to explore foreign, long term missions as a calling for our life. We have indeed plumbed the depths of this concept during our time here. We are confident in the fact that there are few things more important than carrying the Gospel to the ends of the earth in Word and deed.

That brings me around to the things we’ve learned over the last 6 months of this journey:

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the ONLY thing worth living and dying for- not clean water, not good health care, not anything this world can offer.
• We can live (without killing each other) in 90 degree year round heat, without running or hot water, unidentifiable disgusting smells, and limited electricity.
• An irreverant older woman (as described in Titus 2) is a woman who you hear before you see as once said by Voddie Bocom – we’ve observed this to be true thanks to our neighbors
• We love Liberians in all their frustrating, puzzling at times, quirkiness. Speaking Liberian English is one of the most fun gifts of this journey. Although it has taken it’s toll on our once verbose vocabulary. (o.k. maybe not too big of a toll- I did just use verbose in a sentence!)
• We’re headed back to the U.S. at the end of this with a clearer understanding of the struggle of missionaries all over the globe and have a deep passion to motivate the Body of Christ to take hold of a renewed vision for the work of the Gospel all over the world.
• We’re unbelievably blessed in America- I don’t mean this in a trite, just got back from a two week mission’s trip, sort of way.  I speak this from the depth of my experiences here and through eyes that have witnessed a woman nearly bleed to death from a complication that would have never happened in America. Eyes that have seen mats on dirt floors where women push out new life and lose their own.
• “You don’t have to be successful, you just have to be faithful.” We’ve come to know the words of, EQUIP International’s Director Barrie Flitcroft, to be abundantly true as this journey has thrown us more than our fair share of curveballs.
• We realized that some of the most needy people in the world are not poor Africans living in huts. They are broken people just like you and me trying to run after jobs and worldly success to fill a gaping hole in their souls.
• We now have gained the ability to dwell alongside of the world’s most frightening creatures- once you’ve found a green mamba in your bathroom a household roach is like child’s play.

I could go on listing for days the way God is teaching our hearts, stretching our sanity and reshaping our lives to reflect more of Him and I think those are lessons worth the journey.