Sacrifices

(written 7/24/12) Our past few days have been full of relaxation and helping out around the mission we are using as somewhat of our home base. We spend most of our time at churches and in the communities, but spend a few days relaxing and debriefing in order to recharge for our next mission. We spent yesterday cleaning the entire kitchen at the mission. I spent hours scrubbing the stove tops, oven fronts, and even under the stove tops. Lynn, the woman that runs and lives at the mission with her husband, Don, was floored when she saw it. Blessing someone who blesses so many is an incredible way to do ministry and one of my favorite things. As we woke up this morning, I got a text notifying me a close friends grandmother had passed away, as we went thru our day of hiking and sightseeing, I got another text saying one of my friends is getting an annulment, finally, I received a message saying Drew made it to Kenya to start his incredible adventure that God has for him but 3 of his 4 pieces of checked luggage did not. The list continues to grow of things that happen at home and to the ones I love and care about and I'm not able to be there for. I've missed engagements, break ups, deaths, new jobs, and departures for big missions and I've only been gone for a little more than 2 weeks. As I walk the road Jesus has called me to and set before me, I am becoming more and more aware of the hardest part of being a missionary. It's not that I miss home, I just miss being able to be the friend, sister, girlfriend, and daughter that I want to be. I can already see it being my biggest struggle for the future and as I continue to give more and more of my life to missions. I know that God is moving here and what we're doing, and I know God is in the midst of everything that happens at home. Our God knew everything that was going to happen before I even accepted the position on this team. The more I pray about it, the more I am aware that the devil is doing any and everything he can to distract me and take me away from what God is doing. I wish every time something happened I could go home for a few hours and just make sure everyone is ok because that's the heart God has given me, to care greatly for those around me and take on the burdens of others. But I have to trust that my prayers and occasional conversations with my friends are exactly what they need and God is using them in the perfect way to comfort His children. My trust in Him is growing so much, but the hurt is still there. It's something I know I have to work thru and am so much more aware of now that I have left home. I had an idea it would be hard, but never could have expected this. Just another thing I have to daily give to my Heavenly Father and trust He will provide everything I and everyone I care about needs.

P.S. I have to brag for a moment about Drew, and ask for your prayer for him as well. He left yesterday to start his 2 year adventure as an athletic director at West Nairobi School. I couldn't be more proud of him and just his heart for Jesus. He loves Jesus with everything he has and everything else comes second. And not only does he live his life that way, he encourages and supports me living the same way. God is definitely the center of everything he does and I'm so blessed to call him mine. His travel day was pretty rocky, but he arrived safe and sound, missing 3 bags like I said before, but he's there and ready to start with a long list of transitions and get to work with what God has for him. Can you tell how proud I am of my man? I would love it if you could add him and his ministry to your prayers as well as his fellow teachers and the students he will be ministering to through the gifts and talents God has blessed him with as a teacher and administrator, not to mention a man of God. If you're interested in his journey, he also has a blog, Colletteinkenya.wordpress.com