Whelmed

When we arrived in Burkina I was whelmed.  Not over-whelmed, but completely whelmed...  It took a few days to figure out if that was 'normal' for a person who is preparing to relocate the entire family, or if it was bad- I wondered if it was an indicator that we wouldn't be able to handle it!?!  Since I'm  the mama, a lot rides on my willingness to walk this road.  I wondered if my feelings were just the way any person in my shoes would feel...  My brain had no 'box' to put sights, sounds and smells into.  It took a couple of days to create new "boxes" for my mind, and the Lord's grace and peace allowed me sort all that I was taking in.
Nothing was normal.  I enjoyed some of the differences and didn't care for others, but overall the real challenge was just the unfamiliarity.  The unknown is always a stretch- whether it's the unknown of ordering a different drink at Starbucks, sitting in a different section in church on Sunday or the rhythms of life on a new continent...
Since tears are my "go-to" emotion, they flowed for 2 days...cuz that's how I roll...
and then I spent time in the village...
I saw the people who call this place home.  I saw despair and illness, smiles and laughter, and need.   The need for a relationship with their Savior.  The need for joy and the hope that lies within US.  We who rely upon His strength are equipped to go into any circumstance when God leading us.  Upon leaving the village my mind was overflowing with questions and challenges and ministry goals.  The things that I saw were overwhelming, but I felt excited, exhorted and encouraged by a desire to be a part of the lives that I saw and to be a neighbor to these people living 6,561 miles away from my home. 
I met people who have names, hopes, goals and gripes, (just like me)and have a loving Father (just like me)- but no one has told them about Him yet. Their life and experiences have pointed to a God, a Creator, but they know nothing of a Savior and a relationship that is available to them today.
The night before we left for Burkina I had a thought:  If I was a specially trained medical doctor and I had a cure for a terminal illness in a world where many people were dying of every second, would I choose to share my cure or stay comfy and cozy?  If I was willing to share it, would I be willing to share it with only my friends and family nearby, and maybe my grocery store clerk?  Or would it be my responsibility to be a part of getting the cure to the dying.  Do I realize that we are all terminal, and Jesus is the cure for all that ails us?
It showed me that that I (our whole family) am willing, able and equipped to take the gospel (the cure)to the ends of the earth.  The realization that I am not a specialized doctor, but instead an average homeschooling mom could have kept my vision small and my willingness confined; but then I remembered how often God uses simple things and simple people to do His Great Things!


I want to be a willing servant of the most high God.  I want to be used.  I have been so blessed to be a child of the King, growing in relationship with Him since age 6.  He has given me big faith!  I feel joyfully obligated to obey God's word and carry the light and love of Jesus Christ to my soon-to-be neighbors in a land far away!

 Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day. 
 Declare his glory among the nations,
     his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 1 Chronicles 16:23-24