With less than two weeks until I fly away to Africa, My God has been readily preparing the way for me with each passing day. I am growing, learning, and preparing my heart and mind for the days ahead. Each day brings on new meaning as I hold myself responsible to soaking in all the time I can with those I love and hold dear to my heart here in the States. I have never been gone for more than two weeks out of the country. As I ponder what it might be like to be gone for so long, I sit and wonder what my heart will feel like being in Africa again, working with the beautiful children, and then returning home.
This journey, unlike any other, has brought much peace and comfort on the preparation side of things. I was filled with many fears with the last trips, not knowing what to expect. I feel at ease this time around, which I think has a lot to do with my growing faith and trust in God. He truly has prepared the way for me, and I feel this favor and blessing upon me daily.
A rare and beautiful moment was presented to me last night during my work out with my mother. I am blessed to live in a beautiful area, filled with running trails through the woods and celery bog. Last night's weather was just perfect; a cool breeze, a beautiful sunset, and my mother by my side to fellowship and talk about life and the upcoming plans ahead for us. We started our 4 mile hike just at dusk. At the end, we sometimes choose to stay straight on the road that my home sits on or turn left into a neighborhood and go the back way. My mom commented and asked, "Would you like to turn into the neighborhood?" I thought she asked if we could just stay straight, which would lead us to being on the wrong side of the road. I told her we needed to cross so we would be on the sidewalk away from the cars. She didn't really question my answer, though she was a bit confused, so we kept on walking, only 1/4 mile away from my home.
As we were coming up to the part of the road where we cross, I noticed a woman with her backpack on the ground, waiting at the bus stop. Many city and campus buses pass each and every day, as many students live in the apartment complex across the street. I seemingly pass the strangers that are waiting every day on my runs/walks; most listening to music, reading a book, or just simply consumed by their smart phones. This time was different though. The woman stood alone, with no others waiting for the bus, with it also being close to 10:00pm. As we got ready to pass her, I heard a polite "excuse me" coming from her direction. We stopped, smiled, and listened for the next words to come.
A sweet, beautiful woman, smiled back at me timidly and asked, " I do not have a smart phone, and I have been waiting for the bus for over an hour. Would you mind looking at your phone to see when the next bus comes?"
Easy enough task right? I walked closer to her, phone in hand, and proceeded to look up the bus schedules, which I didn't have much luck in finding. The woman had a heavy accent, one I recognized from my trip to South Africa in October. She had rich, beautiful skin, and I instantly knew she was from a country in Africa. A few minutes passed, and with a little bit of hesitation at first, we decided in a moment to just give the woman a ride home. She was only going a couple miles down the street . We motioned for her to walk the short distance to our cars, and she followed with a slight hesitation as well.
As we approached the cars my mother said she would run inside to get her keys, leaving both of us outside in the parking lot waiting.
"What is your name?" I asked.
"Yakosa. I am from Malawi, Africa," she replied.
My eyes lit up as I began to tell her my name and that I would be going to Africa in just a few weeks. I told her about my trip and what I would be doing. She asked what church I was going with and I told her all about Horizon International and the adventures ahead of me. She then began to open up about how she was going to Purdue, getting her masters in agriculture, and leaving to go back home in late July to teach the farmers in her village what she learned.
As we stood together, talking, and getting to know each other, we heard the sound of the passing bus go by.
She pointed, with a look of disbelief saying, "AHH, there goes the bus."
I smiled.
"No worries, we were meant to be together and meet each other tonight."
We all hopped into the car, ready to make the short drive to where Yakosa had been staying. As we drove off, Yakosa began to share with us that she had been in the middle of praying when we had walked up. She told us that she had started to complain after about 20 minutes of waiting, but God told her to stop, thank Him for the beautiful evening, and start praying and trusting that God had a plan and would never forsake her. After about 40 minutes of praying that God would bring the right people to help her, my mother and I walked up.
She told us that we were angels sent from God and answers to her prayers that evening. My mom and I were stunned; speechless. The next 15 minutes we exchanged words of encouragement and talked about how amazing Our God is that we serve. As we pulled up to her home, Yakosa and I exchanged emails and hugs, as if we had been long time friends. She got out of the car, hugged my mother and I both, and stood and waved as we drove away. My mother and I turned to each other, with tears in our eyes, in awe.
What a blessing and gift God gave us in meeting and helping Yakosa. My mom had been worrying about my trip, having never been to Africa. The unknown is what frightens her. She looked at me and said, "God sent me Yakosa tonight to show me that I have nothing to fear while you are gone in Africa. God showed me a little bit of Africa here in Lafayette tonight."
I can't explain what happened in the short 25 minutes we had with Yakosa. God's presence filled the car and our hearts as we became instant friends because of our same love for God.
What makes me sad is that I'm not sure what would have happened if God had given me that opportunity a few years ago. I would have stopped, but I'm certain I would have been very hesitant in taking her home, fearing the possibilities of what might happen considering she was a stranger to me.
The blessing though is that God has given me new eyes and a new heart that longs to see what He sees in people and that feels what He feels. I am thankful I was able to see the blessing right in front of my eyes.
Yakosa also taught me a valuable lesson about my own prayer life. I need to trust more and believe in the prayers I am offering up to God each and every day. Sometimes Prayer to me seems like smoke that wafts up from my lips and quickly floats away in the air, unheard and meaningless. I sometimes feel that God isn't hearing what I am saying or even cares for that matter. I catch myself at times thinking, "God has bigger issues" or "I am not really that gifted in prayer". I usually connect those doubts with Satan trying to work in my life to catch me in a moment of weakness.
My friends in Africa and Nicaragua sometimes seem like they have an edge on me. God chose them to be rich in faith. Helplessness and faith are essential and vital for a growing, strong prayer life. I need to learn from my dear friends. Christians living in poverty can not rely on their possessions for security and comfort. They must solely rely on God's promises. Most of the time they only have God to turn to, not a paycheck, a car, or a new winter coat. When they pray, they pray with urgency. They pray hard and faithfully. And THAT is what I need. As I come to God with my prayers, I need to forget about all the stuff that I have, and remember to trust God's power. Praying changes who I am and why I do things. The Holy Spirit will take over my heart and mind, and give me thoughts intertwined with God's thoughts. He will give me lasting reasons to serve those in need. Without prayer, my own abilities and reasons for wanting to help will diminish. They will run dry. I must remember to keep in constant prayer; asking God to keep my heart open to the things He wants me to feel and see.
Last night was such a gift, and I thank God for my new friend, Yakosa. I pray that God blesses her and her family as she stepped out in faith and is doing amazing things for her country of Malawi.
Have a beautiful weekend friends!
Many blessings filled with God's LOVE,
Meg :)
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