Blessed

Yesterday I was sharing my pictures of Africa with a family member. As I scrolled through quickly, I realized that they really weren’t that interested. Maybe because there are so many! Afterward, he made the comment, “So you had good time?” I said "I was blessed" He answered, “Well good, I thought you would get over there and hate it.” I have thought about this conversation a few times and realized how funny it is to me. Maybe because right now, I feel it is the opposite. I didn’t hate Gulu, the people, the culture, the food (okay, the peanut mush and the meat are not on my list of favorites), the lifestyle; instead I fell in love. I fell in love with the people and the culture.
I didn’t hate Africa, I hated leaving. I hated returning to a materialistic, status driven, competitive society that has forgotten how to slow down and enjoy. I didn’t go to Africa to have a good time, I went to follow God. I can’t think of too many people that would consider being drenched in sweat and living without electricity a “good time”…Oh wait, I do, but I call it camping! I went to Africa to be obedient to God’s call, and in return I have been blessed beyond measure (and I did have a good time because of His blessings?.)
I can't believe that it has been almost a month since we left for Africa. Since returning home, things haven’t changed or slowed down, just because my perspective has changed. I realize that if I want it to change, I have to be the change for others to follow. I have to be the example and make the change happen. This is so much easier said than done. I have to learn to be on my knees more seeking God's guidance to what He wants me to change in my life, and then follow.
A few weeks before leaving for Africa, I heard a sermon about what did one want to leave behind as their legacy. I have wrestled with this for almost two months now. I don’t want my legacy to be of earthly matters. I want my legacy to be my faith and my obedience to God’s calling. I want my legacy to be of the treasures I have stored up in heaven, not here on earth. So I as I seek God's will for what and where I am to go next, I hold to the promise that God has great plans!