My supervisors left today to go to America for a few weeks, so we went ahead and had my “firinji” goodbye party in the capital this past weekend. In honor of the occasion, one of our very talented friends wrote a song about my time here to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” You can watch it here if you would like. The gist of it is that I run a goat spa out here in the countryside. Seriously, is that what people really think I do over here?! Actually, it was a sweet song highlighting my time here and some of the experiences that I’ve had. It was supposed to be funny, but ended up making me cry.
Celebrating God’s faithfulness over the past two years caused me to remember a time, really not that long ago, when I wasn’t even sure I believed in God anymore. My life had not turned out the way I expected it to. He had not followed through how I thought He should have. I had some expectations for things and He didn’t meet them. I had been a good person and done what I was supposed to do, and He didn’t do the things I thought He owed me in return. I was disillusioned to say the least.
But you know what, when I started following Christ not for what He could do for me if I was good enough but for what He had already done for me when I was at my worst, I began to see things in a different light. And here I stand a few years later marvelling at His goodness to me and His faithfulness to me. My life looks nothing like I expected it to, but I have a feeling that it looks a little more like He always expected it to. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, He has been so faithful. I think it is my takeaway theme for my time here, perhaps it should be for my life as well huh?
In one on one conversations with others, I have expressed how wonderful this time has been by saying that the best things that have ever happened to me have happened in these past two years in Africa. And I can’t even tell you what those things are….because they are not tangible. They are matters of the heart. I am so so grateful that He brought me here, that He healed my heart, that He changed my life, that He gave me more of Himself and that I will never be the same again.