Last day thoughts

I haven't really wanted to blog. There are so many thoughts, feelings, and things that I just didn't want to write about it for fear of diminishing any of them. Despite the torture of traveling on a bus for 3 days across Africa, I actually think it was good because it was a slow progression back into the Western world. Rwanda to Uganda to Kenya to London to Los Angeles. The journey has only begun.

Ha. I remember when I first got here. I thought everything was NOT Western, even in Nairobi. I thought they were wanna-be's. Now, I think they are very Western.

Let's go back...Goma. Oh man, I miss Goma. All those rocks, all that dust, all those colorful patterns that the men and women wear. I miss saying Jambo, Jambo sana, Habari, Mzuri. (In Kenya, Jambo is only used for white people, but in Congo, everyone says it.) I miss the team. I miss the pastor and his family. I even miss the kids following us down every street for miles asking for a bisqui. I miss the grimy fingers holding my hands at the IDP camps. I miss the big eyes looking up at me and then the hand coming up to cover the smile. I miss the songs being sung as we arrive. I miss laughing at the massive miscommunication that would happen on a daily basis, even among team members. I miss coming home after the dirtiest, longest day ever to find that the water is not on and we must sit in our grim. I miss our houseboy, Aserma yelling, "Apana!" (No!) at us for pluging in the hot water heater, even though we are the ones who pay for the fuel for basically the whole block. I miss even those long days when we couldn't eat lunch because we were with people who had no food. I miss not being allowed of the house at night because everyone was convinced it was too dangerous. I miss it all.

I know that God is working and doing amazing things in Congo. I want to go back and share in the harvest. It is a rich time to work in Congo. The people are about to rise up and bring the change that their country needs; they just need the encouragement to believe that the Kingdom is at hand and that God wants to use them. Not because they are special, but because He is amazing.

He is amazing, isn't He? That's exactly what I've been learning this trip. Crazy that I would learn about his goodness admist starvation, injustice, malnutrition, maleducation, dirt, poverty, and religiosity.

But He has been giving revelation about His love in incredible amounts. I am so thankful for His love, for it enables us to love and know Him more, it enables us to be honest about who we are, about who He is, and about what reality is. It is because of Him that we can even desire more of Him. It is because of Him that we can truly love each other, which in turn will make Him more known among the nations. It is His love that will solve the problems of the nations. It is Him. He is the Savior for Goma, for Congo, for Africa, for the world. I guess that perhaps sounds a little cheesy, but it's true.

So, I don't know to what to say. I am more in love with Jesus because of this whole experience. I am more rooted in his love and more aware of my own identity. I can't wait to come again to Africa. I can't wait to bring change to their education system. I can't wait to love.

I am thankful for his enduring goodness, faithfulness, and love.