In my previous post, I wrote a little about the African Adventure I had smack-dab in the middle of the Ebola outbreak.
It’s hard to even scratch the surface of the trip’s impact, and on the plane ride home I remember thinking I’d learned a lot, but was grateful the learning was winding down now, allowing me much-needed process time.
Several months ago, in the height of the Ebola outbreak, I was scheduled to go to Africa to help women and children in need. Many people in my life, including family and doctors, strongly urged me not to go. They said it was not safe and that I could go a different time. They said it wasn’t worth the risk.
I disagreed. Because Africans need to know that their country is more than a medical label or deadly virus. That they are valuable and deserve care, regardless of danger. That they are worth the risk.
I read a piece of scripture in my devotion time recently on a cold, winter morning. Steaming hot chai, and these words from John 15: 1-8, brought much-needed warmth to my heart:
Grief can strike you in unexpected ways and in unexpected places, can’t it? One moment you’re buzzin along with your day, and the next you’re crying because they don’t have the sandwich you want at Panera. But it’s not about the sandwich.
I lost a friend last year. A close friend. It was a hit and run car accident, which I still can’t believe happened to someone I actually know. Knew.
A couple of years ago I went to India, and although the purpose of my trip was mainly to capture stories and photos from a nonprofit located there, those weren’t the most valuable things I came home with.
After countless cups of chai tea, trips in autorickshaws I thought may end my life, and spicy meals with genuine people, here are a few lessons learned in India I’d like to share with you:
For someone who communicates for a living, you’d think I would have considered blogging before. Especially since, fun fact: I have been journaling almost every day of my life since I was 8 years old. That’s a lot of journals. Maybe 100. And quite frankly, it’s becoming a logistical issue in my apartment.
Hence, this blog. My hope and prayer is that the blog will be a blessing to others and a blessing to me. Because we all have thoughts to share, and we all need encouragement. Is it a little weird that any human on the planet can read my thoughts? Sure. But it would be worth it if even one person felt inspired by my honest posts, or encouraged by my failures or lessons learned.
We are a Movement, dedicated to highlighting individuals + groups worldwide who live a lifestyle of light for the glory of God. While we aren’t the Light, we can be reflectors. It’s His light, it’s our time. Did you know that one of the most fascinating things about light is that it will naturally expand to fill whatever space it is in?
Light will automatically spread; the more room you give it, the more territory it will cover. We believe the reason for this design, is that light was meant to be seen. “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all.” Luke 11:33
We can’t do it alone. No one was meant to carry light alone – because ironically although it is light, it can be heavy. During His time on earth with us, Jesus said “my burden is light” (another translation in the NLT is, “the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:30). The burden He gives us is light. We’ve been blessed by meditating on that quite literally, and to realize that light is our mandate. It’s our mission, and every mission is heavy when carried alone. He’ll help us do it, and we can help each other too.
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