African Muzungu

If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,                                then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually     and satisfy your desire in scorched places               and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a well-watered garden ,      like a spring of water,             whose waters do not fail . The words from Isaiah 58 washed over my soul as I sat in a worship session at Thrive, a retreat for missionary women last week. The phrases ‘satisfy your desire’ and ‘be like a well-watered garden' sat heavy in my spirit. I grabbed...

Last time, I wrote briefly about my unexpected trip back to the States, and after having some time to think, pray, and heal, I thought I would share a bit more about what the Lord has been doing the past 2 months. While in Uganda, I suffered through several situations including the betrayal of friends and also an assault. While I have made some great steps toward healing, I do not believe that it would be beneficial to re-tell or re-live the details of what happened, here or elsewhere. Before going, I had considered the possibility of being assaulted, but never actually thought it would happen to me. And although I would never choose for something like this to happen to me or anyone else, I have had the amazing opportunity to see the power of Jesus’ healing hand at work. So many times we pray for healing. Many times that is for physical healing, and if we don’t get better we often accept it with the thought that ‘God knows best.’ If we are healed physically, we praise and ...

I know this will come as a surprise to all of you, but I actually just arrived back in Colorado Springs with my family! I know this is unexpected and I would love to be able to articulate all of the reasons for this, but for the sake of the other people involved I just can’t say everything right now. But here’s what I can fill you in on: In the past couple of months, there have been several very traumatic situations that I have gone through. The betrayal of several people close to me has been incredibly painful, and while I have chosen to forgive each one of them, the wounds have gone deep. I know that the only one who can heal me from the pain of those betrayals is Jesus. So for now, I’m back in Colorado seeking healing and rest from Jesus so that I can go back to Uganda filled up and ready to pour out all of the grace I’m receiving from His hands back into the precious people of Kamonkoli. I know and believe that when I do get back to Kamonkoli, I’ll be that much more re...