Well, you read that correctly...I'm going back to Africa!
It's been a year of obedience and I feel God has asked me to go back. It wasn't as easy as I put it in one sentence. Is being obedient ever easy? Just ask my kids... :). God opened both Paul and my eyes last year with our trips to Africa individually. It's true, we came back changed. A deeper understanding of God's purpose as followers of Christ and parents.
To start the 2012 new year off, our family prayed about and each came up with a word that we felt God wanted to put on our heart for the year. My word is SHINE. My verse is Proverbs 4:18 "The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine." Now I believe I serve a God who has a sense of humor, so I'm not sure he was talking about the longer I live cause I'm turning 40 this yr or where He was going with that. :) But I do know it was impressed upon my heart that God was saying get out, go and SHINE for me. I thought I had already "gone" so I'm pretty sure He didn't mean go again.
As usual, on my long runs, I found myself in conversation with God and I kept getting the same thought. "I need to go back to Kenya and take some women with me." Ugh...didn't I just go?? Really? So I asked God to give me a reason to go back. My prayer to God was, if you want me to go back, I would like to do something with parenting and how to start bible studies. My passion has always been mom's and I would love to sit, talk and help these mom's anyway God needs me to. The second part of that prayer was that if I go back, I think I need to lead the team. What? Why was I praying that?? Cause let me be honest with you...well I am blogging :), I felt God would not give me the leading part so I'd be good to back out. A few wks passed and I felt more and more strongly that God was saying "yes, Bonnie go." So with a bit of hesitation, I mentioned this process to Paul. He immediately said, "I've got the same feeling you need to go back too. But I think you should lead a team." What?! Oh God knows where to get me, right?? Paul says something and I listen. God says something and I'm like hmmm let me think about it. Oh my goodness, I'm messed up!
I contact our church global dept to ask more about the trip to Africa, same place: Kenya, same group: HEART, same # of days: 10. They need someone to lead, they said HEART would like to do things different this yr and would like to host a women's conference for the ladies in Africa. Here's the humor of God, at the conference they would like the topics to be on parenting, starting bible studies and spending daily time with God. Are you kidding?? Oh man, He's really good at getting me. :) Still this is not enough for me making a decision to go. I know I'm a bit hard headed, that's how He made me, just living it out. :)
I continue to pray and finally say "fine, if you want me to go, who would go with me? Give me a list." Again, I thought, oh no one will go, He won't give me a list. Wrong again. He gave me a list. Ladies who may or may not have known each other, women who I don't know that well, but He followed through. I called each person and told them this story, asked them to pray about it and that I was too. A few ladies startled me by saying "sure! I've always wanted to go!" or "I just had the same thought!". Wow! I'm in awe of my God of the universe. He continues to fulfill His promises. Really? Why wouldn't I trust that?
So I sit in front of my computer blogging that I'm going back to Africa, leading 9 amazing, God filled women to share Faith, Hope and Love through a women's conference where 4 of us will be speaking God's truth's into these women. Tears are falling as I recap this year, the year of prayer, obedience and hopefully SHINING for Him.
XO, Bonnie
