I’m at the airport beginning the long travel process
that is getting from Texas to Kenya. In order to get to the village where I’ll
be staying, I have to do one of those drawn out, multiple leg, 2-day ordeals
that I kind of enjoy and kind of do not like at all. But that’s nothing
compared with the long journey I’ve been on over the past year that has brought
me here, heading to Kenya with what a friend of mine calls my “missionary wardrobe”
in tow.
So what is it that I am doing exactly? I’ve been getting
that question a lot lately. The factual, succinct answer is that am going to be
working as a volunteer with an organization called Empowering Lives International in a village outside of Eldoret, Kenya for the next few months. I
will be helping with the care of orphans in some capacity, I will be teaching
in some capacity, and I will paint murals on walls in some capacity. After
Kenya, the plan gets more vague. You’ll have to keep reading this blog to find
out what’s next. But the real answer to the question “what am I doing exactly”
is more than just those facts. What I am doing is this…
I am following the compass in my heart that is God’s
direction and will for my life. I am surrendering my own ideas about what I
want and what I have planned totally and completely to His will. This is a new
way of living for me, and it is not always easy but I am beginning to get the
hang of it. Stay tuned to see where I find myself in this year of seeking and
beyond. Where I wind up might surprise you…and me too!
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not
on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will
make your paths straight.
Painting at Achungo Children's Center in Rodi Kopany, Kenya October 2012
Painting at Bethel Orphanage in Juarez, Mexico January 2013
