What am I doing exactly?

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