Morning friends!
Owe de body? That’s "how are you" in Krio. In response, Sierra Leones would say, “body fine, body fine”. Indeed my body was fine as God guided me through six weeks on the Africa Mercy. Tenki to those who sent me off and continued to pray for me while I was away. It felt so good to be back in West Africa. I wish you could all come see the beauty in this country – the people, the culture, the history.
Even better, this time around I was not distracted by the itchiness of mosquito bites, nor the need to pray for the sun every morning so that the solar panels would charge and I could shower. Instead, I was placed in an air-conditioned hospital ship that had hot, running water, electricity and even wireless internet! I must have lived in heaven.
Yet as with all ministries and mission trips, it isn’t one without it’s own struggles. So what did I learn? I learnt I needed compassion. And this could only come from God. Compassion was what drove me to serve the people in West Africa and I needed this and God’s strength if I were to last. Within a week I asked myself “What did I get myself into?” Whether it was the smell of the pathologies and hospital, the limited selections of food, or the lack of freedom and privacy I had living and working on a ship, it certainly was not easy when God calls us to step out of our comfort zone. Time and time again I complained and asked for God’s strength. With each prayer God answered with a blessing. He may not give me what I asked for but He definitely gave me what I needed.
It was my first time on missions on my own. It was hard to build relationships, especially when there are always people coming and leaving the ship. I learnt how longed to be in community and that God had primarily designed us to be in relationship with Him and others. Slowly He surrounded me with sisters and colleagues who understood my struggles. He also blessed me with friends from home who emailed me every week keeping me posted with life in Toronto.
When my imaging department was slow, I questioned my purpose for being there. Later God opened the door for me to transfer to hospital administration that really needed my help. I was reminded that as long as we have a willing heart and an open mind, God would be able to use us abundantly. This trip was definitely made to tailor fit me. I had many opportunities to participate in Mercy Ministries, which I loved. As I served in women’s prison, the orphanage, showing of the Jesus Film, Ministries of Charity and more, I saw the hearts of over 30 nationalities in Sierra Leone, coming together serving one another, and doing God’s work. God is not only present and working in Toronto, but He is very much alive and working half way around this world! I saw myself as a small small piece of the puzzle but it is still crucial that I play my part to complete the puzzle and ultimately God’s plan.
As a short term missionary, not only was I called to Sierra Leone to heal and give hope to the poor, but I received even more blessings in return. So I won’t end off with the details of the cool xrays, pathologies or testimonies from patients I witnessed. But I want to share with you a girl named Saffie who inspired me the most. Saffie is a 14 year old, paraplegic girl whom I met, not in the hospital but at the Cheshire Home for the disabled. Mercy Ministries had gone for weekly visits to this home, each time singing songs, sharing a message and craft with the children. This time the craft was very simple. You glue a paper heart to a pair of paper hands and write your favourite bible verse on the back. I volunteered to help Saffie with hers yet I completely underestimated her thinking I could get away with writing out John 3:16. She challenged me to write out Psalm 23 for her! For those who studied The Good and Beautiful God in small group last year, you would recall it had been our homework to memorize this passage. Sadly I had not taken the time to. How embarrassed I was to tell her I did not know the passage. Sometimes I just need these encounters to encourage me to know the Word and walk intimately with God.
There is much more to be done in this world. Last week our speaker Joe Elkerton encouraged us to go beyond the four walls of our church. Both spiritually and in out reach we should be the hands and feet of Jesus and move from people of charity to justice. Today I encourage you to do the same. Our God is a missionary God. With a willing heart and an open mind, He will surely use us to bring hope and healing to the forgotten ones.
Tenki
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