Yes

The day I left for Zimbabwe, Pastor Reid asked me how I was feeling about the trip.  I answered him by explaining that any nervousness or anxiety was overshadowed by the pure joy that comes in following God's lead.  For a long time I have been praying and praying that God would help me glorify His name in all that I do and that He would guide me to the ways and places in which I could best be of service to Him.  I continually sought assurances that, in making preparations to come to Zimbabwe, I was following a call to missions and not my own desires.  I begged Him to halt any plans if it was not in His timing or in His will.  Yet all along the way, He has answered my prayers and provided those assurances.  The incredible support that I have received (emotionally, financially, and through prayer), the coordination of many people in making arrangements, and the wonderful hospitality of the Taguma family are just a few of the many ways in which He affirmed that I was needed in Zimbabwe.  I must say though, the most outstanding assurance came when I found myself standing on the airport runway in Bulawayo.  As I drank in the African landscape, there was no sense of adventure or curiosity, no happiness at ending a long journey.  Instead I found myself smiling ear to ear at the relief I felt in knowing, down to my very core, that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.  As far as I can tell, that was His final "Yes."

The past few days have been spent getting acquainted with the Taguma family, Bulawayo, and Isaiah's Home.  I won't be starting at the Precious Life program's drop-in center until Monday, but I've already experienced so much that I'm happy for the slight delay.

I arrived at the Taguma's on Wednesday evening and was welcomed into their beautiful home by Rebecca and Ruth (their two-year-old daughter).  I honestly feel a bit spoiled as I sit in my own room with a fully functioning bathroom down the hall, access to internet, home-cooked meals, and gorgeous Zimbabwe everywhere I look.  However, it's more than easy to be reminded of the hardships that people face here.  Water and electricity is regularly cut-off, approximately one in every four children is orphaned, prices for necessities are constantly rising, homes are guarded from robbers by electric fences, and talking about politics is done in whispers.  Yet despite all of these negatives, faith abounds.  Churches are found at every turn, volunteers give up salaries in order to help others, and the belief that the Lord will provide is readily and regularly expressed.

The first day I went to Isaiah's, the woman who gave me a tour made a comment about how difficult being a missionary is and she explained how she has volunteered at Isaiah's for many years instead of working and earning a living.  I told her that I understood how difficult that must be and that I'm facing the same reality with missionary service.  She responded by saying, "You don't make money, but you make good.  You give life."  In a place where money is so desperately sought after, the people of Zimbabwe continue to work for God's kingdom, whether it be saving souls through the spreading of the gospel, or saving lives as the volunteers at Isaiah's have with so many of their babies.  Then today I worked with a man who has volunteered at Isaiah's for four months.  I asked him why he decided to volunteer at Isaiah's and what he had been doing beforehand.  He said that he had been a volunteer elsewhere until he felt the Lord calling him to come work with the children.  He was also added with a smile, "and God has provided for me."  With so little of this earth, they live by Matthew 6:19-21:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

This faith has made me take a long, hard look at my own.  Would I be able to give up all means of supporting myself financially, with no safety net of savings, in order to serve God?  Could I follow Him wherever He might lead despite hardships or uncertainties?  I would very much like to say that yes, my faith is strong enough.  But saying the yes and living the yes are two completely different things and I'm sure that I won't be able to answer definitively unless such a situation arises.  Until then, I pray that I might never forget the confidence in the Lord’s provision that these two Zimbabweans hold.  They were confronted with a choice and they decided to rely on faith.  They said yes.

Walking beats driving here