What Belongs to Me?

Jumping onto the tarmac, seeing the famous White & Blue paint, the reality of what I was about to experience began to sink in. Despite the inactivity of the night, there was a sense in the air… like hard work had been done that day & yet much more was to be done tomorrow.

I’ve never been in the midst of a disaster the entire World acknowledged. Yes, many hurricanes have hit our side of the Texas growing up but this was different. The lives & livelihoods lost were different. Stepping into a nation already known as one of the poorest in the world, there were a few times I wasn’t sure what was present before or what the weather took.

This trip had a lot of firsts for me. First time in the country, first time helping build a hospital, first time working in medical supply, first time working for & with disaster relief organizations. Thankfully though, God had prepared what was needed both in way of teammates & past experiences. Looking back at the just the first days of arriving & setting up the hospital, I have to joy of seeing once again the provisions of energy, wisdom & safety during that time. For nothing good could have come from me, nor could I have renewed myself everyday by my own will or grit.

During my time in the country I slept, ate, flushed snakes down toilets & worked at the hospital. As stated above, it was my first time working in the role of Medical Supply & what an experience that was. Getting to see the management of a hospital in regards to supply, especially in a disaster setting, is knowledge I hope to see used in more ways than just disaster deployments but with our work in CHSC. Our missionaries in Christian Health Service Corps work in various environments & communities, most of which could be considered to be in a constant state of disaster based on WHO standards. So I’m very excited to see how God may use this learning in the future.

There are a few short stories from my time there that should only be shared across the coffee table, over the phone or while standing in a river together. Why? I’m just not a good enough writer to give justice to those moments that demanded us to stop in our tracks & pray. Please know that I would love to share those moments with you!

As of right now, I am sitting in Cote D’Iviore listening to the call to prayer echo across the town. I’ve been running around the country for the past week with one of missionaries stationed here. It’s been incredible so far to meet the varies people engaged with Community Health Evangelism here in the country. Listening to testimonies of how God has transformed their lives & the lives of their communities through Bee Keeping, Moringa trees or health clinics. Seeing children how were once malnourished or suffering from malaria be running around smiling at me because of the men & women working in CHE.

The next couple of weeks I will be traveling more across Cote D’Ivoire as well as the Northern parts of Ghana. As I walk in the moment & prepare for what is to come, I am joyful to be reminded of tremendous need for Jesus’s intervention.

10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction.

Joshua 7: 10-12

"They have taken some of the devoted things..."

What great failure & despair I find myself in when I take hold of my life. My life which has been devoted to God the Father through His Grace, which is Jesus Christ. I cannot stand before my enemies without fear, if it is by my own will I rely on. The very act of “taking what is devoted” is out of fear. There is no Fear in Love. When I am in my Fathers love….I find peace. This love that holds no record of wrong. A love that gives me eyes to see.

Just as God allowed me to experience His mercies of physical renewal during April. I need God to provide for this time of travel & relationship building. I cannot lax on my dependency on Him. And yes, this truth should not be unique to being overseas. May nothing of this world belong to me.

Joining in Prayer

• Safety in Traveling as I visit our missionaries & the communities they work alongside
• For renewing of energy & joy
• For Wisdom & the words to speak
• That nothing of this world would belong to me