One Month Ago - Reflections from Mikayla and Andrew

It's been a little over a month since our team returned from Zambia.  In that time the Father has continued to speak, grow and challenge us.  I would invite you to read the words of Mikayla and Andrew as they reflect on the past two months.

Mikayla 

Coming back home has been needless to say--difficult. Having to readjust back to your culture is hard and sometimes can get difficult emotionally and spiritually. By daily getting into my Father's word it is encouraging to see that He has a plan and though having to readjust is hard there is a purpose in everything He does. The Father has been conveying to me how important in our spiritual walk that it is to meet people where they are at and allow the Father to draw their hearts. The amount of beauty that Africa has is enormous and grand.  The Lord has created a beautiful country called Zambia and I feel so absolutely humbled that he called me to be a part of his work there!! We went on a hike one Saturday afternoon and the I was able to see the African trees that our Father has made, they took my breath away at each look. As I looked in the distance my eyes began swell with tears, I was so overwhelmed by how beautiful the scenery was. We saw the valley that led into the beautiful mountain range that lingered in the distance that once again left me speechless. Every rush of tumbling water that came from the top of the water falls is special because it is a small glimpse into the eyes of the Father and how beautiful they are. While in Africa we were challenged to not always take the easy pathway, but to be patient and take the long and sometimes hard way that the Father has planned. He did not say that sharing the Good News would be easy,

but it is something that is necessary and vital not to mention we have been commanded and called to do so. Understanding that I am placed strategically at Oklahoma Baptist University to be a disciple for the Lord is scary, but so very exciting because I get the opportunity to tell people about what the Lord is doing in my life and explain to them that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He sent his Son to die for us. I pray that through not only my words, but also my actions this is conveyed. The Lord has reminded me daily of how special and amazing the power of prayer is. The spirit has been conveying to my heart how important that as a body of Christ and as a body of believers we have an obligation to speak and proclaim his name, in doing this though we are a body and if one person in that body is struggling we are all struggling. It is not our jobs to place blame or judgment on that person, but to come alongside them and give them encouragement allowing them to see that they are not alone nor will they ever be.  I am so blessed to have experienced the Father’s love with the team he strategically placed together from OBU and I am so very thankful for the M’s, that led us in the wonderful place they call home.

Andrew

The Lord worked in immense ways in my life while serving in Zambia. The Lord broke my heart at first, seeing the people and their desperate need (just as everyone else) for Jesus. So in that, God was able to give me eyes to see them with compassion and a desire for them to know the Lord Jesus as I knew the Lord Jesus. So as I was able to share the Gospel with those in the villages- I became almost addicted to it (especially looking back now and where I currently am), I began to understand better how to "break walls down" with the Word of God, and the Spirit used the teams words to open up eyes and soften hearts. I have had my desire for sharing the Gospel grow from this trip, and I praise God for it.                        

One Month Ago - Reflections from Hannah and Paige

It's been a little over a month since our team returned from Zambia.  In that time the Father has continued to speak, grow and challenge us.  I would invite you to read the words of Hannah and Paige as they reflect on the past two months.

Hannah

Life post Zambia has kind of been a whirlwind. I came home and was hit with many hard things. I know it is spiritual warfare. There have been many tears and walking through hard situations with people, but I know the Lord hold’s me in His mighty hands. Among the tears, there are been moments of pure bliss. Almost four days after I arrived back in Texas, I headed to Oklahoma to help out at a camp a church I worked for was putting on. At this camp, I had 11^th grade girls in my cabin, 15 in my small group. I got to witness many lives being changed, and three of the 11^th grade girls come to know Christ as Lord and Savior of their life. I also got to be a part of a dear friend’s wedding. It was interesting to me how life and death intersect each day without us even realizing it. A wedding is to be one of the happiest days of your life, and I was overjoyed for my friend and to share with her in that day. On that same day there was a funeral, I am sure there were many funerals and many people weddings, but this was the funeral of my grandmother. It was a bittersweet day as I longed to be there for my family. I so badly wanted to just to squeeze and hold my mama tightly but I couldn’t because I was not there. Every part of my wanted to whisper in her ear, “it is going to be okay because the Lord is with you Mom.” I do not believe my grandmother knew the Lord. But it was a quick reminder to me that life is short and as Christ followers,

we have a calling to the gospel. He is the one who has saved our soul and promises to be with us. His resurrection gives us hope that we will be glorified and live with Him in eternity. Jesus is my reason to live, because God saved my wicked soul and placed a calling upon my life. To be quite honest, I needed that reminder. It has been extremely difficult since coming back from Zambia. I have felt spiritual dry and depleted. Please pray for the Lord to fill me up as I approach my senior year of college.

Paige

Monday marked six weeks since arriving back from Zambia.  That is so crazy to me.  It really feels like we were just saying goodbye.  I think I am still realizing all that I learned, and really, what the Lord is still teaching me. During our month in Zambia, I fell in love.  With a family, a people, a country...with my Savior.  I will forever be grateful for those weeks in Zambia.  Not because I was in the place that had been only a prayer in my heart for so long, not because of the rugged beauty of the land or the warmth of the people, but because the Lord breathed new life into my dry and searching heart.  For the past year, I have struggled greatly in my walk with the Lord and the Gospel has felt empty.  Those things didn't disappear in going to Zambia, but the Lord renewed my heart and I left with such a desire to know Him more, to know Him deeper.  To truly live each day washed in His mercies and standing on grace, to live for His glory.  I think the Lord taught me much about the power of the Gospel and of the Cross.  About His power.  How He can truly transform lives for His glory.  I saw that in the lives of the sweet brothers and sisters we served with- my team, the Ks, the believers there in Isoka- their passion for the Gospel is only the result of a heart transformed by Jesus. 

I think if I were just to sum up those weeks, I would sing one of the songs we sang frequently while in Zambia, "There's No One Like Jesus."  The words of this song talk about searching everywhere and finding that there is none like Jesus.  And it is this truth that the Lord wrote across my heart.  There is none like Him.  He is truly enough.  We are saved for a purpose, I am HIS, but it's nothing of my own doing.  When we first arrived in Zambia I felt so inadequate and really questioned why I had come.  I just thought, I can't share with these people...my story is so ordinary and I can't even relate to them at all.  But the Lord was faithful even in my questioning and fear and showed me that our stories are powerful ONLY because of Jesus, because God drags us to Himself, and it is nothing of our own doing.  I absolutely loved Africa and everything about our time there, but really that's not what I want to remember.  I want to remember that the Lord spoke to me there.  That my heart was touched and He spoke so clearly.  The red Zambian dirt that stained our feet is nothing in comparison to His blood that stains my heart.  And that's what I want to remember..not just remember but live in.

 Look for reflections from other team members in the coming days.

One Month Ago - Reflections from Jenna and Molly

It's been a little over a month since our team returned from Zambia.  In that time the Father has continued to speak, grow and challenge us.  I would invite you to read the words of Jenna and Molly as they reflect on the past two months.

Jenna

First, I would like to say thank you so much to all those who have supported us on this incredible adventure! Since returning from Zambia, the Lord has laid so many different things on my heart. I miss our M's and the amazing people we were able to work with so much that it is still difficult to believe it's already over. My heart is heavy, but I am confident that the Lord is working in amazing ways through our team even though we are no longer together. Here are just a few truths that have really stuck out in my mind from our time there. Truth number one: As followers of Christ, we have the freedom to live our lives by grace and not by guilt. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) His grace abounds, and when we live our lives like this is true, we do not have to feel guilty. His grace covers over us, and there is an indescribable freedom in that beautiful truth. Truth number two: My life is and should always be single-minded for the Gospel. Every part of my life should be about the Gospel of the Father. This is something I think I would have said before without actually knowing what it meant. However, now I understand what this means on a whole new level. I remember a few days after returning, I was at the doctor's office trying to think of how to bring up the Gospel with a woman who I had a

30 second exchange with as she took my payment. This never would have even crossed my mind before, but now I understand that every moment of every day, I should be looking for opportunities to share the Good News with all those around me, whether it makes me unpopular or not. I have an obligation to share the Gospel, and I never want to lose the importance of that truth in my life. Truth number three: He is always with me. Sometimes, it's easy to fall into the lie that we are all alone, and no one else understands. However, I've come to understand that whether I am surrounded by a sea of believers seeking after Christ with their whole hearts, or I am surrounded by people who wouldn't even say "God bless you" when someone sneezes, Christ is always with me. I am never alone because He is my greatest companion. He is my true joy and my refuge. 

Molly

Being home has been good, but it has also been hard. There have been many challenges and struggles. Since being home, I haven't been in a single place longer than two weeks. I feel like a nomad wondering around the US. Between moving into a new house at school, work, traveling back and forth to Texas, and going on a trip to Florida with my mom and sister, I've been all over the place! I constantly miss the people of Zambia. One of the sweetest things has been to have phone calls or text messages from those thousands of miles away. While in Africa, I believe that the Lord really revealed himself to me in a new way. He opened my eyes to see the true hearts of the people who are suffering and in need of a savior. It's funny, for some reason I thought that this brokenness I had felt so deeply in Africa would not be as severe here in the states. However, it has been absolutely overwhelming! I think that the difference is the lack of a desire for a savior here in the states as opposed to the desperation that is felt by many in Africa. In America, we have everything at our fingertips. One may see this as a blessing, but it can also be seen as a curse. The distractions that constantly implode our everyday lives can interfere with our daily walk by somehow causing us to think that we can fix our circumstances or problems ourselves or that if we can't fix it than we can find somebody else who can rather than solely handing 100% of our problems over to the Lord. There are people in need everywhere we go! Yes, our lives may seem hectic, but the Lord is so good and merciful that no matter what the circumstance may be, He will never leave us nor forsake us.

We are his children and he cares so deeply for us. It may have taken thousands of miles of travel, no running water, a dislocated finger, death of a dear friend's loved one, and a sick friend for me to realize just how merciful the Lord really is and just how deep His love is for the people of this world. The people of Zambia will always have a giant place in my heart, but more importantly, the lessons that I learned from the Lord on this trip through the people of Zambia as well as my teammates and our missionary family will be something that I will absolutely never forget and I will forever be thankful of His blessings.   

Look for reflections from other team members in the coming days.