Storms of this life…..
The rainfalls here
can be epic and I have always loved a good thunderstorm. There are some amazing
ones here. It is rainy season right now so rain is not uncommon these days. It
always brings some cooler weather which is nice. I am not one to walk around in
the rain in the states but here there is just something about walking out into
an African rainstorm. Think about the best beachside storm you have ever seen
and multiply that by about 10. That is what these storms are like and they are
fabulous!
Anyone that knows me knows that I am a huge Yacht Rock fan.
It’s a local band from Atlanta that does covers of Hall and Oates songs among
others. Well they do Africa from Toto and it never ceases to be awesome!. I
have sang it loudly in many a venue J
It has a little more significance in my mind these days. God bless the rains
down in Africa…..
Physical storms here pop up all the time and they are mostly
a welcomed occurrence. Even though my life is no exception, when storms pop up
in my own life, I view them differently.
I have been here this time since early July so almost 2
months. It is easy here to throw yourself into the work and neglect other
things. I have caught myself doing that some. Through this short 2 months, I have
worked a lot, many more days a week then I work in the states. It is easy at
times to just put my head down and work. However, I know that is not good for
me. I know I need community, family, physical exercise, and a growing
relationship with Jesus. I admit I fail at balancing my life here on many
levels at times.
I struggle how to better balance things here…..in a land, a
community, a culture that I am trying to invest in but really don’t understand,
surrounded by people speaking one of about 15 languages that I don’t have a
clue how to understand. I feel so defeated a lot of the time here….my language
skills are horrible, I don’t know what I am doing….was that culturally
offensive?.....am I even taking advantage of my opportunities to share Jesus
with anyone?……
So as I struggle to truly figure out how to “fit” in here, I
find myself preparing mentally to leave. I leave for Switzerland on September
16th for language school. It’s bittersweet to be honest. I am super
excited to go to Switzerland of course but I am also pretty worried and anxious
about language school. I need this to do my job here better and I stay so
frustrated most of the time, secondary to my lack of French. However, the team
here is always struggling with coverage for the hospital and me leaving for 3
months puts another hole in the schedule.
I think this song came out back when I was in college and it
is one that still stops me in my tracks a lot of the time…..
Open up the skies of mercy….Send down your cleansing
flood….Healing waters rise around us……Hear our cries Lord…. Let them rise……
Your kindness Lord, leads us to repentance, your favor Lord is our desire……Your
beauty Lord, let’s us stand in silence….Your love….your love….is better than
life……
I thank you Lord that your love is better than life and
despite my inadequacies, dependence on myself and not you most of the time,
that your mercies are still freely available for me……Even in the face of the
many storms here physical and figurative, I am thankful that I have a savior
that is always ready and willing to rise up around me with His mercy.
Please pray for medical and nursing coverage in the months
to come as it is sparse. Please pray for me as I travel to Switzerland that my
fears will be quelled and I can truly throw myself into learning French.
