Month 1

As of today, I have been living in Senegal for a month. It feels like I’ve been here for only a few days, and yet it feels as though I’ve been here for years. Throughout this past month I’ve gotten to share the Gospel many times, my heart has broken for the lost, I’ve learned some lessons about us as humans, and I’ve learned some lessons of my own. As I’ve reflected on my time here so far, it was hard to come up with words for what I wanted to say. This morning at church, we looked at 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and I realized that these verses sum it all up. And I believe that what I’ve learned applies to all, so I thought I would share. Let’s take this piece-by-piece:

Verse 16: “Rejoice always”.

This one hits hard. Jesus doesn’t say rejoice when you feel like it, or when things go our way, but ALWAYS. But what does rejoicing even look like? The dictionary says rejoicing is “to feel or show great joy or delight”. How is that possible? What about when we have those crummy days or when we’re sick or when people are driving us up the wall? Rejoice. To be honest with you, this is something I’ve struggled with. Never have I noticed how easy it can be to complain or see the negative. I miss home, I miss my people, and culture here is absurd to me. But still, I am commanded to rejoice. One day last week, I was having a particularly hard time with this. Instead of seeing the positive in things and the joy, I chose to see the negatives and complain. Of course, poor Zach gets the brunt of those complaints. But instead of letting me throw a pity party, he called me on it and basically said “what you’re doing is not healthy. You’re choosing to see the negative when you’ve been blessed with the opportunity to live in Africa and tell people about Jesus. Joy is a choice, Sarah, and so is complaining. You can choose to be discontent, or you can choose to rejoice. What will it be?” (Those words are my brief summation of an entire conversation and thank God for a guy who will call me out when I’m being a brat). But seriously, Zach’s words really hit home for me. JOY IS A CHOICE, Y’ALL. We have to choose to rejoice.  Complaining may be easier, but it’s not fruitful. Join me in rejoicing, even when things are hard.

Verse 17: “Pray continually”.

I wonder, is it possible for our mere human minds to fully grasp the power of prayer? I don’t think it is.  I feel as though I’ve just now started to understand. Pray continually. What does that mean? Does that mean we walk around babbling like a lunatic? Does that mean we should sit in our prayer closets for hours a day? I don’t believe it does. I think we have some misconceptions about prayer. Praying doesn’t mean you have to bow your head and close your eyes and use big, flowery words. Praying doesn’t mean you have to seclude yourself from the rest of the world. If that’s what you do, more power to ya! Y’all, praying is a conversation with God. I believe that being prayerful simply means being in constant communication with the Father and guess what…Psalm 139:2 says that God knows our thoughts even when we are far away. So based on that, I think we can conclude that being prayerful can be a thought process and that God really does most of the work. It can be dwelling on God each and every moment and being in conversation with Him and thinking of Him in all that we do. Being prayerful means recognizing that we are nothing with out Christ and that He is our strength.

Verse 18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ”.

 There’s one little word in here that makes a world of difference. ALL. All circumstances. Paul doesn’t say give thanks when you’re feeling it, or when you’ve had a great day, or when God seriously blesses you. Paul says give thanks in all circumstances. When you’re sick in Africa, or you have a total crap day, or you’re tired and don’t feel like it. Give thanks even then. Is that possible? Nobody can be thankful all the time, right? Wrong. Just like joy, thankfulness is a choice. And here’s the beauty of it all, we belong to a Creator who has given us more than an abundant amount of reasons to be grateful. We can just choose one. Having a rough day? Check out the sunset and thank God for that. Being thankful doesn’t mean we have to be joyful, it simply means that we give God the glory and honor He deserves. Nobody likes the child whose parents didn’t teach them to say thank you…let’s not be that kid. Let’s thank God for the millions of ways that He’s blessed us, rather than focus on the hardships we face. Whether we believe it or not, the good always outweighs the bad. Here's a song that goes with this idea:

Now I have a favor to ask. A to do list for you, even. I know, I know…I’m soooo needy. Here’s what I want you to do:

1     1. Choose joy. I promise, you will be so much more content.

2     2. Talk to your Father. He loves to communicate with us. And pray intentionally. Pray for people by name. Don’t be vague, dad’s love to know the details of their kids lives.

3     3. Say thank you. Make a list of 5 things each day that you’re grateful for…even if it’s PB&J sandwiches. Recognize the blessings that are placed in front of you.

4     4. Please. Please. Please. Let me know how I can be praying for you. Email me, text me, Facebook message me, carrier pigeon me (not really…the pigeon would probably drop dead somewhere over the Atlantic from exhaustion). But seriously, I want to pray for you.

The Pros of Being Weak

The last week or so, I've not felt well. I finally went to the doctor yesterday to find out that I have an intestinal infection that spread to my bladder. But this post isn't about y'all knowing I'm sick, or about y'all feeling sorry for me, or even about me at all. Because God has absolutely blown me away over the past couple of days. The way that He is working in and through me is so incredibly it's nearly overwhelming.

The last week or so, I've struggled to really have a solid quiet time. Don't get me wrong, I've met with the Lord. But each day, I would walk away feeling like our time together was rushed or I'd turned it into a to-do list. And then I got sick. And I struggled to be content. Something about sickness tends to make me want my mom, my normal life, my home. BUT...God has used me being sick and my weakness due to that for His glory, as He usually does.

The past couple of days, my quiet times have been INCREDIBLE, y'all. Like can't-get-enough, want-to-spend-the-whole-day-just-resting-at-God's-feet, overwhelmed-by-His-love good. And that's not because of me or anything I'm doing. On top of that, He has been so faithful in my classes. I'm going to be really honest and confess that I haven't been wild about teaching this week. I mean, come on...what sick person wants to stand in front of a group of people for an hour and a half and be engaging? Not me. In the times that I've had a crummy attitude, when I've considered cutting class short, on the days where I just wanted to stay in bed -- He showed up and made His name known. Christ is constantly reming me that He is the reason -- the reason why I'm here, the reason we have life, the reason for hope -- and that it's all about Him, in the sweetest way possible.

So often, I feel like I strive for strength. Like admitting weakness is something to deplore. That being sick, or needing other, or feeling inadequate is something to avoid at all costs. But that's not true. This week, our Father is teaching me that weakness can be a good thing. Because His grace is sufficient. And His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Weakness simply proves God's power in us.

Like a Caged Bird

We made our first local friend!! Yesterday we had lunch with her (that's how Senegalese show they care...they feed you) and today we had her over to our house for lunch. We had tacos because she'd never had American food before...and because all of us girls miss Mexican food like no other. But that's beside the point. So this friend of ours...we will call her A.

A is brilliant (she speaks French, Wolof, English, some Chinese and some Spanish. She attends university here and plans to soon study for her masters). And driven. And something about her makes me love her. And she's lost. So so lost. A is a devout Muslim. Most Muslims here have no knowledge of what they believe. But A does...to some extent. She knows what she believes unless you ask why she complies to certain rules. And then she's at a loss. Why? Because it's a sin to question the commands of Allah or Mohammad. A plans to marry a man who already has a wife and 3 kids because she loves him, so she has no other option but to accept it. To accept a life filled with competition, jealousy and rejection. She wears a hijab always because it is "compulsory" for her to hide her beauty. She wakes every morning at 5am because she must pray.

My heart breaks for A and all the women like her. Women who don't know the freedom Christ has to offer. Women who live their lives like caged birds because they think that's all there is and that's all they deserve or are allowed. Women like A who seek knowledge and love in all the wrong places because they just know they're empty. Women searching for a Savior they think they've already found.

Please join me in praying for A and all the women around the world just like her. Women who I live amongst. Women just like you and me. Women who need freedom. Women who need Jesus.