It's Worth It

The first time we moved to Africa, we were naive. Rightly so, we had never lived there, so we had no idea how difficult it would be just to live- much less try to make any kind of a difference. We had no idea how much energy it would take to keep up with the daily demands of cooking from scratch, dealing with constant powers issues and coping with the major cultural differences on a daily basis.

As we are preparing to move back to Africa, I am realizing how much of a gift naivety can be. Before we have experienced the full weight of how difficult something is, we hope for the best. This is a great blessing and something that I think is a gift from God. It's like childbirth. Every mom is told, "giving birth is going to be the most painful thing you will ever experience", but they do it anyway. Why? Because when you haven't experienced it, you like to think that it really won't be as bad as everyone says. But after experiencing childbirth once, when a mom decides to have another baby, she knows what the pain will be like. She's experienced it. But, it is still worth it to her. She is willing to deal with the pain again, knowing that the joy that comes at the end of the pain is worth it.

This is how we feel right now.

I have moments of, "Why would we voluntarily do this again? We've been here. We know how hard it is. Is it worth it?" But you know what, we always end those thoughts with the reminder that it undoubtedly is worth it. Following God's call is always worth it. No matter what the cost it.

So as we go to South Sudan (in one week from today!), we go knowing what we are getting ourselves into. We go knowing that God has called us and that makes everything worth it. We don't go in the name of helping or even in the name of loving the African. We go in the name of Jesus Christ. We go because we are being called and being obedient to that call. Yes, we hope to eventually be able to help and yes, we do love the people of Africa, but above all else, we are called to love God and follow Him. So, just as love-struck mothers, we welcome the pain of childbirth because we know that in the end it is worth it.