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Welcome to my window on the world. A snapshot of my life and experiences. I'm a photography junkie and a scrapbook addict. I capture it all here, and share my journey down this amazing road called LIFE with you!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Variety is the Spice of Life

It's amazing to me how so many different individuals came together for God's purpose in Kenya.  Our mission team consisted of medical/dental personell and service personnel. It consisted of men and women. It consisted of 20 something, 30 something, 40 something. It consisted of Anderson campus, Florence campus and Charleston campus.

Yet, to serve, we served as one. Our leader, David Nimmons, referenced 1 Corinthians 12-30:

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

And so within the body of Christ, we had our hands and feet and eyes and ears, yet we all came together. Diversity became commonality, a shared purpose. It was fascinating to see and be a part of.

Jane was a member of our teaching team, yet she spent a morning moving rocks and helping with the water tank project up by the school building. That's where she was needed.  Andy, the campus pastor at Charleston, spent time at the dental clinic disinfecting instruments, yet he was part of the construction team. We moved where the body needed us.

What conclusion can I draw from this? That we all have a purpose in God's kingdom. That purpose may change as the body's needs change. That doesn't make us any more or less valuable because the body needs all of its parts.

Monday, April 18, 2011

No Rules, Just Right: Kenya

One thing I noticed while I was in Kenya was when the kids were coloring, both the big kids and the little kids: they used alot of color. They were not confined by the lines on the coloring page we gave them. They stayed within the lines, but used many colors within a specific area on the coloring page. It was fascinating. American children would color an arm flesh colored, or a skirt one solid color, but Kenyan children will use the colors they have and create a multi-colored arm or skirt.
This color came out in their cultural dress as well as their daily wear. It was joyful to see the beaded bands around the womens' necks that they had made with so many different colors of beads. Row upon row of color.  Their garments were colorful. No rules. Base clothes with tied on yards of fabric all in colors.
The dancing was joyful and the colors with the dancing were even more joyful.
It was amazing to me out of a life so uncolorful how so much brightness could come out. I was fascinated. The landscape where we were was dirt, dotted bushes, few trees...alot of brown, but not the people! Their smiling faces were accentuated with color.
I love color. Color makes me happy, too. Maybe we should all add more color in our lives!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

What CAn I Tell You About Africa?

What can I begin to say about my experience in Africa except that the Holy Spirit revealed himself in so many ways. I was enveloped, surrounded, on fire! He was so evident in everything that happened. I find it hard to express in words his wonders. I experienced the fruit of the spirit: Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)


22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The most evident I can share was when I was starting with motion sickness really badly on our bumpy, jostling bus ride our last day out to work. I said, "Holy Spirit please take this motion sickness from me," and it was gone. LIKE THAT! And I get motion sickness just thinking about a wild ride! So I also had the start of a whopper of a migraine. I could feel it coming. I was so amazed I said, "Can you take my migraine, too."  It was taken.

It's just so hard to write about the greatness, the omnipotence, the sheer envelopment during my time in Africa. It's amazing what you can hear and experience with God when all life's distractions are missing.

I have more to share, but that is the start of my writings about this great, life altering experience from which I will never be the same as I was! How could I be?