Last night, I fell into a peaceful sleep in my husband’s arms and dreamed of Africa. This morning I awoke to a soft light filtering through the curtains in my bedroom. I was cozy in my soft, warm bed as I heard my children waking in their rooms, my son jumping out of bed early to play with the legos he got for his birthday last week. My daughter had a princess costume over her nightgown and a plastic tiara on her head as she sang in front of the mirror. Later, as I took our new puppy, Charlie, for his morning walk, my stomach growled. The question quickly on my mind was what I should have for breakfast, not when or IF I would eat today. After a bowl of cheerios, I filled the dishwasher, wiped the countertops, and checked email and Facebook on my phone. A basic American morning.
Certainly my perspective on all of that will change tomorrow, for tomorrow I will land in Africa. I will meet people and see lives that will no doubt awaken me to realities I can’t truly comprehend in the essentially spoiled American life I lead. I will glimpse a vision of life without 500 thread count sheets, iPhones, and pantries full of food. Indeed, those luxuries are beyond the comprehension of the people I will meet, who are waking this morning in a mud hut, without a husband’s strong arms around them to make them feel safe, without breakfast to fill their children’s bellies, without any of these things I take for granted. With 8 other people who will surely soon become my very dear friends, I am traveling to this country simply because God has called me there. I am leaving my husband and children back here, which sends ripples of anxiety through my heart every time I think about it. But God has called me. I have no idea what He has in store, but I know it will be incredible. Perspective altering. Life changing.
Many, many years ago, God put a camera in my hand and invited me to see the world as He sees it. Up until now, it has been the love between parent and child, the strength within a delicate flower, the grace of a sunrise, the peace of the ocean at twilight, the miracle of a newborn baby. I imagine I will see all of those things again on this new journey … love, strength, grace, peace, miracles … but now through a new lens. The filter of affluence I see through today will disappear. I pray that God guides my camera in the days ahead, that every frame is His vision, and that every image reflects His glory. I pray that he uses my camera to open my eyes.
I hope to have internet access in Zambia, and thus I hope to be able to update my blog along the way. I thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you keep our team in your prayers for safe travels, for unity in our purpose, and ultimately for all of us to humbly seek God’s will in our days there. Please pray for our families here, as many of us will be apart from our children and loved ones for the first time on a trip of this length. Most of all, please pray for the widows and orphans we will meet, that God will continue to work in their lives, through us and through all those who work with this ministry, to bring them provision and hope.
Much love,
Shannon
PS … You can read my earlier posts about this trip here and here.
Please note: I will not have access to voice mail at all while I am gone. Someone here will be checking my email, but most matters will have to wait until I return in a couple of weeks. Thank you in advance for your patience.
