Docking in Conakry Guinea |
So, here’s the thing. This is our second field service on the Africa Mercy as a family and I feel like I know a couple things. I know what food to buy and freeze from Las Palmas to keep our family happy. And I know that I can not approach this new field service the same as last year.
While we were home I read Katie Major’s second book “Daring to Hope”. Her first book documented her life as she moved to Uganda, founded a ministry, and adopted 13 girls. I thought her second book would follow suit and document her falling in love and having a biological son. I read her book on the beach, in coffee shops, and lounging at book stores.
I was exhausted from the 10 month field service. I navigated parenthood amidst 450 people while being a contributing member to community, and overseeing the crainiofacial program. I left Cameroon depleted.
During my “me time” I sat in comfortable chairs as I dove into Katie’s book. I was thinking it would be a light and fluffy love story, I was very wrong! Instead I found myself weeping at the aforementioned beach, coffee shops, and book stores as I read an authentic story of how to find hope when life is hard.
While reading her book I was trying to make sense of the hardest year of my life. Her book was littered with stories of crying out to the Lord pleading for healing of a friend or neighbor. She referenced Habakkuk 1 where he goes to the watchtower as his people were being annihilated. He waits to see what the Lord is going to do. This resonated with me. I don’t approach hard things in my life like Habakkuk. I plead, sometimes beg God, to give me what I think is best for my life. I am tired of this approach.
I am trying something new this year. Instead of using my energy to convince God my way is best, I am trying to align my heart to His and want what He wants, even when it looks like pain or even death.
This year our freezer is stocked with Spanish bacon and cheese. My heart is ready to try to align to Him. Maybe at the end of this field service in Guinea I will leave a little more full and hopefully I will have learned a couple more things.
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While we were home I read Katie Major’s second book “Daring to Hope”. Her first book documented her life as she moved to Uganda, founded a ministry, and adopted 13 girls. I thought her second book would follow suit and document her falling in love and having a biological son. I read her book on the beach, in coffee shops, and lounging at book stores.
I was exhausted from the 10 month field service. I navigated parenthood amidst 450 people while being a contributing member to community, and overseeing the crainiofacial program. I left Cameroon depleted.
During my “me time” I sat in comfortable chairs as I dove into Katie’s book. I was thinking it would be a light and fluffy love story, I was very wrong! Instead I found myself weeping at the aforementioned beach, coffee shops, and book stores as I read an authentic story of how to find hope when life is hard.
While reading her book I was trying to make sense of the hardest year of my life. Her book was littered with stories of crying out to the Lord pleading for healing of a friend or neighbor. She referenced Habakkuk 1 where he goes to the watchtower as his people were being annihilated. He waits to see what the Lord is going to do. This resonated with me. I don’t approach hard things in my life like Habakkuk. I plead, sometimes beg God, to give me what I think is best for my life. I am tired of this approach.
I am trying something new this year. Instead of using my energy to convince God my way is best, I am trying to align my heart to His and want what He wants, even when it looks like pain or even death.
This year our freezer is stocked with Spanish bacon and cheese. My heart is ready to try to align to Him. Maybe at the end of this field service in Guinea I will leave a little more full and hopefully I will have learned a couple more things.
*We are now in Conakry Guinea setting up for field service. Here are some pictures and video we put in a new album Africa Mercy in Guinea 2018-2019 and visit our page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ BartonsOnBoard
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