Pre-Departure Reflections

Today is the big day.  Kenya awaits.  I can’t begin to describe my excitement.  I definitely feel God at work, preparing me for him to open my heart and eyes to His great creation and to serving His people.  He has already revealed so much to me during my quiet times leading up to today.  I am continuously brought back to two particular song lyrics and two particular verses.  The title of this blog is “for your kingdom’s cause” which comes from the lyrics of “Hosanna” by Hillsong:

“heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me, break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for your kingdom’s cause, as I walk from earth into eternity.”

 While I was in Australia attending Hillsong Church Christ worked in my life and my heart in incredible ways.  One moment I remember most from that time came while we sang this song during worship.  As I prepared for this trip God continued to bring me back to these words.  It is my deepest prayer that God will break me and heal my heart, show me how to love as He loves us, and that all that I am will be to glorify Him.  Uhuru Child gave each member of our group the book When Helping Hurts and encouraged us to read it before going on this trip.  I will discuss this book more in a later post, but the basis of it is how to serve and help the poor without hurting them more than we’re helping.  It discusses our view of poverty and how it should be viewed from a Biblical perspective.  That we all are in need of God to alleviate our brokenness.  As I read through some of this book the same lyrics kept running through my head.  We read in 1 Corinthians 1:27-30--

“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”  

God calls the weak, the poor, the despised.  He loves those that are the lowest.  And we are to love and live as Christ does.  Therefore it is my prayer during this trip that this will become more of a reality for me.  That God will break my heart for what breaks His and that He will make all that I am be for His kingdom, serving His people, living out the Gospel.  I am just as desperate for Him as those I am going to serve and it is only through that brokenness and realization of my need for Him that I can be used by Him to relate to others and serve them.

I also keep coming back to the lyrics of “Worthy Is The Lamb": 

“Thank you for the cross Lord, thank you for the price you paid, bearing all my sin and shame, in love you came and gave amazing grace…..worthy is the lamb seated on the throne, crown You now with many crowns, You reign victorious.” 

As I reflect on my desire to go serve God's people in Kenya I am reminded of how unworthy we all are.  God has answered my prayer and began to break me down.  The fall of man happened with Adam and Eve and it is only through Christ that we can be reconciled.  So often I see myself as superior…I live in the United States, I am a Christian, and I come from a middle-income family.  But none of that makes me any more worthy than the poorest people in the world.  Christ is the reconciler and sustainer….as we read in Colossians 1: 16-17--

 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  

Nothing that I do makes me worthy.  It is only in what Christ has done for me.  And for that I am grateful and humbled.  It is only by His grace and strength that I have this opportunity to go to Kenya and serve His kingdom.  So again I say “break my heart for what breaks Yours, everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause.”

In wrapping up the pre-departure post I want to say a big thank you to all of you who gave donations, words of encouragement, and most of all prayers.  God has certainly answered prayers with fundraising and I am grateful for that.  More than the money though, He has revealed himself in my relationships.  I have been overwhelmed by the support you all have shown to me and reminded of what amazing people I am surrounded by back home, in Chapel Hill, and all across the country.  We were created for relationships (which will likely be another post later today or tomorrow during our long flight/layover) and I have been blessed in my relationships with each of you.  Please know that I love each of you, you are important to me, and I am grateful to have you in my life.  You all are in my prayers that God will be at work in your life and I pray He can use me, my experiences in Kenya and this blog to be a blessing to you.  Thank you again for all your love and support!  A special shoutout to my parents--Mom and Dad--don't worry!  God's got this!  And a big thank you because without you none of this would be possible! 

We’re headed to DC in just over 2 hours.  Our flight leaves at 10:55PM tonight and 12 hours and 45 minutes later we will be in Doha, Qatar.  We have about a 6 hour layover there and then fly to Nairobi, Kenya.  I’m sure I will post again before we arrive in Kenya.  Please pray for safe travels, for fellowship within our group, and for preparation of our hearts and the hearts of the people in Kenya.  Above all else pray that God be glorified through it all.

Thanks for following!!  I'll try to keep posts shorter so you don't feel like you're reading essays every time :)