Our ladies from Sub-Saharan Africa - from Niger, Mali, Chad, South Sudan down to South Africa - have just returned back from a Ladies Conference in South Africa. This conference may seem trivial to some but a humongus thank you goes out to all Southern Baptists who helped make this conference a reality.
The theme of the conference was 'Joy in the Journey'. Here are some things (in no order) that the Lord taught me - or at least, reminded me last week:
1. The journey is our daily lives and we can choose to have joy or we can choose to go our own way. It really is a choice.
2. Some days, it is a monumental fight for joy but it is always worth it.
3. Every sister in Christ that was there have experienced very (very) similar ups and downs in their missionary lives.
4. Worship with hundreds of missionary sisters was one of the best aspects of the week.
5. God is not captive to our own human expectations of what our life and ministry should be and I should not be either. This was a HUGE one for me.
6. God has not called us to a place but he has totally called us to HIMSELF. Again, this is something that I have believed but it had gotten buried in the midst of the recent changes.
7. I am not in this missionary life alone (besides my wonderful husband and children). Every woman there seemed ready to love and support her sister in Christ.
8. This missionary life is hard but life was NEVER meant to be easy.
9. The joy of the Lord is my strength!!! Nehemiah 8:10
10. Our greatest joys are found in our trials. A life without hardship is not really life at all. How we show joy in the journey of our daily life gives great glory to God - and maybe that was the reason in the first place.
