I'm done prompting others to 'take a leap of faith.' It's one thing to talk about action but something involving courage to actually act.
I've been stewing for years about social injustice, poverty, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, etc. Stewing does nothing. Stewing is almost worse than ignorance. To know and do nothing is cowardice.
Through a series of providential twists and turns, I'm going to South Africa. Just my husband and me. I'm both crazy excited and pee-my-pants scared. No, it's not a holiday or exotic trip. We're going to change our lives and the lives of our children. It's a long story, almost 40 years in the making.
Have you every thought, "There's got to be more to life than THIS?"
THIS is wonderful, I mean it's the American dream: house, kids (lots) cars (some that work), family and friends and good times. Even church on Sunday. Life is planned, categorized and is prone to run like mostly everyone else's life. But, what if THIS is not what's ITS about?
God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable. We've been disturbed out of our comfort zone. So we are taking action. It's a miracle that both my husband and I are of the same thought process. Usually, when he's on some kick (like drinking goat milk) I'm not on the same page. But, I do believe that God brought us to the same point in our lives, together, yet distinctly apart so we both know, apart from each other's influence, that things are about to change.
To paraphrase Francis Chan, "We should be living in such a way that if God didn't come through for us, we would be in trouble." No THAT'S faith. Big Faith.
We are leaving our five kids and going to Cape Town in August. We will be working with Living Hope, an organization who addresses HIV/AIDS on various levels. They were also featured in the book A Hole in Our Gospel.
I fully expect to return a changed person. And I'm hoping that's the point.
"Never forget what Jesus did for you. Never take lightly what it cost Him. And never assume that if it cost Him His very life, that it won't also cost you yours." Rich Mullins
For all of our South Africa updates, click South Africa in the right column, under minimal organization.
