My Power is Made Perfect in Weakness

Everyday, I wake up and am amazed at the fact that I’m in Uganda. It still seems like a dream to me. A lot has changed about this place, yet a lot has remained the same. It’s been interesting being here and trying to see if/how God is going to fit me in all of this. My prayer daily is to be completely and one hundred percent open to where the Lord is leading me. 

I spent a lot of my time in South Africa doubting my decision to come here with an open-ended ticket. Satan was really getting in my thoughts and telling me that I wasn’t capable of handling something like this. I was scared coming to Uganda. I spent most of my flight trying to figure out a way to get out of here as fast as I could. The day after I arrived in Uganda, I wrote this in my journal: 

That feeling you get when you are completely humbled by God. When you begin to doubt Him and then He shows you why not to. My time here has been humbling and it’s only been a day and a half. I’ve had some time to sit and reflect on God today in our long four hour care ride. He wants me to open up and give all I have to Him. Don’t miss a single opportunity to serve Him or love His people.

So I’ve been clinging to these verses since I’ve been here, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. So, I’m writing now to boast about my weaknesses. I want you to know that when it comes to being here, I’m scared out of my mind. I’ve doubted God more times than I can count. I’ve tried to come up with countless excuses as to why I shouldn’t be here. I don’t think that I’m cut out to be a missionary in Uganda. But I will gladly boast in these weaknesses, because I know God’s power will be made perfect in them. I know that when I am weak, God will make me strong. I want my time here to be a reflection of God’s power and His might. Because without Him, I am nothing. 

Simplicity

The beauty of simplicity is a very humbling experience. It’s one of those things you don’t  realize is beautiful until you’re placed right in the midst of it all. Simplicity is inspiring. It allows you to take a step back from life and reflect on the many blessings you’ve received. You become aware of the little things in life that make living just that much better, and you stand in awe at how wonderful God has perfectly planned your steps. 

There’s nothing quite like a bear hug from a little child, sitting in a woman's Bible study hearing beautiful stories of the hardships and redemption happening in other’s lives, or sitting at the top of a water tower with thirty to forty children flying kites made out of plastic bags, tree branches and yarn. 

Simplicity. It’s beautiful. It’s uplifting. It’s inspiring. It’s a blessing.

Change

God’s been stirring in my heart the past few months a need for change. A need to put the past behind me and move forward in His grace, His sovereignty, His hope and His never ending love. A need to grow more in my relationship with Him and dig deeper in His word. A need to place my full hope, faith, love, and trust solely in Him. 

I knew I needed this change long before I began planning this trip to South Africa and Uganda. God has been speaking to me through different circumstances and people, confirming in me the need to “deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk.9:23). I wasn’t exactly sure how God was going to go about changing things up for me, but I had a feeling it was going to be bigger than I could imagine. 

So I find myself serving the Lord here in South Africa. A big change. No longer am I a retail associate/host/server/bartender/supervisor. No longer am I living with my family. No longer am I in the comforts of my hometown. I’m in the midst of change. I’m now living with three amazing friends. I’m waking up every morning to twelve wonderful staff women. I’m spending the day with eighty bright shining preschooler faces. I’m serving alongside two incredible, humble and God-fearing missionaries, diligently do what the Lord has asked of them. I’m experiencing change in one of the most incredible ways.

My time here is filled with laughter from watching, teaching and interacting with very tiny human beings. It’s filled with love to and from the kiddos, friends, neighbors, locals and staff. It’s filled with blessings like a beautiful sunrise in the morning, meeting new people who share their stories, and playing games around the dinner table with five fun and awesome missionaries. It’s filled with Jesus and it’s filled with change.

God’s bringing me to my knees, asking me to trust Him. Not just for the big things but the small things too. He’s teaching me to reach out to Him daily for strength. He’s telling me, He is all I need and the rest will fall into place. He’s changing me, and I am blessed. 

I'm Going Back!!!!

These past three years being home and away from the land that I love, have been a time of patience and reliance on God. I've learned a lot about myself, my relationship with the Lord, and what it means to be content in all situations; and trust me, it did not come easy. It's been a struggle to be away from the people and the country that my heart has grown so attached to. It's difficult being here and trying to be content, when I feel my time and energy could be spent much better serving in Uganda. BUT (and that's a big but), God's timing is ALWAYS perfect. Proverbs 19:22 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." I clung to this verse these past few of years; trusting, waiting, and praying (sometimes crying and screaming) for God's purpose to prevail in my life.

I'm beyond excited, and still in shock, to announce that God's timing has come for me to return to Uganda. It's a very surreal feeling. One that, to be honest, I wasn't sure would happen for a very long time. I still don't think it's hit me yet, and I'm not sure it will until my feet touch down on African soil.

My plan this year, is to buy a one-way ticket and follow the Lord's guidance where ever He may lead. I'll fly out in the beginning of May with my friend, Tessa Sharr to meet up with Taylor VanDuinen in South Africa. Taylor will be working with an organization called Tentmakers Ministry, and we will come alongside her to assist in teaching preschool classes and help in an after school program. At the end of May, Tessa and I will continue our journey to Uganda. There, we will join with an organization I have worked with many times in the past called I Choose You. The familiar faces, sights, and sounds, I can only assume, will overwhelm me with joy and happiness as I immerse myself into the lifestyle and culture of the people living in the slum of Namatala. We will wrap up our time with I Choose You in the last week of June and travel up north to a place I have always wanted to go. Gulu and the twenty year war lead by Joseph Kony is what drew my attention to Uganda in the first place. Eight years later, I will finally be able to visit the place that stirred my heart. There we will be working with a children's home that's run by Uganda Orphan's Fund. Tessa will then fly home at the end of July and I will remain in Uganda until God tells me otherwise.

As some of you know, in the fall of 2012, I took a three month midwifery course in Boise, Idaho hoping to use this skill on a future trip to Uganda. While I’m there this summer, I will be looking into a few different birthing clinics to see if there is possible opportunities for me to be involved in. 

I have greatly appreciated your support in my travels to Africa in the past. Your prayers, love, and kind words have helped me achieve a dream I never thought was possible. I would love, more than anything, to have your continued support as I seek after long term opportunities for service and ministry in Africa. I know how powerful prayer can be, so I ask that you join me on my trip by praying for my health, my attitude, my safety, my energy and my willingness to serve the Lord. I would also love it if you considered supporting me financially. I’m budgeting $5,000 for my trip, and your support would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to Rebecca Willett. Thank you, again, for all your support in the past. It means the world to me, and I am beyond grateful to be blessed with people like you in my life.

Taylor's Trek Around the World

My best friend left two days ago on a journey of a lifetime. Taylor will be spending the next seven months travelling to ten different countries sharing her love for God with His people. I'm blown away, inspired and so very proud of her willingness to say yes to the Lord and no to the desires of this world.

She landed in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday with her college roommate, Corie and will be there through the end of the month when she'll head off to her next destination. She'll be visiting New Zealand, Australia, India, Nepal, Uganda, Turkey, Malta, Switzerland, Brazil and Haiti and will return home August 4th with a whole new knowledge and perspective on the world around her.

Ever since I've known Taylor, she's been the traveler. She loves to experience new cultures and interact with people in the area. She has a passion for God's people and a servant's heart that goes beyond what most would expect. I've travelled with her the past five years to Uganda, as well as, to Spain and New York on mission trips with our church. Taylor has blessed me immensely with her friendship over the years and I'm so very excited to see her follow her dream of seeing the world while serving the Lord.

Please consider praying for Taylor and Corie as they travel around the world, experience new cultures and love on God's people. Also, follow their blog if you have a chance, http://www.culturecravers.blogspot.com/ it's gonna be a good one. If I get any updates that they don't post on their blog I'll be posting them here. so make sure you're checking back here as well.

Life's Little Lessons and God's Awesome Way of Teaching Them

God has really been working on my heart lately and teaching me things that I know are necessary for my future. I'm so grateful to be learning these things now instead of years down the road. I love the way He's been revealing these lessons to me.

When I got back from Uganda this summer, one of the most common questions people asked me was, "Well now what?" To be honest with you I just wanted to yell at these people and say, "I just got back. You really think I know what I'm doing now. I'm still trying to process what just happened." Instead, I responded with, "I'm not too sure as of right now. Maybe nursing school." With no real intentions of going to nursing school. It was more of an excuse so people would be happy with the fact that I really am considering my future.

After hearing that question more times than I cared to, I started really taking it into consideration. I began asking myself and God, what now? Well, I could actually look into nursing school, realizing it would be very beneficial for my return to Uganda. I could apply for a long term internship in Uganda with organizations that I've grown to respect over the years. I could travel to Nepal with a buddy of mine and explore the possibilities of missions in other countries. And everytime I convinced myself that one of these would be an alright idea, I would suggest it to God, knowing that it really wasn't what he wanted for me, but still trying to make progress anyway.

At this point, I was sick of waiting for God to suggest something to me. According to my time clock, he was way past due and I was starting to get agitated.

Then I picked up a handy dandy devotional about women in the Bible the first woman I read about was Sarah. Her story humbled me.

Sarah waited NINETY years to have children! Can you imagine being told that you would give birth to a nation and still not see any results until you're ninety? But Sarah didn't want to wait on God so she took matters into her own hands and that's when everything went downhill.

You know, part of me doesn't blame her for doing what she did. The other part of me looks at her and thinks, how stupid, clearly God is faithful and will follow through on his promises. And yet, the other part of me is grateful for what she did and the example she is to me. God used her story, one that happened thousands of years ago, to impact me. How awesome is that?

And God didn't just remind me of it once. About a week later, I was driving to work, listening to K-Love (which I honestly don't listen to often) and guess who they were talking about? You guessed it, Sarah. One thing that was said about Sarah's story was, "When we take matters into our own hands, not trusting in God, we often end up with much more problems and grief." That hit hard.

God was slowly breaking down the walls I put up. Walls of control and an I can do it myself attitude. Walls that said, I don't need God. Walls that were clearly put up with the help of Satan. And God was knocking them down.

A few weeks later, I received an email with Psalm 37:7 on it. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Another reminder. I chuckled when I read this because I just find God so clever. He blows me away, but he was finished there. Two days later, I was on my way to work again, listening to K-Love again (once again, something I don't do often), and they read, Psalm 37:7 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. WOW!

Alright God, I get it. But if you want to keep blowing me away with little reminders, I'm more than ok with that.

Time to be patient and wait. ~ Time to pray and listen. ~ Time to seek after you. ~ Time to put aside my selfish ways. ~ Time to follow your will for my life. ~ Time to surrender total control.

Imagine

Imagine walking as your main/only form of transportation.

Imagine not owning a pair of shoes to protect your feet from disease and sores.

Imagine having only $.25-$1.00 as your savings.

Imagine walking miles barefoot for clean water.

Imagine not having clean water.

Imagine you and six or seven others living in area equal to or smaller than your master bathroom.

Imagine sleeping on the hard dirt floor where cockroaches, geckos, rats, and mosquitoes have easy access to you.

Imagine water dripping on you while you sleep because you don’t have enough money to repair your roof.

Imagine not eating for days and days on end.

Imagine digging through trash piles to find any source of food so you won’t starve.

Imagine washing all your dishes and clothes by hand.

Imagine everything you own can be carried with your own two hands.

Imagine your nine years old, both your parents died due to HIV/AIDS, and now it’s your responsibility to take care of your younger siblings.

Imagine not being able to read or write because your parents couldn’t afford an education.

Imagine having five to ten kids and no way of supporting them besides prostituting yourself .

Imagine when you get a severe cut or burn, your last option is to go to the hospital and the only way of “protecting” it is by caking manure, dirt or charcoal on it in hopes that it will heal.

NOW…

Imagine having a car or two or three sitting in your driveway.

Imagine owning five, ten, fifteen, or maybe even thirty pairs of shoes to go with any outfit you can think of.

Imagine having thousands of dollars in your checking and savings account plus extra cash to splurge with on the side.

Imagine having three or four faucets within fifty feet of you.

Imagine turning on a faucet with as much clean water flowing out of it as you want.

Imagine two to four other people living in a two thousand square foot house with three bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Imagine sleeping in a queen size bed with a down comforter and a feather pillow.

Imagine sleeping sound throughout the night with no disturbances and a heater to keep you as warm as you want.

Imagine eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with delicious desserts afterwards and snacks whenever you feel like it.

Imagine going to a grocery store where any food you ever wanted was right at your finger tips.

Imagine having a dishwasher and washing machine and dryer that you simply have to load, add soap, and push a button, then an hour or so later everything is clean.

Imagine what you can carry in your own two hands equals about one twentieth of what you own.

Imagine growing up with both parents taking care of you and your siblings until you move out of the house.

Imagine going to school every year from the ages five to twenty-two (or longer) learning reading, writing, arithmetic and what ever else you may want to specialize in.

Imagine owning your own business, being a teacher, a doctor, or a manager of a company which all usually come with benefits.

Imagine having the knowledge to fix a basic wound and if it‘s too big, the hospital is right around the corner.

Which one is easier for you to imagine?

Seriously after writing this, I’m disgusted with myself that I even feel I have the right to complain. My life is a hundred times better than millions around the world and yet I complain. Seriously ashamed.