Now that Chuck is back in Jos, my week has been very different than the other weeks I’ve been here. I’ve been on the JETS campus most of the time going to various meetings and helping with things however I can. I’ve learned an amazing amount just in these few days about the inner workings of mission operations and ministry. I’ve seen some of the required planning processes that make or break a project and the way to go about those processes. I’ve gotten to meet many different people, most of whom are very high up in their respected organizations, which has been great just to be able to make those friends and future contacts. I’ve gotten to see the beginning of many outreaches and projects that are sure to make a major impact in Nigeria and even surrounding countries in Africa in the future. It has been a blessing to be on the front lines of this mission work and to be able to see what it really consists of. God has been teaching me so much this week about leadership, ministry, and faithfully following His will. I plan on taking all this newfound knowledge back to UK this semester and implementing it to the best of my ability. So… the rest of this week will mainly be more meetings and administrative work. I will continue to learn all I can and allow God to teach me through this opportunity. Our plan is to drive to Abuja on Friday morning and our flight proceeds to leave on Saturday. Please keep our safe travel in your prayers as this week wraps up and pray for guidance and wisdom through these last few days of our stay in Nigeria.
Now… looking back on this trip I can only think of one word. Wow!… It is hard to summarize something like this. I don’t think it would be possible really for me to say anything that would encompass everything that’s happened. The countless lessons I’ve learned… the things that I’ve seen... the people I’ve met… and the places I’ve gone, they are all something that can only be explained through experience. One of my friends here in Nigeria was telling me that when I get home, all my friends and family are going to be asking me the question: “So… what‘s Africa like?”. As a man who grew up in Africa and has gone back and forth to the US, he has encountered this question time and time again. What he told me is that you can’t truly answer that question; anything and everything you say won’t do it justice. The only way to see what Africa is like and truly understand it is to go there. I hope many of you reading this blog, by God’s grace will have the opportunity in your lifetime to come to Africa or at least leave the US. To say that it is an eye-opening experience is quite an understatement. God has broadened my world view through this trip and opened my eyes to the reality of the world I live in. It is easy to get trapped in a box if you never leave the states. I was so accustomed to how things were there… and it seems like human nature to just assume things are the same everywhere else, despite what we see on TV or read in the newspaper. Things just aren’t as real until you see them face to face. I challenge everyone reading to step back from your vantage point and allow God to broaden your view of the world. Even in your prayer life, start praying for the entire world, every one of the 6 billion people inhabiting this planet… and as big as that sounds, it isn’t too big for the God we serve. He created every one of those people by hand and loves them just as much as He loves you or me. Broadening my perspective has really helped me to increase my love for my neighbor, whether they are in the US or not, and it has been strange to look back and see where I was 7 weeks ago.
I can without a doubt say that I’m not the same person I was when I got on a plane headed for Africa almost 7 weeks ago. God has spent this entire trip molding me into more and more of a servant who will be useful for His Kingdom. I am absolutely on fire with a passion for Christ right now. I can’t tell you how excited I am to return home and start ministry on my campus. God has been filling me with his passion for revival in the church and evangelism to the lost. God has been providing me with ideas and opening doors for ministry when I get back home. If I had to guess… and it’s a guess at the most,(because who can truly understand the will of our Father) what God’s purpose was in sending me to Africa this summer, I would say that this trip was to solidify my faith in Jesus Christ. Becoming a Christian at the young age I did, I was very immature in my walk. I didn’t understand so many things that are vital to the Christian faith which I professed and claimed to live. God has taught me so much and in faith and by God’s grace alone, I can now truly claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ. I understand what that means and what my life must look like upon that claim. I have never stood on a more solid Rock than I stand on now. God has changed me, broken me down, and inspired me with a heart of service for this semester to come. By God’s grace, I hope to let the light of Christ shine from my life on the campus of UK like no one has seen before. I’ve seen just a glimpse of how big God really is through this trip, and I am going to step back from myself and not limit the work he wants to do through me. I know God wants to do big things, things that I could never fathom, and I’m going to submit myself to His will in hopes of seeing His great love come to fruition like it never has before in Lexington. I now understand that I’m in a battle for Christ, I can’t sit by idly any longer just enjoying the benefits of my faith. By God’s grace I will spend every moment I have fighting for his kingdom and for the lost souls in this world.
The prayer and financial support you all have given me for this trip is something I can’t thank you for enough. It is something that no one on earth will ever reward you for, but something our God in heaven will lavishly reward you for. By your gracious gifts and support, God has transformed me this summer and hopefully through my life countless others will be impacted by Christ. You will have a part in every life I can impact or touch in the future, because you made it possible for me to take part in everything I have this summer. Your prayers have been so vital to everything that has happened. The prayer of a righteous man/woman is both powerful and effective, so please keep praying! I hope through some of the things on this trip that you helped pray for, you have seen the potency and potential prayer has to change lives. I hope that through this trip and my blog, your lives have been blessed and Christ has inspired you in your walk with Him. You all have been in my prayers and will continue to be in my prayers when I’m back in the US.
I humbly request several things that you continue to pray for even when I’m no longer posting on this blog or asking you to pray. If you have a long-term prayer list, please consider adding any of these things you feel called to add to that list.
-Pray for the children at the EMS school and their futures in Christ.
-Pray for the ECWA Seminary church and ECWA in general. Pray for the strengthening of all their ministries and the continual outreach they are making to West Africa in the name of Christ.
-Pray for Africa as a whole. Pray that peace and healing would come to these lands through God’s people.
-Pray specifically for the Kambari tribes and the village of Masira that I was able to attend outreaches for. Both of those places have such a great potential for the flourishing of the gospel, and our prayers will be vital to their success.
-Pray for the University of Kentucky and the souls of the students there, and pray for revival in the city of Lexington. Pray that God will pour out his love and power like the city has never seen before.
It has been a blessing to be able to share with you all on this trip. I pray for God’s best in your lives. I hope I have been able to encourage and challenge you with my posts, as God has been doing both of those for me here. May the love of Christ fill us all and may God lead us on until the day of our redemption and final adoption into his family. You all have my eternal gratitude and love! Farewell from Nigeria! ^_^
Grace and Peace from the Alpha and the Omega, our Almighty God
Your Brother in Christ,
Colin Willis
No comments:
Post a Comment