This year, I will be going on my third mission trip - this one to Zambia, Africa. This will be my second trip to Africa, and I am thrilled to be going back. There is something special about that continent, that while physical and spiritually draining, draws me to it. It's almost as if Africa is, well, my home.
Maybe it's the openness of the people. Maybe it's the extreme poverty. Maybe it's the joy in the children's faces. Maybe it's getting away from the noise of the city. It's Africa. And I count it as a great privilege to be able to go and bring the hope and message of Jesus Christ. It is not always easy to stay in intense living conditions with bats flying overhead, and mosquitos all around. But when you see the smiles on people's faces. When you see the result of the hope and joy that you bring. When you see the tears roll down their faces when they realize that someone actually loves them. It is then that you realize that it is worth it. All of the money and the time and the pain and the pressure and the faith was worth it. Hearing a young boy sing his heart out about how God is always there, just brings tears to my eyes. It is in that moment that I know that this is what life is all about.
