Okay, I stole that title from this
blog, but it is right on the money for me.
Remember me? Hi! My name is Cookie, and I am an intermittent blogger. Sorry about that. I really am, but I have to submit to constant monitoring or I will allow my expectations of myself to grow large and woolly and mammoth with big, sharp teeth.
So, two really major things have happened in my life this fall, and I would love to catch you up in small doses, if that’s okay. Back in October I led a women’s study on Five Lies of the Devil, and it was soooo soooo fun to do my teachin’ thang again. AND now I am fresh off the plane from Kenya (and glad to have both feet planted firmly on the ground again, thank you very much!), and I can barely talk or think about anything else. I have exhausted all of the peeps in my fam and circle with my endless, “In Kenya…” comments; I have forced a slideshow and presentation on Carson’s second grade class, and I’ve worn down my Facebook friends with pics and video, so I turn to you as a new venue 🙂
Obviously, we’ll tackle Kenya first and come back to Five Lies.
For those of you who aren’t NewSpringers, my church has partnered with The 410 Bridge (you should watch the video on their site) to invest in the people and community of Segera in Kenya – a partnership that will send teams and resources to the same area over at least a three year time frame. We have sent three teams already and have five trips planned for 2010.
My Chris went in June and came back insistent that I go. I wasn’t opposed to going, but it was never a matter of feeling like it was something I had to do. It became something I really, really, really wanted to do. And I knew it would require me to face a whole bunch of fears (not the least of which was flying) and get way far removed from the comforts of my cute lil’ life.
I didn’t go thinkin’ I was gonna be any great help to anybody while I was there. I certainly went to love, love, love some beautiful kiddos and mamas, to serve them in absolutely any way I could, and to share Jesus if I had the opportunity, but all along I knew that God planned to change me more than He planned to use me.
It took two days to fly there, and the instruction began immediately. After bad weather, a flat nose tire on an airplane, a missed flight to Paris, an unexpected 13-hour overnight flight to Dubai, a middle of the night flight to Nairobi, no shower or bed for two days, very limited access to Diet Pepsi, and then a four-hour bus ride, I had been beaten into submission upon arrival.
In my life, I am a planner, and I like to stick to the plan. I am pretty much in control of how my day goes. I generally do what I want to do and don’t do what I don’t want to do. I give a lot of thought to what is safe, what makes me feel secure, what I am comfortable with, and what allows me the greatest degree of control over my circumstances. I quickly got the message that this trip would happen on His terms, not mine. The first two days were a butt whoopin’ for sure, and I was allowed to see with supreme clarity the issues that comfort, security, safety, and control are in my life – golden calves gleaming brightly before me in the African sunrise on day two.
At that point I would’ve quit if I could have. I wanted to go into the airplane bathroom and cry my head off but I didn’t think I would be able to stop if I started. Ever feel that way?
Stay tuned…
PS – Thank you, Kristin, for the awesome pic!
YAY! glad you’re back, talking about your trip, missed you! can’t wait to hear more!
Wow, Cookie…the memories! Remember that Saturday night sitting at the dinner table talking about how we didn’t want to do the “jigger thing”. God brought us a long way…now it seems we may have left a part of us there :). I am sooooo sooooo sooooo glad that I got to experience this with you. I am sooooo sooooo sooooo thankful that God let me do this with you…I really don’t know if I would have made it without you. Love you my friend!
I have scooped up Kenya info from just about everyone I know who went. Haven’t gotten sick of it yet, my friend. I look forward to hearing more!
CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR MORE! welcome back to blogland! share in great detail everything you want–we’ll listen with great interest!!
i’m curious how this experience will change your Christmas?
I can’t wait to hear the rest, Cookie! I’ve always had a desire to go to Africa, yet never made it a priority. I don’t think I will ever get sick of hearing about it.