Rachel's Reflections

"We come to the mission field with great expectations of how we will build God's church, only to have Jesus grab us, whack off some unnecessary flesh, pound us into a shape He can use, and stick us underground as one small part of the foundation (of His church). Then He covers us up with dirt. We are stunned - we came to be mighty builders. Instead, God deconstructs us and uses us to play a hidden part that others will never see or praise." Live Dead Joy devotional by Dick Brogden That quote perfectly describes what God has been doing in my life this week. But how to put flesh to the bones and truly tell you everything that has happened in my heart would be a monumental challenge. The Holy Spirit convicted me of my internal sins of skepticism and pride.  He shed a light on His Word so that I could understand it in a deeper way and that light reflected into the depth of my soul and revealed hidden shadows of the past. Finally, a fter removing those barriers and...

During this pandemic it can be easy to focus on everything that is going wrong: plans that have changed, ministry that cannot go on as normal, and lives that have been affected. But I have been reminded repeatedly this week of the importance of looking up to God and trusting Him. " Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. " 1 Thessalonians 5:17 I am thankful for the steadfast love of God. I am thankful that God has answered my prayer request of being intentional and creative with my time while being under restrictions for health, safety, and prevention reasons. I am thankful I can still call people in the community to see how they are doing and maintain our relationships even though it is hard not being able to  visit them in person.  I am thankful I have still been able to study and make progress on the language, even from within my own home. I am thankful for team leaders who look out for us, do what they can for us,...

"Mama R, what is the word for believe in Kimwani?" I asked her in our language lesson as we sat outside in plastic chairs. At first she didn't know, but after talking about it a bit she gave me a word. To confirm it was what I wanted I queried, "Can I use this word to say 'do you believe this will happen?'" She agreed that was correct.  "Can I use the word if I'm talking about God? For example, do you believe God created the world?" I plied further to which she affirmed again. "Can I use the word to say 'I believe in Jesus?'" I continued, because I wanted to make sure that I had the correct word for the phrases I wanted to learn that day. She replied that it was still a correct use of the word, but then she asked me what I meant. "When I say 'I believe in Jesus,' I'm always thinking about three important things: 1. Jesus is God. 2. Jesus died on the cross for my sins. 3. Jesus came back to life again ...