As I searched for opportunities, God provided the best one: total abandonment of what I had created. I kept praying, "Here I am Lord, send me," and He did, to a world unlike my own, to a continent I have never desired to go to (in fact, avoided), to a life dependent on Him. I quit my job. I left my apartment. I spent my savings. I even gave up, although temporarily, that nice motorcycle and goofy car. I tell you this not to give you reason to sign up for the Anthony Angelo Fan Club, but to provide context of the journey I needed, even longed for. The journey that I am now realizing has much more in store for me than I ever imagined.
Lesson of the Week: solitude and silence. The first full week of work has been quite challenging and fruitful. Every day, it is IJM's SOP (standard operating procedure) to provide the first thirty minutes of the work day in "stillness" - a time set apart to quite our hearts, and let God takes the reigns. No talking. No journaling. No reading. Not even praying. A time to listen to the whispers of the Almighty. A time to recognize Who is at work. A time to understand the necessity of letting go. How challenging this has been! Although I am a relatively quite individual, I've never been the one to sit still very long. But I'm here, and this is part of why I'm here, so buckle-up. Sitting still is one challenge, clearing my mind is another, lasting the whole thirty minuets without looking at a clock is yet another. I still have plenty of room for improvement in all of these areas, but just one week of beginning each day with solitude and silence has increased my desire for God and decreased my desire for myself.
Villagers take the long, tiring, daily journey to get water |
Can't even read or pray? Wow,.. that's pretty hardcore. But I guess the best way to become silent enough to actually hear God is to just dive right in!! Good for you! So excited to follow your journey there. Justice for women in a HUGE thing for me, and I am thrilled that you are there trying to do something about it. We're praying for you!! -Kerry Gillette
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