Trials Bring Perseverance

If you haven't read my previous blog post about my dear friend Rebbecca, I would highly recommend it before (or after) reading this one. (:

James 1:2-8

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."

The first time I read verse two, my stomach started churning. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds..." I thought that was impossible. Who has joy through trials? I think the reason it was so hard for me to understand this concept of joy through trials was because of the warped definition of 'joy' that my brain had come up with. I always considered joy to be a synonym of happiness or bliss. Joy goes much, much deeper than that. Happiness is being satisfied with your current circumstances. Joy is knowing that no matter what trials God throws your way, He will pull you through. He might pull you through that trial in a way that you weren't expecting or hadn't planned, but you know that even if your current circumstances aren't perfect, your eternity will be. 

The testing of our faith produces perseverance. When we face struggles in life, we have two options. We can either learn and grow from them, or we can let them break us down and get the best of us. God has an amazing way of using our trials to make us stronger. Our weaknesses are God's strengths, and if you let Him, He will use our weaknesses to grow us spiritually, mentally, and even sometimes physically.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

"Three times I begged the Lord to make this suffering go away. But he replied, “My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am. Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong."

Meet Rebecca

Meet Rebecca, and her precious baby girl, Deanna. Over the two weeks I spent in Uganda, an unforgettable friendship between Rebecca and I was formed. From the moment I first stepped out of our fourteen passenger van, which usually was crammed with sixteen people, Rebecca ran right up to me and gave me the biggest hug ever. She had the biggest smile on her face and couldn't stop thanking me just for being there. She was so grateful and so incredibly joyful. I found out later that night, that Rebecca would be my 'chore buddy'. Our job was taking out the trash, which meant dancing all the way to the trash dump and laughing uncontrollably the whole way back. The next week, our chore changed to washing the pots and pans, which ended in us chasing each other outside the maternity home throwing pots full of water at each other. I've never had so much fun doing chores!

Rebecca could put a smile on anyone's face. She was so genuinely happy and joyful. She was so funny and did anything she could to encourage the people around her, whether they were having a bad day or not. Hearing Rebecca's story, I was heartbroken. She has been through so much in her life, more than I could ever imagine enduring; and not only has she survived everything she's been through, she's remained joyful, because she knows that all of her trials are God making her stronger. Her weaknesses are God's strengths, and she surrenders herself to God, giving Him the ability to mold her into exactly what He wants her to be. Not only is she an amazing mother, but she's an amazing Christian and I'm so proud to call her my friend. 

I love you, Rebecca.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3

Home! ...and the hospital.

So today marks two weeks since my return from Uganda! Sheesh; doesn't seem possible! There are days when I feel like just yesterday I was building a mud hut and boating on Lake Victoria and the Nile River; and there are some days that I feel like it was so far away. Either way, I would do anything just to go back for a little bit longer! Never in my life have I felt so connected to God, and so disconnected to the American society and way of life. (Which is quite an excellent feeling, I might add.) The people I met, things I did, and friendships that were built (which you'll hear more about in later blog posts!) were unforgettable. I can't wait to start sharing those experiences with you!

As you might've heard, a week ago I was in the hospital. Turns out I had malaria...so that was interesting. I guess I can check, "get deadly foreign disease" off of my bucket list. But thanks to the wonderful doctors, (and JT who just so happened to have a malaria test kit) it was diagnosed early enough that I started feeling better after just 5 days! However, I think I'm still a little light-headed from all the blood that had to be drawn! So thank you for all of your prayers in that situation, it really did mean SO MUCH! :)

I'll be posting new blogs soon about some of the stuff I did and people I met while in Uganda, but for now I'll just leave you with this:

There are some things that God engraves on our hearts that we don't understand at the time, and six months ago, that was this overwhelming passion for missions work, specifically in Uganda, Africa. I had absolutley no idea why God was sending me to this third world country on this poverty stricken continent, but God knew exactly what He was doing, and He knew that He was going to use me to not only reach others, but also teach me things that I didn't know about myself. Leaving the United States and heading to Jinja, Uganda is quite the culture shock, and I think the thing that really made an impact on me was that everyone in Uganda, through all their troubles and trials, were some of the friendliest and most joyful people you will ever meet. They didn't have much, but what they did have they were beyond grateful for. They show their appreciation for everything people do for them. They are willing to give whatever they have, even if it's not much, just to show how thankful they are for you. I'm guilty of being ungrateful and unappreciative of everything I have, when in reality, I own far and beyond what I would ever need. I learned to be grateful, appreciative, and content with what I have. Looking back, I realize exactly why God sent me on this trip - to open my eyes to the world around me. I am beyond blessed, and I thank God everyday for finally showing me how blessed I am to live the life that I have. God is so, so good.

Proverbs 16:3