Reflection. . . . . .

Wow.  Where do I even start?

It's taken me a while to process my Kenyan experience.  I guess that's why this post has been "coming soon. . . ." for over two weeks now.  Coming back, I knew in my mind that I had experienced and learned so much but articulating it was a different story.  I've had the opportunity to share my story and the lessons learned with several people over the past weeks and as I've done so I've begun to fully comprehend all that God taught me over there.  There's no way I can tell it all on this blog, but I'll try to hit the highlights.

My Heart - My heart has changed dramatically after serving the people of Kenya for a month.  I learned so many lessons about humility, gentleness and compassion as I saw their plights.  God used those people and others at Tenwek to reveal my selfishness and hard heart and change me into something different.  One of my key verses that I pondered there was "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  This mindset is so counter cultural to what we see in America and especially in American health care where it's all about "me."  Seeing others live out the fruits of the Spirit compelled me to do the same and it's made all the difference in my heart.  In 1st Peter we are told to "live as strangers in the world."  If Jesus really inhabits your heart and changes your life, that's what you should be.  I've been challenged to seek that in mine.

My Purpose - Serving God and His people through orthopedics was an amazing, challenging and humbling experience.  I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to do it.  God's timing was perfect in that I'm on the brink of my entire career as an orthopedist and I think He strategically placed this experience at this point in time to steer me in one direction.  I can't say that I feel called to full time missions yet, but I definitely feel led to continue to serve God's under served people abroad.  Thankfully Mallory's heart is the same and we plan on doing this as a family in the future.  I can't wait to experience it together and have the kids interface with another culture and world and be better for it.

My Hope - My decision to go to Africa might have been selfish at the start, but it's become clear that God ordained that specific time for me.  It's easy to get caught up in the "good deed" of going to abroad or the "African experience" or "what I learned from my time in Kenya."  All those things are good, but they exalt me and undermine the fact there there's an entire continent that struggles daily to have food and clean water, who is incredibly impoverished, that has children that die everyday of preventable diseases and that is largely unreached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is what should compel me.  Not "my experience", but a deep hurt to help these people in need.  My hope is that through this blog and my stories that you're compelled too.  Africa needs good health care workers, missionaries, teachers, builders, businessmen, and so much more.  Pray that God will reveal His will to you regarding serving them in some way.