all roads lead to the place we are.

the past two days i was blessed with the opportunity to attend a Passion conference here in Uganda. they are visiting 17 cities all around the world this year and it just so happened that Kampala [the capital of Uganda] was one of their stops. i don’t have words to describe how incredibly encouraging it was to my heart. it was more than just a conference, more than just a weekend.

from the days when God literally saved me from myself [saved me from my own physical death] to the days in panama when i acknowledged that Jesus was above me and made a genuine commitment in my heart that I would always say yes to His leading, God was writing a story.

when God lead me to northern Thailand my beliefs and thoughts and views began to take shape. i was figuring out what it was that God was wanting my heart to know so that i could live out my life in His name. in those days, jumbled thoughts became clear ideas.

when i went to college for the first semester and felt horrible uncomfortable, God was writing a story. the crucial wake up call He gave me after the death of a friend and the prompting to move back home after one semester of college was vital in where i’m at now.

when i got involved with invisible children and organized the Global Night Commute in Topeka, Kansas i had no idea how my heart would be transformed and how God would use that transformation to bring me to knew places. as my heart grew in love for the people of Uganda, i knew i couldn’t stay in America, i had to go there. so i worked and i planned and i came. for five months in 2007, i spent time in Uganda loving and care for little children.

shaken to the core by what i saw and experienced in those months and after a few months of confusion by being back in America, my heart responded by saying yes to going back. in those days of decision making, there was so much uncertainty that i decided to just embrace it instead of stressing about. i booked a ticket and didn’t know my return date. i worked and prayed and loved being around friends and family and the day finally came that i left Kansas and headed back to Uganda.

the first month of living here was exactly what i thought it would be…a lot of unknown. i was okay with it. every day was a little different and i was trusting that the Lord would pull through because the Lord had never failed me. in time, a job was offered to me. after a little praying and thinking, i accepted the job.

and here i am. that is life up to now.

as i stood in the field last night surrounded by young Ugandan men and women watching the Watoto Childrens Choir sing a song about love on stage, it hit me a huge way that this is my home. and i grateful to God for making it that. only His grace and mercy and love has the power to make any place on earth a home and that God chose to place me here in this country for this time brought me to tears. i was absolutely floored by the reality of it all. i am not here on accident, i am not here as a visitor. as i thought about the glory of it all last night, a renewed love washed over me. a love for the Lord, a love for all people.

[[it was an extra special moment for me when we sang 'great is our God' because i realized how far God has brought me, physically. i have sang that song in American, Thailand, Uganda. God is global, there is no doubt about it.]]

i have no idea where i will be a year from now. i don’t even want to know. if tomorrow has enough worries of its own, how much more must next year?

i am here. this is my life. i love it but more importantly, i love the Lord. without Him, i wouldn’t be here, i wouldn’t be in Kansas, i wouldn’t be anywhere. i am longing to be with Jesus face to face in heaven but until that day when He calls me home i see once again the remarkable beauty of living on the earth to make Jesus famous.

“have the attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Phil. 2:58

the God we serve is the God who knows the names of the millions of stars in the sky. now that is more than amazing and has the power to knock me down onto my knees but i honestly don’t know which is more fascinating…

that He knows the names of each star

or

that He knows our names and hearts

think about it.

God is big and He is great but He’s not done yet.

lets praise Him for that.