TEAMWYNN

Local Medicine. Global Media. South Africa.

Step One: Vision Trip

Posted on | February 18, 2007 | Comments Off

This year, at the end of July and the beginning of August, we are planning to visit a number of countries in southern and central Africa. We have felt for a long time that God has called us for who knows how long to serve in Africa. We believe one of the main reasons we have been given so much as far as education and opportunity is that it is to be poured out and used up overseas.

Now obviously southern and central Africa is a big place. We have relationships in Rwanda, Kenya and Mozambique – terrific relationships, but no clarity yet where and with whom we might find a place to serve. In addition to these countries, we have a slight draw to country of South Africa, even though we have no relationships there. (P.S. If you are connected with compassion or media ministries in South Africa, let us know, because we are trying to make those relationships now before we go.)

Calling and desire are funny things. There is no doubt that we feel called by God and have a strong personal desire to go and minister in Africa, to use whatever we have to benefit whoever we end up living with over there. Of that fact, Kara and I are clear. Yet when it comes to where? We stop. We haven’t found a place that we both can say, “We should be there.”

Anyone who has known us for a while, knows we have wanted to go for years. God’s delay on our lives has allowed us to learn and grown in incredible ways here in the States.

I believe I entered a new level of humility (certainly not a finished journey in any sense) while working at Kinkos for almost a year after moving to Colorado. It was not an experience I think another person would have had in the same place, but my pride after graduating Dallas Seminary needed a season of cooling. Not that the job itself or the people I worked with had anything to do with it, but I had to face a disgusting and arrogant self-image. One that considered myself above or better than a 10 dollar an hour job. I feel ashamed of that attitude even now writing this. But I am so thankful now for that season now – as poorly as I went through it, due to endless whining and belly-aching to the Lord.

As for Kara, I can mention two great steps for her growth (of course, I prefer her to speak for herself, being that we are so beautifully different at almost every point, she would have unique perspective on her growth that only she could articulate). The first is nursing school and all that she is learning in the Emergency Department at Denver Health. Having known her now for almost seven years, I have seen her courageous journey into nursing. It is a journey of the heart. At seminary, she was one of the most applauded students, in my opinion. Professors regularly noted at the bottom of every day assignments, “Will you please consider us for your Ph.D.” Even of the two awards given to her upon graduation, one of them came from a department she didn’t even study in, but simply wrote her thesis for. (My major department, it should be noted) But because of her thesis, she was given that year’s departmental award. All her professors assumed she would go on to get a Hebrew or Greek degree. But it was the work at the Agape clinic, a free health care clinic down the street from the school, along with other opportunities from short-term mission trips, that tugged at her heart. She wanted to comfort and care for marginalized people, with no access to decent care. And even, in considering going to nursing school, she got constant challenges to become a doctor. It made no sense to people that someone as bright and capable as her would be a nurse instead of a doctor. But she saw that modern doctors didn’t spend the time with the patients anymore, they generally visited, diagnosed and moved on. Kara wanted to be the person who cared for the patient, who knew how they were doing, and could be very hands on. So after finishing her masters degree, she went back to college.

Once again excelling in her studies, she got on the advanced track at Denver Health student program, finished her nursing studies with honors, and has been working in the Emergency room for over a year now. Because of the downtown location, she sees gun shot wounds, stabbings, overdoses and rapes, almost daily. Recently, I found scratches on her right hand and when I asked her what they were from, she said, “Restraining an out of control crack addict.” Can you imagine little Kara, 125 soaking wet, chaining an overdosing drug addict to a hospital bed? I’m still trying to imagine it … or not imagine it.

Either way, I’m so proud of her. She is following her heart against the hollow whisperings of “external success.” By that I mean, it sounds more awe inspiring to say I’m a professor of Hebrew Semitics, or I’m a doctor of blah, blah, blah than to say I’m a nurse to homeless guys who wet the bed and I have to clean it up. Not to knock other careers which God has called people to, but to make the point that picking up a cross and following Jesus is always a downward journey, resisting paths that look like they will give you a better life and choosing the clear direction he has placed in your heart … i.e. the “workmanship, created in Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Sorry, I can hardly talk about my girl without busting at the seams with pride. She will probably tell me to take all the above down, because it is not her way to draw attention or toot her own horn. But it’s my way, at least to tell stories I find amazing … and I know computers better than her, so if I don’t take this down, it’s not coming down. :)

The second step of grown for her has been at Lookout Mountain Church. He opportunities to sing on the choir and the band, to serve behind the scenes with the slides and develop real friendships. I have loved watching her enjoy and look forward to our small group, whom we love. You see, we both walked out of Dallas a little burnt on … I don’t know what you might call it … surface Christianity, commercial Christianity, plastic face faith … I don’t know. We know Jesus was real more than ever, and we had meet people who were honest and transformed to the core, but it felt like those people were so few and far between. Yet at LMCC (our church) we found a beautifully imperfect group of people attempting to deal with the mess of themselves and the church in a way that we could surrender ourselves to and join. So beyond Kara’s growth in music, a hearts passion for her, it has been exhilarating to see dig into the church.

Sorry, again. I’ve broken one of the few blogging rules. Be short. I’ll work on that next time.

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Category: Africa Vision Trip 07

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