About six weeks before Alicia and I were to leave for Kenya, I began to seriously question my length of commitment to teach three terms of school in Korr. (Kenya's school system operates on a trimester basis - students spend three months in school, then have a month off. Alicia and I originally committed to teach three terms, beginning in September 2009 and ending in July 2010 with the months of December and April being school vacation months.) But, to be completely honest, when I signed up with AIM I never seriously prayed to ask the Lord how long He wanted me to serve in Africa; I just signed up for the longest time that AIM would allow us to go.
12 days before Alicia and I left for Kenya, we discovered that our budget had been miscalculated by almost $6,000. Even though I had raised well over my original budget, I still only had enough funds to stay for two terms of school instead of three. That is, I only had enough funds to stay through the end of April instead of through the end of August as I'd originally committed to. I've been praying ever since about what all of this means and about how long the Lord truly has me in Kenya.
About a month ago God finally made His will known to me - and it was the last thing I expected. I am coming home at the end of April, when my funds run out. This has been confirmed through a ton of prayer and Scripture, as well as by the missionaries here in Korr, my supervisor in Nairobi, and the AIM office in New York.
It's not a matter of "wanting" to leave...I REALLY love it here. Tirrim Secondary School is a really special place - God is moving in big, big ways here and I've been so humbled to be used by Christ here. At the same time, I am confident that this is the Lord's will for me - and I trust Him enough to know that I will try to be obedient to His plan for me, even if I don't fully understand it. God doesn't "need" me here in Kenya to accomplish His will and purpose for His kingdom, but He has chosen to bless me with the opportunity to BE used. Whether I'm here or not, Christ's name WILL be glorified here among the Rendille. I have no idea if I'll ever be back to Africa - I am completely open to coming back if God calls me back, but right now I don't see that in the near future. It's strange - the last 2 1/2 years of my life it's like there's been this neon sign pointing towards Africa. As this chapter comes to a close, I can honestly say I haven't a CLUE what is next - but I know He knows and that He is faithful, and that is more than enough.
I have six weeks left in Korr before I head down country to do some traveling and debriefing before I head back to the States, and I cannot BELIEVE how the time has flown by. If you would like, please pray for the remainder of my time here in Korr - may the Lord use me how He sees fit, and may I be willing to do whatever He asks of me. And, if you have any questions about this or anything else that's the Lord is doing here in Korr and how you could play a part in it, please don't hesitate to email me.
Waakh ki gargaaro! (May God cover you)
Jamie
I think this is beautiful. and I am RIGHT there with you, being so confident that you are right where God wants you to be and not having ANY idea where you will be in 6 months.. or 2 for that matter :) I'm excited to see where you end up and I am praying for you!
ReplyDeleteJamie, I came across your blog because of a comment you made on Kate's blog (as it is in Heaven.) Not sure why this post caught my eye, but I found myself choking up towards the end. Sweet sister, I'm praying for you-That your hands would be full and effective. That you will see even more miracles in your last few weeks and you will walk in confidence with Christ as your continued strength when you leave. Blessings, blessings! Caroline
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