You Raise Me Up...

The Lord always has a way of speaking to us in the most strange and unexpected ways. In turn, helping us to realize He is always with us during every moment of every day. I would love to share a little gift that happened in the first few moments I was in Nairobi, Kenya, but first let me give a brief rundown of what I have been doing over the past several weeks.

As many of you know, upon arriving in Africa I was a part of two separate mission teams with ALARM and Forest Hill Church. The first week we were in Rwamagana, Rwanda at the IWE School (ALARM's Institute of Women's Excellence) collecting information for the sponsorship program from the students who are mostly orphans of either the genocide or HIV/AIDS. Then, the second week we traveled to Yei, Sudan where we held a 3 day Women's Conference for regional leaders. Both experiences were marked with African women, men and children overjoyed to see and spend time with us, an authentic and endearing greeting in both countries expressed by native singing and dancing that would bring tears to anyone's eyes, and the bonding, building of friendships and memories that will last a lifetime for each of us.

When the Sudan team headed to the airport (without me) after our short stay in Uganda, I was left wondering what I was getting ready to embark on in this unfamiliar land. Little did I know I was heading to another area of Uganda for an intimate 2 day meeting to discuss a ground-breaking, new initiative focused on empowering transformation, peace and unity to specific countries in Central and Eastern Africa. It was incredible to be in the midst of such huge visionaries. The opportunity to be a part of this meeting was an incredible blessing and opened my mind to the enormous magnitude of passion and drive special individuals have for serving here in Africa. The small, yet significant group of individuals I spent time with are a huge, continuous source of inspiration.

After being on the road for a little over 2 weeks and carrying around 3 huge bags of my belongings, I was ready to get to Nairobi and settle in to my new place. I was exhausted yet refreshed and re-energized from the time spent in Uganda. However, little did I know I was getting ready to have a "moment" with the lady at the visa/customs counter. When I walked up to the visa counter I was quizzed on the length of my stay. The visa lady kept saying "oh, it is so long...oh, it is such a long time...oh, too long". Here I was thinking to myself, "alright enough already!" Then, I heard a very quite sound coming from the desk behind her. I looked and noticed her cell phone and asked her if she was playing a song. She reached back, still giving me a stern look and being a little reluctant to release my visa, and brought her phone toward the front of the desk. The song sounded familiar and I asked her if it was playing You Raise Me Up. At that moment, she turned the volume up, nodded her head and started singing, then I joined her and started singing also. I was in complete awe because this had been such a special song to me over the past few weeks filling me with strength and security in the Lord. I would listen to it each night before going to bed in both Rwanda and Sudan. I told her it was my favorite song and she said it was her favorite song also. I started crying (while singing) and she did also! We were both singing, crying and laughing, and singing and crying while smiling from ear to ear. Then, she looked me in the eyes and said, "I will never forget you", and I said the same back meaning ever word I spoke.

I walked away from the customs counter knowing that God had sent me this special moment, this incredible blessing, to reassure me that I am right where I am suppose to be and that I just need to continue to walk in faith. God was saying, "Welcome, you are going to be okay, I am with you."

Taking these steps into the unknown (especially not knowing what the big picture looks like) has been very challenging, but these extra-special, God moments help keep me moving forward. The biggest challenge is taking the steps when we do not know where or what we are stepping into, however, that is when the biggest blessings and most special and wonderful moments are revealed. They come when we are least expecting them, which makes them all the more special!

"You raise me up to more than I can be..."