Returning Home

Whether it's from a week long mission's trip or many years of living abroad, returning home is never easy. And for a number of different reasons. "Reverse culture shock" is often one of the culprits; and for me it is always a culture shock to return to culture of American Christianity in relation to the Christianity that I see and experience abroad. No matter how much I try to to prepare myself, it never ceases to catch hold of me. 

Another reason returning home can be so hard is because of the passion that you develop while abroad (I've noticed this can even happen at weekend conferences). You often come back wanting to change the world right away and it's easy to get overwhelmed or discouraged. I am getting better at preparing myself for all the adjusting and knowing that I need to make efforts not to lose that passion. 

But the hardest thing about returning home, to me, is telling people about my time there. Everyone asks about your trip, but for the most part people don't actually want to hear about it. They like hearing that it was great and maybe about the food or an experience or two, but the topic often gets changed after a minute or two. Sometimes though, I find it even harder to talk about my time with the people that genuinely want to know. Where do I start? How much do I share? What is the best way to convey what God was/is teaching me (if I can even put it into words)? What about my experience will best impact them? 

One thing that I have taken from my time in Ethiopia has been a widened perspective of who God is. Genesis 1: 27 says, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." We can catch a glimpse of who God is by looking at ourselves and the people around us. But as a young white woman from small town Pennsylvania it is very easy for me to picture the image of God as myself and those I am surrounded by. But each new place I go to and each new culture that I am exposed to widens my image of who God is. I am just not made in God's image, but the man sitting in the corporate office in New York is made in God's image. The young single mom in Nicaragua, washing her clothing in the river is made in God's image. The old drunk man asleep on the side of the road in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is made in God's image. Just as the young malnourished child in an orphanage in Asia is also made in God's image. The more people I meet and learn their stories the more my love for my God has grown-How creative, how wonderful and how loving of a God He is!

Through that God has been teaching me more of his heart. In Ethiopia, it was as if God was saying to me, "See Lauren? See all of the beautiful people, created in my image? I love each and every one of them so much!" I was able to see God's love for ALL of the nations through my experience, and His desire for them to all know and experience His love. More than ever I have seen the importance of have a global mindset and loving ALL people as God has called HIS people to do. Sometimes we don't know a specific call that God has created us for, but God does layout some very clear callings already for us in the bible. Matthew 28: 19-20 says, "Therefore go and make disciples of ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.." That is a call to His people, to Christians. We are called not just to share Jesus and love those right around us-but to do this for all God's people! Even though for each of us, our individual walks look different and we live out that call differently, God has reiterated to me the importance of missions and prayer for ALL of the world.

So as I settled in back home, my heart and mind is overwhelmed with all that I heard and saw. But God is working. He is working in the teachers at the International School, in the children attending the school, in the missionaries serving in Ethiopia, and the missionaries all around the world. God is working in the children and the adults who are being reached by those missionaries. And God wants to continue is work in you and in me! The love that God has for each of us is indescribable! And every single one of us can play a role in the call and purpose that He has given to us. I know for sure that I will never be the same. And as I continue to process everything I cling to Him and what he is going to do next in me and through me!

"I have taken you from the ends of the earth and called you from its most distant places. I said to you, 'You are my servant. I've chosen you; I haven't rejected you. Don't be afraid, because I am with you. Don't be intimidated; I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will support you with my victorious right hand...Don't  be afraid; I will help you." Isaiah 41:9-10, 13b  

From the Heart- Written by Alicia Thompson

Zambia...I can't even explain the experiences and emotions that came from this trip but all in all, it was amazing. 

The people, the kids, the culture, everything  completely changed my perspective on life and my future. It's so easy in the first world, especially in America, to get caught up in success and comfort and wealth, but all those things are so empty compared to fulfilling relationships with other people and with God. 

These past few months have been super rough for me, and I'm still trying to find my way back. Life can be hard no matter who you are or where you live. Each day is a battle not to let the darkness win, but to me, if you're still fighting, that's a victory in and of itself. 

In the people of Zambia, there's this renewed hope; that even the smallest things can change a person's life, that in the poorest parts of the world, love and laughter exist, and that even when things are dark, there is still life, there is still beauty, and God is still there. I've seen children and adults who have next to nothing sing at the top of their lungs to a Creator who is so, so worthy of praise. And it's real. They've had ups and downs and everything in between on a far more extreme scale than I ever will, and yet, they have faith and hope that are strong enough to withstand it all and to overflow into the lives of people like me. 

The smallest things and the briefest words have slowly shifted my ever changing perspective - people and food and kids and insanely bumpy dirt roads and bugs and fear and smells and rain and heat and dogs and stories and silence and laughter and kindness and music and everything in between. I have a better idea now of what I want to do and how I can do it, and it feels really good. So much pressure is lifted when you realize what's truly important and what's just not. 

Zambia honestly took whatever presuppositions I had about life and needs and other people and turned them upside down, forcing me to look inside myself and figure out who and what I depend on. 

I'm so grateful for the people I've met, the things I've heard and seen, and really the whole experience; I wish it was much longer. I've learned so much about myself and my God, but now I guess it's time to go home. 

Bye for now, Africa. I'll be back very soon. ❤️🌍

This is a little bit of Alicia Thompson's heart- She is a 17 year old senior in high school and just returned from a 2 week trip in Zambia, Africa. She has a heart for missions, loves children, 

and enjoys crafts, music, reading, and playing sports. 

Out of the Hopelessness

 "I always thank God about Compassion's ministry for the needy, oppressed, depressed and hopeless ones like me." 

On my trip to visit Ruzeya I learned so much about Compassion International and how it has helped and is helping so many people. I wanted to share another encouraging story with you. A story of Hope. During my time traveling to visit Ruzeya I got to hear the my translator, John's*, story. John was actually a sponsored child who grew up in Addis. He entered the Compassion program when he was around 8 or 9 years old. 

During his time in the program he had multiple sponsors, but there was one sponsor that he had for over 7 years and he said that she helped him get through the hardest times of his life. During the time that she was sponsoring him, things weren't easy at home and when he felt depressed or as if things weren't going to get better her letters reminded him that he was worth it and that he had a future. There was now hope for him. 

Many times children in developing countries don't even finish secondary school since their families can't afford the school fees. But not only was he able to finish secondary school but he also went through the Compassion leadership development program and went to University. John has now been working for Compassion Ethiopia for 7 years and is also currently taking classes for his MA.

He said, "I don't know where would I be and how I would end up without it. My family had nothing to feed me up, to buy me clothes with or to send me to school. The time Compassion appeared to my life it was a BIG & HUGE surprise. Words will never express my appreciation that I have for Compassion!"

Because of the Compassion program, John also learned about God and became a Christian, growing in relationship with Him. Sponsorship in John's life not only met his physical needs, but also his mental, emotional and spiritual needs. He has two younger siblings, a brother and a sister, who were not enrolled in Compassion's program. Today, neither of them are Christians and John's younger brother spends his time on the streets of Addis addicted to the local hallucinogen and alcohol. It is amazing how the future of a life can be changed when there is hope. Being born into poverty can lead to a mentality that says "I am nothing" and "This is just the way things are". But through encouragement, discipliship and knowing God, John now lives a completely different life than he ever imagined. 

"You know what God did through Compassion? It not only released me from financial or economic poverty but from every aspect, especially from hopelessness and despair and it made me think that there is life beyond the challenges that I was passing through."

*This name has been changed for the privacy of the translator and his family