What would cause an ordinary, middle-aged, country-born, Maine-raised woman to leave the comfort of home, use up her only short bit of vacation time allotted for the year, and head to the hot, dry, remote, drought-stricken land of Kenya? Is this woman a thrill-seeker, looking for unusual adventures? Could she be an environmentalist, searching for answers to climate change? Or perhaps she’s suffering from midlife crisis and thinks something so out of the ordinary will help her find what she’s searching for. Though these could possibly explain one person’s trek into the desert wilderness, they do not explain Rachel’s journey. Instead of seeking thrills, she is being obedient. Instead of searching for answers, she is providing them. Instead of suffering from midlife crisis, she is using her experience and talents to help others. But how did she get there? Rachel’s unusual adventure was the result of a group experience, a personal encounter, and a financial gift. These three set the stage for what was soon to come.
Rachel’s journey began when Mayla, a native of Africa, came to her church and talked about his country, his people, and his vision for his area. He talked about his desire to help the women, who are the providers for the family. Mayla’s visit to her church had a surprisingly strong impact on her. To hear a man talk so lovingly about the women really touched her, and the thought occurred that she might want to go there herself someday.
Time passed and it didn’t seem likely that anything would come of that fleeting thought. But Mayla’s words, spoken at her church, remained in the back of her mind. Then, at a missions conference elsewhere, listening to others speak of the needs and work in foreign lands, Rachel’s heart was stirred once more. During a pause, she spoke to the woman who happened to be next to her, “Wouldn’t you want to go?” “No,” was the succinct reply, and yet that brief personal encounter had unexpected results.
In spite of her experiences at church and at the conference, Rachel had finally decided she would not make the trip. It was definitely a more adventurous ordeal than her timid personality desired. Then, suddenly, her funding, a primary consideration for anyone desiring to go on a missions trip, was taken care of in a surprising way. The woman whom she had barely met at the previous conference heard she was considering making the trip and decided to pay for all of her expenses. This unexpected financial gift was the confirmation she needed. She knew this was definitely God’s will for her, and therefore she committed to go.
And so, as a result of an African man’s presentation at her church, her random encounter with a strange woman at a missions conference, and the surprise gift of her needed funding; the seed was planted in Rachel’s heart, and the trip was made possible. All these occurrences led to the events of last January, when Rachel headed to Kenya on a Christian medical mission, traveling 14 hours on dusty, bumpy, dirt trails in the back of a tarp-covered truck, along with 8 others from around the world, to reach a Muslim village with no access to medical care. There she used her nursing experience to minister to these suffering people and was able to share her love for Jesus and His love for all mankind with those who had never heard such words of love from anyone, much less from a stranger. Consequently, lives were changed, not only those in Africa, whose medical needs were met, but also Rachel’s, whose faith, love, and desire to serve has grown, and who is now looking forward to wherever her Lord will lead her next.
English teachers are always worrying about categories, but it's a short-sighted concern. I mean that here you have a cause essay that's also a process essay, so I say to myself, 'Wait a second!'
ReplyDeleteBut I know better. I can take a wider view. I can see prose that is alive on the page. I can see an essay that escapes from classroom models and turns into a real essay. I can see an essay that's worth writing. And I can recognize and celebrate fine work when it's there in front of me, even if the teacher in me is shocked, shocked at the blending of categories.
Very glad to take this.