Growing up in church, I always thought missionaries went to third world countries…like ones in Africa. I never wanted to go to Africa. I always thought a mission trip would be fun as long as it wasn’t to Africa. Africa seemed scary and foreign to me. I didn’t know a thing about any of the countries that were frequented by missionaries, and I honestly didn’t want to find out. It was that scary to me. But then I grew up. I came to realize that to be a missionary, all you have to do is talk to someone about Jesus. To my relief, I didn’t necessarily have to go anywhere…and that’s when God started talking.
I was talking with my mom one day about being in missions one day. “God will give you your Africa,” is what she said to me. So what did that really mean? I tilted my head and started to think about my Africa. To me, the actual place of Africa was scary. It was the last place I ever wanted to go, but that didn’t mean God wasn’t going to give me something just as scary. Guess what? That’s exactly what He did.
When I was a kid I never really wanted to be the center of attention, and I still don’t. I’m not always comfortable with all eyes on me and the lights in my eyes. It scares me to death. But in high school, God gave me more positions and opportunities to speak in front of people. I had the opportunity to share several devotionals with my girls’ Bible class, I was on the 4-H board for two years, and I was senior class president. God gave me many opportunities my senior year of high school to get comfortable with speaking in front of bigger crowds, and now I’m writing for one.
My Africa isn't a place. Your Africa may not be a place either. It could be absolutely anything God wants it to be. And whatever He gives you will be as equally scary as Africa was to me when I was a kid. And trust me, it will be scary. God doesn't put you in your comfort zone all the time. Why? Because that is not where we grow. We aren’t always going to get the easy stuff, and most of the time we won’t. God didn’t call for our lives to be easy. God called for our lives to be rough, for our lives to be testimonies. He has called each of us to our Africa.
A lot of people may wonder how to tell when God has given them their Africa. Trust me, you’ll know. It’s going to be scary and crazy and all kinds of amazing because that is where God wants you. He wants you to do crazy amazing things for Him and His kingdom. Just because you may be terrified of the mere thought of your Africa doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to do it. God gives you more than you can handle and tolerate. But the best part is, God doesn’t give you anything that He can’t handle. So get ready, and embrace your Africa.
