Within the last year one question has been asked over and over: Are you excited to move to Africa? I think when I was still at university the answer to the question was always 'yes' automatically. But now as I get closer to moving to a different continent and working at my first job, the answer is more difficult to answer. Of course I'm excited to move to Sierra Leone to work with the Mende Old Testament Translation Project. On the other hand, whenever I think of moving I think of what I'm leaving: family, friends, and understanding the culture around me.
When I lose focus for a time about why I am going to leave everything I know to move to a country where I don't speak the language or know the people, something always brings me back. Sometimes the reminder comes through Scripture, a hymn, or a sermon, but a lot of times it comes through the encouragement of the people around me and my ministry partners. Their excitement about what God is allowing me to be a part of is contagious, and my mind races through all of the reasons I want to be a
part of Bible translation and all of people I'll be able to work with in Sierra Leone. Thinking of people being able to hear the Gospel in the language of their hearts keeps me focused. Some things in life aren't black and white, but fortunately God leads us according to His will and created the inventor of Skype :)