Refresher

Last night I went to one of my favorite places in Bend. A hidden little place called O'Kanes. For those of you that do not live in Bend, I'll paint you a picture: They serve good, handcrafted beer with a small indoor seating area heated by a huge fireplace, and the best quality about the place? Outside. A large brick patio with enormous enclosed fire pits and plenty of propane heaters to keep you toasty on a chilly evening. Most of my nights there consist of long conversations about life by the fire, sipping on a beer and gazing at the gorgeous star-studded sky. Last night was no exception.

I ran into an old friend and his girlfriend there and as we caught up on life, of course, Africa came up. They asked why I was going, where, what I would be doing, etc. Turns out they didn't know too much (or, anything really) about the crisis happening in the DR Congo. It was such a refresher for me to speak it aloud, remember the truth of the crisis and that it is still happening. To remember that there is still work to be done, advocating and educating to happen here at home even before I go. That God is still preparing my heart in the moments leading up to this adventure.

I feel refreshed and ready to go, because after the last few weeks I had lost my gumption. Days were running into one another and I passed time by events and benchmarks of progress only. There has simply been so much on my plate that my energy level and excitement about any one thing was difficult to conjure up. However, the embers are turning back into a flame. God is reminding me of the purpose to which I am called.

Please consider a way to help support my trip over there; whether it's buying a couple of pounds of coffee, writing a check of any amount, or signing up for a sewing class in a few weeks. You may not feel called to go to Africa or anywhere, but you may feel a tug to help in whatever means you can. I urge you to do that. It does matter.