we are tested, but never abandoned

     I apologize in advance for what I think will be the content of my blog over the next few months.  I have recently realized that I actually enjoy reading and in preparation for Africa this summer, I have a long booklist to complete.  Oh yes, I am going to Africa!  This coming July I will be going to Kenya for a few weeks which will fulfill my spring semester Level I Fieldwork requirement.  We are planning some amazing service projects for the people of Kenya and I can't wait to get involved in helping to make a difference in their lives.

     In preparation for Africa, the first book that I read was written by Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwanda genocide of 1994.  In her autobiography, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, Immaculee tells the story of how the death of Rwandan's Hutu President sparked a three-month slaughter of nearly one million Tutsis.  As a 22 year old Tutsi during this time, Immaculee was forced to hide in a Hutu pastor's bathroom with seven other Tutsi women for 91 days.  During these terrifying three months, Immaculee relied on the power of prayer and God's saving grace to help her survive.  Throughout the book, she shares her "aha moments" as she realizes that her battle to survive this war would have to be fought inside of her.  At times, Immaculee was given personal revelation that she was being saved for an unknown reason which she later would find was to become "living proof of the power of prayer and positive thinking, which really are almost the same thing.  God is the source of all positive energy, and prayer is the best way to tap in to His power."

     Although desperately wanting to know why she was forced to go through this during the hardest moments, she says, "I came to learn that God never shows us something we aren't ready to understand.  Instead, He lets us see what we need to see, when we need to see it.  He'll wait until our eyes and hearts are open to Him, and then when we're ready, He will plant our feet on the path that's best for us...but it's up to us to do the walking."  As humans in this life, there are so many things that are beyond our understanding.  We ask God "why?" hoping that He will give us an explanation for every trial we are put through.  We must realize that in hard times we are tested, but never abandoned.  God gives us trials so that we can become stronger and although at times it seems impossible to know how something so hard is helping us, He is there to provide us those answers when we are ready for them.  However, "it is up to us to do the walking."  It is up to us to have faith in the future and trust in the Lord in all things, and if we do, we are sure to be led somewhere great.