indawo yothando

The time has almost come for me now. Less than one week and I will be on my way out. Of course, I will be the one member of our team that gets the pleasure of enjoying those flights halfway across the world by myself. Hooray! Flying solo will surely have its downsides, but at least I will have plenty of time to think/pray before I arrive. It seems as if God has already been stirring in me considerably, and I haven't even left yet. As my thoughts shift to what lies ahead, I am almost immediately overwhelmed with how much there is to think about. But, what seems to be coming the the forefront above all else is a desire to have the hope of Christ remain at the center. Although there is no way of knowing what lies ahead of us, it can be said with fairly good certainty that there will be difficult parts of this trip. Living with people in their environment 24 hours a day, facing their problems alongside of them firsthand and trying to come alongside the work that God is already doing in this community inherently brings struggle. I pray that God will allow us to be relentless in this struggle. In those moments when we are empty, do not feel like loving one more day, cannot stand to hear about one more letdown, or whatever it may be, that God will sustain us. Not only to the point of surviving, but of being a source of life because we are connected to THE source of life. I desire to have a hope that does not succumb to the pressures of life, but rather is present smack dab in their midst. For I think this is where Jesus ultimately can aid us most. In the times that we are in over our heads, and there is no feasible solution because the situation is too broken, the power structures are too well-established, the diseases seem to only be multiplying.... It is precisely these moments that I think Jesus may be our hope. Literally. Because sometimes money, programs, time, and even our team will not be enough. If left up to us we likely will run out of options. So I pray that we are not our only choice. May we keep hope always. And may it not be about our team keeping hope, but rather about us and the community together reminding one another of Jesus in our midst. Because ultimately this trip is not about us. We too need to be reminded that we are not alone. So at the intersection of Emphohmeni, God, and our team, I hope that something beautiful will be found.

Much Love, Shaun Fossett c: