The Path of Joy

We are back in Zambia now after five months in the states, and what a sweet welcome we had. It is great to be back and to meet our new children and hug the necks of those we left behind.

Wes getting to know our youngest, Luyando

 But as the old saying goes,

"We are not in Kansas anymore, Toto."  It doesn't take long after stepping off of the plane to see that we are no longer in America. 


The culture is different.  We are on African time now. Things move slower. No one is in a hurry. Late is not coming in one minute after something starts but more like one hour, and then that's not really late.

Emma and Justin like to stop in to play with the toys
in my classroom after breakfast.

The sounds are different, at least for us city folks. We wake up to cow bells, the sounds of pigeons cooing, and people walking by on the path near our house. New Day is not exactly a quiet place, but we love the sounds, especially the sounds of the children at play.  

The smells are different. It is hard to explain, but things just don't smell the same in Africa. You just have to come and smell for yourself. 

The sights are different. We see villages with huts surrounded by dirt yards with a few flowers here and there, instead of large well-landscaped bedroom communities. 


Our lifestyle is different. We live with our windows and doors open. We have spiders and lizards on our walls. We walk down red-dirt paths most of the time instead of sidewalks. And, we don't get off the path for fear of snakes (at least I don't).

This leads me the point of this blog. When we were in the states, I was asked to be the speaker at an evening ladies fellowship at our church in Nebraska. Even though I was nervous, I accepted the opportunity as I felt it was something the Lord really wanted me to do. However, when I heard the topic, "How to Stay on the Path of Joy," I wanted to back out. You see, for about six years I had strayed from this path even though God had placed me in the most amazing ministry that one could ever ask for. I had wandered off into the tall grass and lost my joy.

I wrote the lady in charge to ask her if I could take it a little different direction, sharing my testimony of how I got off the path of joy, but how I also returned. She agreed. 

In 45 minutes I shared with the ladies how I had got off the "Path of Joy" because of disobedience based on pride. God had asked me to do something, but because of pride I had not obeyed. The following acrostic sums up what I shared:

P= wrong perception of God’s plans

R= refusing or resisting God’s plan

I= insisting that our way is best

D=dwelling on “self.”
E= entertaining bitterness

I also shared with them how God, through His mercy, brought me back on the path of joy through the miracle of Wes' stroke.

As I was preparing the lesson, God gave me a verse that showed me that to stay on the path of complete joy, I had to walk in obedience to whatever He asks of me. 


John 15:10-11- "If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

I was nervous about opening up and being so vulnerable. After all, these women would go home and tell their friends and husbands about my struggles. But, although the enemy whispered his lies that I should not be so vulnerable, I knew God had very specifically told me to share what I had put down on paper. I'm glad I did because God used my testimony to touch the lives of several women who were struggling with similar issues.

A few weeks later, one woman who had attended the meeting, handed me a gift after church. Inside was a plaque with one word, "JOY." 

I have placed this plaque in my kitchen right by the sink because I know I will see it every day. I know it will be a reminder to me of how I got off the path of joy, but also how I have returned. It will be a reminder not to wander off the clearly marked path of obedience that has been marked for me into the thick bush where there are snakes and other dangers that will cause me to lose my joy. 

Since coming back, I have seen how the enemy has tried to get me off the path of joy several times, mostly with physical issues:  tiredness, back pain, a sore throat, and stomach problems. I know what he is up to so I am determined to stand strong and stay on the path. 

What a blessing to be able to teach
PreK this year. 

Wes and I have made a joy jar in which we are putting little pieces of paper with different ways God is blessing us, things to be thankful for, and things that bring us joy as we go through our days. Today I am going to put into that jar that I am thankful even for the physical 
problems I've had since returning. I'm thankful that the one who lives in me is greater than the one who lives in the world.  I am thankful that God has brought us back to minister to the precious children and people of Zambia. 

My prayer for you and for all of us is that we will learn to walk in obedience so we can experience His complete joy!