by "Navajo to Africa" Team Member Kaity Marko
A few days ago I sat down with my team leader, Heather, to evaluate my Immersion experience. Among the list of questions she had for me, she asked me for a word, phrase or sentence to sum up my time during this trip. After a few minutes to think, I chose the sentence, "In the best possible way, I don't recognize the girl who got on the plane in Detroit."
And I wasn't referring to my outward appearance (don't worry mom, I didn't get dreads...). This trip has revealed many elements of who I am as well as transformed more of my heart than I knew existed.
Beginning the day before I was even offered a position on this trip, God began to strip away parts of me that didn't glorify Him. By the time July 7th came around, I didn't recognize the girl who applied for this trip. From day one, every part of me has been challenged.
Whether it was in training by theoretical injustice instances, on the Navajo reservation where alcoholism and legalism runs rampant, in South Africa where skin color decides social status or neighborhoods, in Mozambique where the people are too poor to buy shoes or salt, in Lesotho where the land is so broken that it cant produce enough food for families, through living with a group of strangers for 6 months, or through traveling and dealing with customs and cultures that are so different than my own. Every minute of this trip has challenged me in ways I dont even fully understand yet. Parts of me I never knew existed were not only confronted but also removed. Parts of me were developed in ways I never thought possible. Parts of me were discovered as I allowed God to chip away at what I thought I needed to be while holding me and loving me in a way only He can. Things that used to matter don't anymore. Things that were never on my radar are glaring at me and begging for my heart every day. Who I thought I was has disappeared and the woman He would have me be becomes more and more apparent every day.
Not only did He change my outlook on the world I came from, He has begun to prepare me for the world He wants me to be a part of in the future. I think I was 12 the first time Africa was placed on my heart. As I grew and learned, my passion for Africa grew and developed. My choice to go to nursing school directly affected my knowledge of His call on my life for full time medical missions. I didn't know where in Africa He would call me, but I knew after nursing school Africa was next. Without this trip, I would have never been prepared for full time missions. Seeing multiple cultures and facets of Africa has not only helped determine God's plan for my life, but has opened my eyes and heart to the diversity of the continent in a way that no other trip could have done.
The mere nature of this trip took me way outside of my comfort zone to a place where clinging to Jesus was my best and only option to make it through successfully learning more about His heart for both me and others.
Outside of our comfort zones is where Jesus loves to take us in order to show us more of Himself. When was the last time you allowed yourself to be removed from the things you know and love to simply be alone with Jesus so that He could speak to your heart? It may take a 6-month trip to Africa; it may only take 30 minutes of pure silence with Him and no distractions. It may be different for every one of His children. Although my time in Africa has come to an end and so has 2012, I know that there are more changes and challenges ahead. What will 2013 look like? Will I just live another year or my life? Will I refuse to get uncomfortable? Or will I let him lead me, making me unrecognizable.
"Remember the wondrous works that He has done, his miracles, and the judgments He uttered."
- Psalm 105:5
KAITY MARKO just completed a 6-Month IMMERSION term through Experience Mission that took her team from the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico to the southern African countries of Mozambique, Lesotho, and South Africa.
This post is a personal reflection, and the views expressed are her own.
Learn more about 2013 IMMERSION programs!
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