LoveWorks: Democratic Republic of the Congo

It was sometime last December that I received an e-mail to pick up my folder, because I had been accepted to participate in a LoveWorks program. Since I was studying abroad, it was physically impossible for me to pick up my folder. The impatience I had while waiting for an e-mail response to see where I would be going was unbearable. Then an e-mail finally came along with five words, one country, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

I had never been to Africa before, nor could I point out where the DRC was on a map, but my heart was instantly filled with joy. God was calling me to a place that was so foreign and so far away, that I knew it was going to be a challenge in my faith. Having been part of a study abroad experience, I knew what it was like to be away from home and immersed in what seems like a completely different universe, but that feeling is what pushed me closer to God. It made me look to him for strength when I felt homesick or love when I felt lonely or calm when I was overwhelmed. Being uncomfortable made me have a stronger relationship with God than when I was feeling comfortable. So when the e-mail came saying that I would be going to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I was excited to feel uncomfortable again. I don’t know what God has in store for me in the Congo, but it will be nothing less than extraordinary.