It was one beautiful morning in the Zambian bush, surrounded by the sound of impala chomping, elephant breaking down branches and myself dreaming about my new blog. The Lord laid on my heart to start this blog and it was genius – what a life we live! “I can post about the many lion encounters we have whilst in the tent at night, the elephant eating over our open air bathrooms, the close encounters with buffalo charges, not to mention how drop dead gorgeous it is out here, I mean who wouldn’t want to follow this.”
I suddenly got messages from my mom about two different woman we know, going through terribly heart breaking situations with their children, another friend happened to message me in tears about her seemingly impossible situation and another about her tough marital situation. Suddenly my heart wasn’t feeling so upbeat anymore, it felt so heavy and empathetic for these ladies, so sad. I’m sure each one of them were thinking ”how much more can I possibly endure“ and it was here that the Lord took me back to the equally testing times that I went through not so long ago. Now I don’t write this feeling sorry for myself, quite the contrary actually. It’s only through these times that my faith has been strengthened, that I’ve grown as a person, that I’ve cried out seeking the Lord and have been redirected and corrected onto the most beautiful paths I could never have chosen or found for myself!
It was here that the Lord showed me that this blog is not going to be another picture perfect photography blog showing only the idealistic side of my life out here. No, this blog is where the real side of my life will be shown. That as wild as my life is living in what feels like the deepest, darkest Africa. It doesn’t come close to the wild ride I journey on in my faith. It dawned on me on this day, that every single person out there, has been through, is going through and will still go through trials, tribulations and difficult times and how much does it help to have someone to relate to that has been through or is going through something equally as tough and has come out the other side, not only alive but with renewed strength, joy and faith.
Over the past two years, the Lord has been taking me on a journey down a road in the book of numbers. He kept showing me the story of the Israelites in the Wilderness and the build up to the promised land. Two months prior to creating this blog he told me to read Joshua 4:3.
Joshua 4:3 “And tell them to take up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
As I sit here writing this tonight, I have gone to my notes to read what I wrote about it that day:
“The Lord has told me to read Joshua 4:3, I didn’t even know there was a book of Joshua, can you believe it! Anyway, I listened and looked and here it is!! All about the 12 stones, a bit random TBH. I have been doing a lot of reading up on it. Amazing how it relates to the numbers story about entering the land that I keep being lead back to. I have read everything up to this verse but every time I try read the rest of the story, I hear the Lord telling me to first read study the exact verse he gave me. Finally I have listened to a really good sermon on the importance of having something to bring into remembrance what God has done to show the rest of ones family and generations to come that weren’t there to see it happen, just as the future generations weren’t there to see the miracle of the crossing of the Jordan River. This is very important!! I believe that I need to do something to bring into remembrance Gods faithfulness.”
So this space is built upon the foundation of the 12 stones beside the Jordan River. To remind you whilst going through your own spiritual (or physical) wild, of Gods faithfulness and pure power to get you across to your promised land and he will! I hope that you will reach out and share your own story here to encourage other people and myself too.
So there it is, YOU in the wild- you’re not alone! Hold us back, here we come!