madison in maputo, moçambique

(originally written & published May 16, 2017)

Well friends & family,

It's been a solid week and some hours since I left America to spend my entire summer in Africa. I do have to say that I'm loving it and wouldn't want to be anywhere else than sitting in Fatima's eccentric backpackers lodge listening to old men talk in a language I don't understand in the middle of Maputo, Mozambique. From seeing sweet old friends to instantly making new ones, from riding in a crowded chapa to speaking in front of a capalana wearing church, this has definitely been an experience and I'm excited to see what else God has in store for missionary Madison. Stay tuned. & plz pray for me 🙂

America to Africa is actually quite a trip. It took 3 days to safely arrive in Maputo and zero time to abruptly be thrown into their language and culture. Traveling was fun... It was different than traveling with a team. I felt more independent. I'm also thankful I've got Alaina to use as a pillow or put my feet on during long plane rides. Yeah, we had no idea what/where we were going but we were definitely taken care of. In the DFW airport we ran into Connor and Stephen (medium termers to Zambia) and we traveled with them all the way to Johannesburg. In the London airport we caught word that we would be on the same flight as a Mozambican student involved in A Palavra on his way back from studying abroad in Canada. So thank you Jesus for taking care of us during our travels.

Here is where I am currently staying until all the big teams get here. Yes, that blue thing is a mosquito net and yes I use it every night and yes it is very annoying and yes I am thankful for it. This backpackers lodge is colorful, crazy, and full of busy travelers from literally all around the world including Germany, Brazil, and the U.K. just to name a few. The boss man running the place makes sure we're up to date on our Portuguese every time we come and go. I can maybe say 5 phrases, yes, no, thank you, and God Bless in the national language. I'd say I'm getting somewhere, haha.

My favorite all time question to ask anyone at any given moment has got to be "what's been your favorite part of the day?" And to answer that question for myself I'd say that my favorite part of this trip so far has been the A Palavra leadership meeting. Here's some of the smiling Mozambican student leaders above. Try to find me lol. These people are amazing and are doing amazing work for the Kingdom here in Moz. Alaina and I got to share why we were in Maputo and what we are going to do this summer. I had some tentative and shallow goals planned for this summer when the missionaries prompted me to think about it, but one question kept bugging me and I couldn't seem to find the answer to it.

WHY am I here?

WHY Africa?

To be more specific, WHY am I here in Maputo, Mozambique for a third time?

Good question right. How do I answer? I seriously thought I had reached an identity crisis day 5 of being overseas. And then another question.

WHAT AM I DOING?

heck, I don't know. I usually don't know what I'm doing when I do know what I'm doing if that makes sense. It actually doesn't make any sense but still proves my point. Lord help me. Lord help me answer this simple question. Lord help me to find my purpose and calling. I mean, He's put out the call for everyone. "Go." Seems simple. Alright, lemme go to Africa on this one month mission trip, raise $, and tell some people about Jesus. Check. Okay, that was cool. That was life changing. That sparked something that I didn't know was there. Life? Meaning? Purpose? Is that what was sparked? Okay, Lord. Let's do this again, return to Maputo, raise another $, and tell some more people about Jesus, BUT THIS TIME lemme know what that spark was about? Tell me why I'm longing to go back and why I'm longing to do what I did in Africa. Why do I feel there's something more than myself now and why do I so deeply want to do something about it. Where did this hunger and thirst come from and how do I quench it?

***This is where Madison goes back to Maputo, Mozambique and the Lord tells her she's going to be a missionary***

Uh oh. Well, I guess that answers that. Sorry, mom and dad. I know that kinda ruins all our plans for my life (not like I had any good plans for my life anyways). I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, what my passions were, what the heck a missionary even did, or how me, little Madison, could make any kind of difference in this big world. All I knew was that I loved Jesus a lot and wanted what God wanted for my messed up self and my simply plain life. As soon as those words were prophesied over me I said "LET IT BE in Jesus name." You could say I was all in, head over heels, kinda crazy, yet fully surrendered at this point. When ya know ya know, ya know? Was this my answer to my purpose, my calling, and my life?

Is this my answer to WHY Africa and WHAT AM I DOING?

I believe so, yeah.

I can ask God and ask God and ask God but deep down I think we all know why we are where we are and what we are suppose to be doing.

3 months in Maputo?

I know why I am here.

I know what I am to do.

I know Who sent me.

And man I'm so excited.

Missionary Maddy out exploring the streets of Maputo, loving on some people, looking at the beautiful clouds, and thanking Jesus for every second. It's not going to be easy, I know that, but it's going to be worth it in the long run. Thanks, Jesus, for letting me do this with You. I only want to love You and Your people more. That should be the answer to everything, right?