As I nervously prepared for my first day of teaching Principle #3 “Holy Sweat/Wholly Surrender” at the Rafiki Village outside of Jos, Nigeria, I came to a stark realization. The reason I was nervous had nothing to do with bringing glory to God or making a positive impact on the children and teenagers at Rafiki. It had everything to do with my own ego and insecurities. Here I was preparing to discuss the differences between walking in the spirit and walking in the flesh and I was totally consumed with my own flesh. I was nervous because I wanted the kids, who at this point we had already grown quite close with, to think I was intelligent and cool, and even, at some level, to think I was the best teacher out of our group. It was at this point that I kneeled on the floor, literally put my face on the concrete floor of my bedroom in our guest house and, with tears in my eyes, prayed to the Father asking for forgiveness for the sin in my heart and the insecurity that was dwelling inside me. The message of “Holy Sweat/Wholly Surrender was an incredible lesson, but it would fall totally flat if coming from me. It would mean absolutely nothing if it came from the sinful heart of this man. It could only hold value if it came from the Holy Spirit who is living inside of any follower of Christ. The Holy Spirit was with me as I led our principle that day and the lessons of Holy Sweat/Wholly Surrender seemed to have a lasting effect on the students as God used this sinful man to teach about disciplining ourselves in the relentless pursuit to walk with Christ. That lesson, this realization that Christ put in my life that morning changed my entire experience in Nigeria and has stuck with me as I’ve come back to my life in Ohio. I wish I could write about every experience I had at Rafiki over the two weeks I was blessed to be there but, like all my brothers and sisters from MOAM, that would take an endless amount of words to do. I will forget many of these things as time takes me away from those two weeks. The mindset though will never leave me and that mindset was that every conversation, every prayer, every lesson, every second that Ashton, Marea, Drew and myself had with those incredible kids was to bring glory to our Father and be a reflection of Christ’s love. “I love you” in Hausa is “Ina son ka” (ka/ki/ku depending on the context). After about nine days at the village, it was something we started hearing all the time and that we started to say back. It was in every letter that the kids gave me when I left. And it wasn’t just words to be cute or friendly. I absolutely love those Rafiki kids in Nigeria and will always have a very special place in my heart for them.  God Bless Rafiki, God Bless MOAM and God Bless my brothers and sisters in Nigeria. Adam Short To God be the Glory!

As I began to board the plane in Paris, to continue the rest of my destination back home, it began to get more surreal. This was the first flight where I separated from my team members- that’s when it got real that we were actually leaving to go home. It was so hard to control all of my emotions after leaving the village. I was so surprised I was able to control my emotions when saying goodbye to all of the kids. Coming from the kids telling us “though we meet to part, we part to meet again.” As soon as we got in the car, I began to read one of the many letters written by the kids. Tears began to roll down my face. I could not stop thinking about each and every one of them. All my heart wanted to do, was go back to that wonderful village! There are not enough words to describe how incredible, powerful and amazing this trip was. I could spend an entire day telling you about everything that happened while I was in Nigeria. Truth to be told, this trip and these kids drastically changed my life! They made me realize this is the woman I have been striving to be. I became that little girl again who wanted to serve and change the world. They say that mission trips are life changing experiences and give you a different perspective. I am here to tell you that is all true! These kids loved me and challenged my faith in ways that are indescribable. By the end of the three weeks, we were holding them accountable yet, they were holding us accountable as well. We wanted to instill in them to give 100% in all they do, to strive for their dreams and goals that God has for them and to believe in themselves. The only person that can keep them from achieving what God has in store for them is themselves. What these kids did not know is that this was something I myself was struggling with. It is so easy to let the doubts in and listen all the people telling you that you can’t achieve your goals. Not only that, it is so easy to let roadblocks get in the way such as finances, resources and so on… And think it is never going to happen. MOAM was an answered prayer for me that allowed me to achieve an ultimate dream of mine which is to go and serve. I came home with a different perspective on life. Before leaving Oklahoma, I was a nervous wreck. I thought, “I am just a college graduate preparing to teach the basics of these sports. I am not a coach.” I became coach Ashton in just three weeks. Even though there were times I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, I had to step in with confidence as if I did. Talk about being pushed out of my comfort zone! But as people say, “if you stay in your comfort zone then you cannot grow.” For so long, I let the thoughts of others determine how I would respond and act instead of believing in who I was and who God created me to be. The last day of sports, we challenged the kids to the max to show them truly how much they have in them. We finished the day with a 45 minute run after reading the story of the crucifixion. The rules were that they could run or walk but they were not permitted to talk, sit down or stop. As time drew near to a close we saw some of the team captains, which were the older boys, step up as leaders and grab the hands of others, pushing them to keep going and not give up. By the end, we saw true leadership and unity amongst all of these kids. We finished in a circle, holding hands and singing Amazing Grace. After we closed in prayer, we had some of the kids begin to cry. It was amazing to see how this team building exercise broke down walls and showed them their true capability! These kids are going to be world changers! Each and every one of them impacted me in some shape or form in just a few weeks. I can’t even begin to imagine how many lives they are going to influence! It is safe to say I am going to miss them. I am going to miss that 6:30am wake up call, holding me accountable for my morning run. I am going to miss teaching devotions and sports. I am going to miss going to a different cottage every night for devotions. These kids loved spending every moment possible with us. To now not be there with them and spend every moment with them has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to process. Before leaving, I told God that I want to come back a changed person and to make a difference in whatever the next step is that God has for me. I am glad to say that I have been blessed with a different perspective and a vision for what God wants me to do next. This week of being home ,I have been processing all I have learned and focusing on the areas I need to work on in my life. I am also praying for what it is that God wants me to do next. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and made this dream possible. Learn more about the USG Academy, Impact Weekends, or membership! If you have any questions, contact a USG staff member here!

I cannot express the sadness that I have knowing that I’ve gone a week without seeing the bright faces of the kids of the Malawi village. I also find myself struggling with the realization that I may never get the chance to see my new friends again. At the same time, I have so much happiness and appreciation for the experiences I had during my time in Malawi. I developed friendships that I will treasure my entire life. Coming back to America has opened my eyes to so many things. From the things that we take for granted, to certain aspects of my spirituality that I could improve. To say that the kids of Malawi were a blessing is an understatement. I find myself reflecting on conversations and the fellowship I had the privilege of being a part of constantly. Their smiles and laughs are engraved in my mind, and heart forever. I would give anything to be able to have another game of knockout or just a meal to exchange riddles and knock-knock jokes with them. I have flipped through the pictures they gave to me countless times remembering their personalities and the times we had together. My time since being back in the states has given me a lot of time to reflect on all the lessons I learned, and had the privilege of teaching. The experience of traveling to Malawi to serve at the Rafiki village has and will continue to shape me into a better man of God. The character traits that were in every one of the children will allow me to shine a light on the kind of person we should all strive to be. Humility, perseverance, gratitude, respect, generosity, and God-fearing, these are just a few of the traits that each of the kids showed in their everyday life. They are also traits that I will never neglect to show since I’ve had the opportunity to see them in their best form. The long-term missionaries in Malawi have done a tremendous job of developing these children into young children of God. Their faith is far stronger than I could ever describe, and it shows in their constant praise to the Lord. I cannot thank Drew Boe, The Rafiki Foundation, and each and every administrator, momma, and child enough for making this experience possible. To be able to see God working through nearly 100 kids in their own unique way, and to get to personally bond with each one was absolutely amazing. God has simply blessed me beyond measure with allowing me to take part in this trip. It has taught me things about life that I could never learn by staying in the states. As I read the countless cards and letters I cannot help but feel so loved and overcome with joy. These kids would give the clothes off of their back to a friend in need. They pray to God with the strength of an entire congregation. I could ramble on and on about how amazing these kids are, and I know that God is not done teaching me through them. I will pass the knowledge they have given me on to my future children and to my friends and family, just as they did for me. Lastly, I want to thank my awesome teammates. I never imagined I would be sent out with a more amazing group of people. I laughed, prayed, and praised more with these three people in three weeks than I thought was possible. From the breakfast to start the day, to capping the day off with devotions made each and every day a blessing. I pray that our paths cross again so that we can make more awesome memories, and maybe I could win a game of Phase 10. Colossians 3:12-14 -Don Roundtree, Texas A&M Football

In American culture and society, we tend to misinterpret what it means to be a neighbor. I would often imagine neighbor as being a synonym for someone close, like a family member or a best friend. When we went to church today, I was able to see how we could define what being a neighbor means, and how we can go off being better neighbors to one another. A great passage for this topic is in the middle of Luke's Gospel, in Chapter 10. In this selection, someone well-versed in law asks Jesus a series of questions. The last question that this man asked Jesus was: "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus then illustrates a parable in which a man on a journey was attacked by robbers, leaving this man at death's door. A Priest walked by and did nothing to help the injured man. A Levite did the same as the Priest and ignored the injured man. But a third man, a Samaritan, helped the injured man by cleaning up his wounds, taking him to an inn, and watching over him to ensure the injured man would recover. The Samaritan even paid extra funds to the innkeeper to make sure that the injured man could recover with the help from someone who could take care of him, and the Samaritan also offered to pay any future fee in regard to the injured man's recovery. Jesus then asked the expert in Law, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The Law expert replied, "The one who had mercy on him," and Jesus closes this parable by saying, "Go and do likewise." ​We are all neighbors, but growing up, I never saw it that way. I grew up in a very individualistic and selfish society where people focused on themselves and their families. The poor and those in need were often ignored and forgotten about. Even in my time as a follower of Jesus Christ, oftentimes, I ignored a person in need even when God was telling me to help them. Part of that is fear of the unknown or possible negative repercussions, but if God is telling you to do something, you should follow through with his plan for you. In Malawi, I was reminded that in America, we are the 1% and have so much to be thankful for that we often forget about just that, to be thankful. I have interacted with people who have so much less than what we have in America, some who live on less than $1. Yet, they are happy. They don't get flustered like some of us Americans do over trivial things, and they trust God's plan for them and are living the dream. These Malawians are our neighbors, just as Jesus describes in Luke Chapter 10. We as a society need to do a better job of helping those in need just as Jesus would do in a similar situation. We as a society need to let go of consuming materialism that drives our emotions too much and we need to help others where we see a need. I have struggled with this a lot of late, and God provided me an opportunity to provide someone with a good that would be of use to them. ​Yesterday we traveled to Lake Malawi, and before we got to our destination, we stopped our car by a group of wood carving shops. As we were making purchases and looking around, a man asked me if he could do a trade. I was confused at first, and then he pointed to my sweatshirt. It was one of my UVA sweatshirts. I honestly didn't want anything in the store, but he told me how the winter period would get very cold and how many people would get sick. He said that shirts like mine were hard to come by and that it would be a very valuable asset to them. I thought about it for a second. How many sweatshirts have I gotten from basketball? A bajillion! Here was God telling me that I didn't need this but that someone else did. I took off my shirt and gave it to this man in exchange for some rhino figure (lol). I didn't care about his little figure; I was just happy that God used me to help someone in need and to shine Jesus' light in my interaction with that man. I have enough material goods that others could use, and I gave a man a towel at another stand. I need to be more thankful for the situation that Jesus put me in and to do a better job of allocating resources that I have access to to those who need them. We have so much in the Western world, and sometimes we need to go to an impoverished nation to be reminded that there is so much more that we can do. I now know how to be a good neighbor, just as Jesus described in the parable, and in the future, I need to make the most of situations where God wants to use me to help those who are in need. Learn more about the USG Academy, Impact Weekends, or membership! If you have any questions, contact a USG staff member here!