As many of you know, Lauren Wootton went to Uganda this summer on a two-month missions trip. While there, she worked with the Watoto organization to care for and rehabilitate babies.
Before she left on this trip Lauren was nervous; what would God be doing with her? How would she be stretched? Would God call her to something she was afraid of doing? All of these thoughts swirled around in her head as she left her home and stepped into the great unknown that God was calling her to.
If you were to ask Lauren what God taught her through this missions trip, one of the things she would say is, “to walk by faith and not by sight.” As she stepped foot on the plane, Lauren held her own expectations of what the trip would be like and felt she could "see" what was in store for her in the coming months. She anticipated a life-changing trip in which she would run on excitement and joy the whole time due to her incredible passion for children and babies. Lauren expected to fall in love with this new adventure. However, upon arriving in Uganda, Lauren’s expectations were shaken. Things were not what she expected, she did not feel like she was supposed to be there, she felt no connection, and even encountered serious feelings of homesickness. Her missions trip was not going how she thought it would. It was not the exciting and life-changing trip that she anticipated it being. And it wasn't life-changing until she fully gave herself over to God, asking Him to show her what to do, and how to go on living the next two months.
Once Lauren decided to walk by faith and not by sight, and stepped out into the great unknown ahead, everything turned around. A group of girls befriended her, showed her around the area she was living, and taught her what it means to be in community. Once settled after a few days, Lauren fell in love; she fell in love with the people of Uganda, the little babies that she was put in charge of, and she fell even more in love with her heavenly Father. It was on this trip that she learned that God is her greatest strength, her provider, her closest friend, and the light that leads her in every situation.
Hearing Lauren’s amazing story and the testimony of her trip convicts me to think, in my everyday life, am I remembering to walk by faith and not by sight? Perhaps this is something that all of us can ponder as we continue on with our lives this week.
You can view Lauren's interview video here.
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