“Not Unchanged” by Marisa Acree

From 352CANON

On the plane ride back to Atlanta, I continued to think about what my goals were for when I returned home. What I wanted most was to not be unchanged. I did not want to return to my comfortable life just as it was before. The Lord stirred something big in me while I was in South Africa, and I want to be obedient to His calling. I am not sure specifically how my life will be different now that I have returned, but I am sure that I will never be the same. I want to apply what I learned about community, hospitality, the Holy Spirit, and the living the Bible in Atlanta. The African and American churches can learn so much from each other, and I am thankful to have experienced both. My first Sunday back at Atlanta Westside we had a guest worship team, and one of the songs we sang was “Alpha and Omega,” a song I had first and only ever heard in South Africa. We also had the kids from Bright Futures, an inner city youth ministry, at church. This experience at church in Atlanta opened my eyes to the potential we have to grow. Each day the Lord is showing me a little bit more how He wants to use my experiences for His glory.

Psalm 86:11-13
“Teach me your way O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your love toward me; You have delivered me from the depths of the grave.”