Anesthesia or a “Senior Moment”? A Guest Post by Becky Wilson

Good morning! Today I'd like to introduce Becky Wilson, another guest blogger and student from my recent Christian Devotions Workshop. Becky's a talented graphic design artist and a dear woman of God with a powerful heart for missions. I encourage you to embrace Becky's challenge and leave a comment of encouragement for her below.   ~Lori

Was it anesthesia or a “senior moment”? It doesn’t matter what I call it, the results are the same. I can’t remember where I put my wonderful Nikon camera, because I have hidden it from myself. 

When I hid it last year, I was in the middle of a whirlwind of activity. Diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram, I was about to begin a series of four surgeries. As my sister escorted me out the door for the first operation, I saw my Nikon camera sitting out in plain view. The cautious part of me thought, I’ll be at the hospital for a few days. If someone breaks into my house, they’ll immediately see my camera. So I quickly grabbed and hid it.

The only trouble is, almost a year after the anesthesia, I still have no idea where I put my precious camera.

But finding my camera is not the main issue. It’s just a possession.

Its real value lies in the fact that it helps me tell others about what I saw during my mission trips to Kenya. The familiar phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words” is true.

I can tell you about hunger and poverty, but you have no real context to understand what hunger and poverty really look like. If I show you my photographs, however, your brain can glimpse the extreme hunger and poverty I saw. 

Kenyan woman and her house of bags.

I can tell you about the Kipsongo slum, where women make houses from sticks and plastic bags, but words tell only part of the story. One look at a photo I’ve taken with my camera, however, and you will have a true idea what these houses look like. They are dwellings where no daylight can penetrate, because if light can get in, rain can also. They are homes where you must get down on all fours and crawl like an animal through the mud, filth, and sewage to enter. There are no doors for houses made of bags. Why bother? 

But what I most want you to see as you look through the lens of my camera is the look of abandonment and eternal hopelessness I saw in each woman’s eyes. 

Psalm 43:5 Says, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”

I know that showing these Kenyan women the love of Jesus Christ is the only way to help them find a way out of their hopelessness. And while their hunger and poverty may remain, I know God can give them the hope they need to survive and the promise of a better tomorrow. 

And even though I can’t remember where I’ve hidden my camera, one thing I’ll never forget is the look I saw in each woman’s eyes.

God is the creator of everlasting change, and he is the only one who can fulfill the promise of eternal life, even to those who live out their earthly existence in hunger and poverty. Will you join me in committing to sharing this hope every chance we get?

Becky with the footbridge in background.

 

Becky Wilson - artist/web developer, enjoys traveling, photography, painting and writing. Since the year 2000, her traveling has included a short-term mission trip to China and six to Kenya. During these trips, God revealed to her how she can be involved in reaching the poor and downtrodden with compassion and the love of Jesus Christ. She advocates for the poor in Kenya, as Proverbs 31:8-9 implores us to do, “Open your mouths for the unfortunate and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” In 2008, God allowed her to raise the funds and physically build a footbridge over the Moruny River in Pokot, Kenya. In 2011, she advocated for a trip back to the area, taking along a medical team and a pastor who could speak their language. The resulting visit culminated in over 500 people accepting Christ. God is working in this community, and Becky is currently advocating to plant a church and upgrade the school for the people there. For updates on what God is doing in Kenya and how you can be involved, contact Becky at rawilson@yahoo.com.