MEET MADI EDGAR: she had a desire to go, overcame her hesitations, and found her life forever changed.
What led you to want to go to Africa with Wide Awake Ministries?
An international mission trip had always been something I had dreamed of, but I never thought it would be something that I actually did. One night I found myself randomly searching mission trips to Africa and Wide Awake Missions was the first site I stumbled upon. I applied knowing that if I got accepted it didn’t mean I had to go. I am an extreme planner and over thinker so deciding to actually go would take a lot, so I thought. Less than 25 hours later I got accepted to spend a month of my summer in Tanzania and Uganda with Wide Awake. I immediately knew there was no question God was calling me to go, and I’m so glad that I said yes!
What was one concern you had before your trip, and how did you work through it?
I had many concerns in the back of my mind prior to going on the trip. I played the “what if” game in my head way more than anyone ever should, and embarking on a trip like this came with a lot of “what if’s”. What if I can’t afford it? What if I get sick while I’m there? What if I don’t make friends? What if I get malaria? What if my luggage gets lost? However, in the midst of all of these thoughts and fears I had an overwhelming amount of peace about it all that could only come from Jesus. I am the girl that doesn’t like to go to Target alone, yet somehow God gave me the peace to go halfway across the world with a bunch of strangers (that are now some of my best friends) and do so with complete confidence and excitement that He would make it all work for His good!
How did going and serving impact your view on life here in America?
Going to Africa honestly made life in America seem a lot harder. Being in a new country, around new people, and completely pushed from my comfort zone meant I had to lean into Jesus like never before. I had no option but to trust Him to provide in every challenging situation and in every anxious thought, and He more than provided in every moment. In America I think it’s so easy to be comfortable because we have pretty much immediate access to everything we could need so it’s so easy to control it all on my own.
Being back in America I learned very quickly how much I rather be uncomfortable and letting God work than trying to do it all myself. Being back in America meant learning that The Lord is just as good and faithful here as he is in Africa and that true joy is not geographical or circumstantial.
What’s one thing you learned by serving internationally?
Serving internationally showed me just how great of a need exists around the world, but not the kind of need I expected. I thought I would be heartbroken by the conditions I saw people living in, but it wasn’t the living conditions or lack of resources that broke my heart the most because the people in Tanzania and Uganda are some of the most joyous I have ever met It was the desperate need for Jesus in a country filled with spiritual warfare that tore my heart in two. The biggest need I saw was for the unreached to know Jesus. There are so many people around the world that so desperately need to hear the Good News. I saw that sharing the Gospel can take on many different forms, but fills the same need of making Him known.
If you could tell the world one thing about serving others, what would you say and why?
GO GO GO! Jesus will use you to change lives in His name and He will most definitely change your life at the same time. He will provide for you in ways you never thought possible.
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