So, how was it?

“So, how was it?”
     You couldn’t ask a harder question. How to summarize six months into one answer? I’ll tell you it was great, amazing. But where to go from there?
     To those of you who asked me this question in the last few days, I apologize for any lame answers I gave. To be honest, answering this question effectively requires a lot of thought and intentionality, and I can’t say I offered much of substance to every person I talked to this week.
     When someone puts this question to me, my mind spins and I seem to lose the power of speech. What does this person want to hear? Everyone wants to hear about snakes, safaris, massive spiders, language lessons, etc. It’s easy to sensationalize the experience. But even as I’m rattling off the snake-in-a-bag story again, in the back of my mind I know that I need to offer a deeper answer.
     How was it? Let me tell you what God did for me, for my team, for the Karimojong. Let’s get past the fluffy, exciting stories and get to the meat of the matter.
     Ask me specific questions about the ministry there, about how God is growing His church in Karamoja, about my role in the work. I would love to talk deeply about all the things I did and saw (and now that I’m not jetlagged, maybe my responses will be coherent). Don’t be afraid to challenge me with real questions. It’s good for me to think deeply about my work there, and it’s edifying to the body of Christ when I can share with you how our Lord is at work across the world.