Greetings from West Lafayette Indiana,
It has been over a month since I have gotten back from Zambia (yes we finally made it back). Things are back in my normal pattern and my schedule has gotten hectic. My day goes on and nothing is the same as my time in Zambia. It is even completely different from last year here at Purdue University. Or maybe it is just me that is different.
During the orientation program here at Purdue, I was approached by one of my friends and fellow team leaders. She told me that she had been talking to another couple people in our group and they were discussing how individuals in our group changed over the summer and they all seemed to agree that I was not the same person that I had been before. When I asked them to explain what was different, it seemed that they could not place it; I just carried myself differently is what they ended up falling on. What I think they were picking up on was something that really cannot be seen. I think they were seeing the fact that my heart has changed and added a giant new section for Zambia and its people.
Still with Zambia on my mind every day, I am able to apply the lessons taught to me by great men like Gershom, Abel, Sam (aka the Zambian Black), Nelson, and even Bishop Wiseman. Whether that be relaying the lessons of discipleship from Gershom or trying to model the servanthood of Bishop. In the words of Gershom, "what you learn for yourself dies with you but what you learn and teach others lives on." That is the approach that I am now taking and the role that I am now taking on here. The lessons that I learned from these people and from God himself are now being passed on through me whether in conversation or through this blog.
God works in ways that we can never imagine and this last summer was a perfect example of that. Going in I knew that we would be asked to do things like lead Bible studies and workshops and things like that. Meeting with students and other members of the staff were also part of our plans. What I did not expect is my blog being potentially my biggest influence but certainly my biggest international influence. Totaling it up now, there were a total of over 1000 views in the last three months from 19 countries and 6 continents. I never could have dreamed this up and I hope that this was able to impact those from countries that I have never been! If anyone has read this from another country and it has impacted you, I would love to talk to you or hear how it all happened. You can email me at aspesar@purdue.edu anytime.
In all likelihood, this will be my last post. My experiences are in no way over but the avenue of my ministry will not be on the global scale (at least for now). Now there is always the possibility that God sends me back to Zambia in the coming years and in that case I may revive the blog but we will see. I want to thank all of you that have read this and all of those that will read this sometime in the future and I hope that you have been able to learn at least a fraction of the things that God was teaching me this summer from this but I would first recommend that you get out there and do something similar. Go experience reliance on God in a way that you never have before. Get out of your comfort zone and try new things (not necessarily eating caterpillars). God can use this to show you a new facet to his character that you would never have experienced otherwise.
To God be all glory, honor, and praise,
Aaron Spesard
