“Lord, I don’t want to go to Africa,” I told Him for the twentieth time. “There is so much disease and poverty, no clean water, and there is no way I will learn to speak French properly.”

As I learned the Fulani’s socio-economic situation was not as dire as I had imagined, and the place where I would stay had clean well water, I accepted the call to Central Africa. Perhaps I could even avoid French by learning Arabic or Fulah right away.

In early September, I arrived at the project, based about two hours away from the nearest Fulani settlement. Soon I realized I would be living amidst a tribe almost perfectly fitting my stereotype of Africa.

Culture shock hit me square in the face. I could not relate to the people and felt we would never be able to communicate. My values of hard work, productivity, and efficiency clashed with this laid-back society where relationships reign supreme. A thirty-minute conversation with a local drained me emotionally just because of how often they would repeat themselves. Our two-hour French tutoring sessions left me equally exhausted. I gritted my teeth and prepared to endure the dreary months ahead.

Everyone said my experience was a phase, and I would not want to leave at the end of the year because of the amazing relationships I would form. I was not convinced.
Because extenuating circumstances prevented us from visiting the Fulani, after four weeks in Africa, I still had not had an opportunity to meet the people I came to serve. I was stuck in my house, surrounded by needs I could not meet and a culture I could not embrace.

One morning, as I dragged myself out of bed and dreamed of the juicy citrus I could be enjoying back home, I realized something needed to change — and I knew I could not do it on my own.

I prayed for joy.

For breakfast that morning, I decided to eat a fruit I had picked from a tree outside the day before. As I scraped the white flesh off the hard black seeds, I heard a still, small voice speaking to my heart: This is My gift to you today.

That moment was my opportunity to choose joy and see the day as an adventure with Jesus. Although I might be exhausted after spending a few hours with the locals, I could be happy along the way. I knew God had brought me here for a reason — and it was not to torture me. Somehow, He would show me how to become joyful while getting acclimated.

The next day, a friend shared a sermon that spoke to my need. The speaker shared the following quote: “Let us educate our hearts and lips to speak the praise of God for His matchless love” (Ministry of Healing, p. 253). Then, he shared a simple “educational program” which had helped many individuals regain their mental health in ten days: every day, 1) write down ten things for which you are grateful, 2) write a sentence thanking God for each one, and 3) say that sentence. Each successive day, add ten more until you have one hundred items for which you praise God.

I tried it and immediately noticed an improvement. Five days later, I could not stop thanking God for His goodness. Instead of being annoyed about the sink that flooded my bathroom daily, I praised Him that it was not the toilet. I praised Him that the animal droppings in my house came from geckos instead of rats. I praised Him for our French tutor and even started to have fun during class!

Friend, God is good. He is faithful and wants you to experience true and lasting joy. Yes, life comes with highs and lows, but I have learned to find joy in the little things — a beautiful flower, a laughing child, the taste of simple food. Even the citrus that seemed so dry and sour now brings enjoyment. I do not worry about tomorrow because I am basking in the love of a Father who cares for me each day. Coming to Africa has taught me that God is not a God of bare necessities. He loves to supply our needs and give us so much more besides.

You may not be struggling to learn a language or adapt to a culture you do not understand, but if you feel stuck without a way out, choose to praise God for the little things you take for granted and see if He does not come alongside you and change your heart. That’s His specialty, after all.

“Rejoice always . . . In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18).

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