“Langano is a special place, not one of those warm fuzzy places, but still a special place. You can’t come to Langano and leave unchanged. It is a training ground, a place where leaders are trained to better serve the Lord.” That is a slightly paraphrased comment from one of our teammates. She was talking about the challenges of life that you must face to live and serve at langano. It is a place with a storied past, spanning decades and the lives of dozens of missionaries. Although our time in Langano was short, it has had a lifetime impact.
There were great times with wonderful memories. Hundreds of people heard the gospel. Dozens of short-termers shared God’s love with campers and staff while being challenged in their own faith. New friends were met, bringing lots of laughs and fond memories.
But there were hard days too. From frustrations with language to things constantly breaking. From always being pointed out as someone who is not “like us” to being deeply hurt by people claiming to be Christian leaders.
Through the good times and the bad, I have to agree, Langano is a training ground. My own faith has grown by leaps and bounds. My understanding of the Lord and his sovereignty has been stretched to unimagined extents. A love for the Word of God and desire to better understand it is sprouting new life. And my sin, oh my sin. I have become so much more aware of so many places that I fall short. From selfishness to anger and pride to self-righteousness, and that’s just the beginning. The depravity of my sin is bitter and hard to see. But in seeing it, the glory of God’s gift through the cross of Christ becomes even more extravagant.
I have only begun processing everything that we are lived over the past 2 years. But I know that we are both leaving Langano changed. We have grown; we have laughed; we have grieved. Through it all, God has been our constant. I am excited to continue serving him, although I have no idea what the next step will be.
There were great times with wonderful memories. Hundreds of people heard the gospel. Dozens of short-termers shared God’s love with campers and staff while being challenged in their own faith. New friends were met, bringing lots of laughs and fond memories.
But there were hard days too. From frustrations with language to things constantly breaking. From always being pointed out as someone who is not “like us” to being deeply hurt by people claiming to be Christian leaders.
Through the good times and the bad, I have to agree, Langano is a training ground. My own faith has grown by leaps and bounds. My understanding of the Lord and his sovereignty has been stretched to unimagined extents. A love for the Word of God and desire to better understand it is sprouting new life. And my sin, oh my sin. I have become so much more aware of so many places that I fall short. From selfishness to anger and pride to self-righteousness, and that’s just the beginning. The depravity of my sin is bitter and hard to see. But in seeing it, the glory of God’s gift through the cross of Christ becomes even more extravagant.
I have only begun processing everything that we are lived over the past 2 years. But I know that we are both leaving Langano changed. We have grown; we have laughed; we have grieved. Through it all, God has been our constant. I am excited to continue serving him, although I have no idea what the next step will be.
