A God lesson in Africa
Kelly Womack knows God’s word. But for Kelly, just knowing isn’t enough. And so, with that in mind, she made a decision.
“I know that we are called to go and make disciples of all the nations, but I’ve never actually gone to other nations,” Kelly said. “It was time to go.”
The adventure took root when her friend, Jennifer, told Kelly about a mission trip with the International Sports Federation to Burkina Faso the previous year. That got Kelly thinking. When Jennifer invited Kelly to go back to Burkina Faso with her this past summer, Kelly began to pray.
“The more I prayed about going, the more peace I felt about my decision to go,” Kelly said. “This adventure that God was inviting me to take part in was such a privilege and an honor. It was all in God’s timing. I also knew going in that I didn’t have to be a professional athlete to serve alongside the missionaries in Burkina. I just had to expect the unexpected and be willing.”
Going into the trip, Kelly wasn’t necessarily sure what she was supposed to be willing to do, but she found out that just being willing to serve was enough to build relationships.
And she learned a few other things along the way.
“I learned how to de-corn corncobs, plant cotton and corn, shop and bargain at the market, make African tea, communicate in an unwritten language, wash clothes with a ball of soap and three bowls of water, and pump water, to name a few of my learning experiences," she said. "I initiated a relationship by helping out where there was a need. Of course, I wasn’t good at most things I tried to help with, but it opened a door. They usually ended up laughing at my efforts, but I would laugh with them.”
Laughter turned out to be a big part of the trip for Kelly and her ISF teammates. They spent much of their time with children, playing games and teaching them about Jesus. One game they played was similar to the popular American game “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Only when they played in Burkina Faso, the game became, “Baa, Baa, HEEHAW.”
Serving where there was a need, and being available to play with the children, allowed Kelly to share Christ’s love, despite cultural and language barriers.
“Every chance Jennifer and I got, we would sing songs of Jesus, or Jezi, as they knew him from their Muslim beliefs,” Kelly said. “We drew pictures of Jesus on the Cross and acted out how he loves us. We really didn’t know how much they understood. The last day we were in the village we were making a cross with some magnetic trinkets we’d brought, and a young boy we’d been hanging out with pointed to the cross and said ‘Jezi.’ Wow!”
Kelly’s awe of God continued to grow throughout the trip. She remembers numerous examples of God showing himself to her during her time in Burkina Faso. Months after returning home and to her life as a third grade teacher, Kelly remains inspired.
“The trip inspired me to live a missional life…to live on purpose for Christ,” she said. “It inspired me to pray for the advancement of his kingdom overseas, and sparked an interest in international missions. It was a new challenge to me to not forget what he’s doing in West Africa and in the world outside my little bubble. There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not reminded somehow of my experience in Burkina.”
The blessing of that everyday reminder comes because Kelly understood that just knowing God’s Word wasn’t enough for her. She also knows it’s not enough for a lot of others, either.
Kelly states, “I just want to encourage my brothers and sisters to answer God’s call to go and make his name known to the ends of the earth," Kelly said.
Kelly Womack knows from personal experience that answering the call changes lives. She just didn’t realize how much it would change her own.
Originally appeared on sportsmissions.com in 2006.