Meet Elvira. This beautiful woman
lives in Rukungiri, Uganda, where my team is spending the month of
August. Tuesday morning, I set out [alongside Bill and Carl] to
visit the homes of people from All Saints Church. While sitting in Elvira's joyful presence, you wouldn't know that she is a widow taking care of children and grandchildren... body weak and weary... instead, you would know this:
She has the joy of the Lord.
It exudes from her being.
Her smile radiates Christ.
She is alive and well in Jesus...
And it challenges me. When I am tired and weary does the joy of the Lord seep out of my soul? Because that's what I want.
His love for people, the Lord, and life always draws the crowds.I am also convinced that a dance party without Danny is like Thanksgiving without the turkey.
Meet the person who has spoken into my life more than anyone else on the race.These past 4 months with him on my team have completely shaken my world [race].
He has called me out.
He has encouraged me.
He has frustrated me.
He has stretched me.
He has come to me and brought to me a lot of hard things.
He has seen in me my best and my worst.
[dirty from our safari!]
In bringing those to my attention, as hard as they were to hear, his words have transformed me.He has pushed me to dig deep into the core of who I am.To exhort someone, you don’t just encourage them, but by your words you cause them to move to action.That is exactly what Danny has done for me.He has caused me to act… not to sit idly by and wait for transformation to happen.His desire for growth isn’t just for himself.I would venture to say that this crazy kid cares just as much about the growth of me as he does for himself.
It is hard to put into words all that I
learned in Mpeketoni. I will say this, though... God transformed me
while I was there. He used me. He spoke to me. He taught me. The
people of Mpeketoni taught me heaps of what it means to find your joy
in the Lord. To see the joy exude from them, who have far less than
I could've imagined... is mind boggling. It's challenging. It's
beautiful.
Leaving these beautiful faces was hard,
but now Team Powerhouse, alongside Team Ridiculous, are starting all
over again in Mwanza, Tanzania. Friendships are forming. Sermons
are being preached. Transformation is still happening...
[also, after many failing attempts to upload pictures to this blog, I have given up. sorry for the disappointment!]
Oh, my Texas angel [which is also quite possibly the worst song in the world].
Kelly. My mom away from home. There is not a single item that I have needed on the world race that she hasn’t had somewhere, deep in her Mary Poppins bag. More than snacks, batteries, shampoo, bandaids, and haircuts… Kelly has given so much to be over the past five months. The way that she sees the Lord at work, at all times, in all things, has challenged me to do the same. She has opened my eyes to seeing the Lord at work. She has caused me to be less apathetic and instead become passionate about the incredible fact that God is present in every detail of our lives. Her strength is far more than most women. Leaving two daughters in the states to pack a bag [or 4 bags] to follow what God has for her has not been easy. But, I know that it has been confirmed time and time again that there is purpose in this journey that she is on. It might not be easy, but she is willing to follow Him to wherever He leads. Her encouragement as I grow has spurred me on more than she knows. When I am walking in obedience, I look up and there she is smiling like a proud mother. She sees the best in people. God has given her the gift to see the good in all things… to “find the value” as she would so wisely say. When I feel discouraged, empty, or like I am so far from where I want to be, her words affirm me, encourage me, speak life to me. I am so thankful for this woman and cannot wait to see where the Lord is going to take her… because I know she’ll follow wherever that is.
After spending a few days in Nairobi, Kenya for debrief we headed to our ministry site: Mpeketoni.I had no idea what to expect [a feeling quite familiar on this world race thing].After a 14 hour bus ride through the night, I began to open my eyes as we pulled in to our new home for the next month.This place is far from ordinary.These people are far from ordinary.I cannot wait to share more with you about the beauty of this place.For now, enjoy the pictures of our first few days in Mpeketoni, Kenya!
When I take a step back and look at all the Lord has done over the past five months, I cannot imagine was lies ahead for the next six. During these five months I have been stretched, challenged, sanctified, homesick, tired, rejuvenated, sick... and the list goes on and on.
I have seen God work in me, through me, through others, in others… I have seen the Holy spirit actively at work… I have seen lives changed.
I have seen children experience the love of Christ through me and my team in New Zealand.
I have seen glimpses of restoration of the body of Christ in Oenpelli.
I have seen freedom behind bars of prisons in the Philippines.
I have seen God alive in the midst of dead religion in Cambodia.
I have seen a young generation of believers passionate about living their life with purpose in Thailand.
These are things I have seen and I hope to see much more in the months ahead. God has confirmed that He has brought me here for a purpose and I expect, I eagerly await, for what lies ahead.
Thank you for supporting me financially, through prayer, through encouragement. God has allowed us to be a part of the incredible things he is doing all over the world. Currently, my support account falls around 2,000 dollars short of being fully funded. We are asked to have the full amount either pledged or given by the end of this month. If you would like to help me reach this goal, click Support Me. Thank you for playing an active role in this journey!
I remember sitting in my comfortable chair in the comfortable air conditioning. It was a few years ago and my pastor, Dr. David Platt was speaking at an event that my church holds a few times a year called Secret Church. As
I learned about churches in closed countries, how some people risk
everything in order to follow Jesus, that people gather and study the
word for hours upon hours with fellow believers because they don’t know
when the next opportunity will be… as I learned of this secret church
that exists, I pondered on what that would feel like. I sat there,
daydreaming of what it must be like to risk it all… everything… for
Christ… what it must feel like to study the word together, regardless
of harsh consequences. I began praying for believers all over the
world that were living in places that do not accept the gospel.
I thought I got it.
I thought I understood.
A couple of weeks ago, we were told we would be taking a trip to Laos, where we would were invited to attend church.
Wait,
isn’t it a closed country? Can’t you like get arrested or something
for preaching the gospel? Why on earth are we setting ourselves up
here?
But after coming to terms with the fact that we were
actually going through with this, I found myself feeling honored... privileged to be a part of something that we as Americans [often] only hear
about... privileged to be able to proclaim God's goodness amongst
believers in a land that hushes His great name.
So, three years later... half way across the world... in a church that looked much
different than my own, I was encouraged. I was encouraged as I looked
around and saw the faces of people that know Christ is worth it.
Worth it all. Worth going against everything they are told to
believe. Worth risking your life for. Worth risking your families'
lives for. Truth be told, I had to be reminded of that. Before leaving
the church, I wanted to speak with the pastor about all he had reminded
of. He agreed that Christ is worth it all,
and in fact 2 of his friends had lost their lives because of
proclaiming the gospel. As he asked for me to continue to pray for
protection for them...
that is when I got it.
that is when I understood.
Christ
is worth it. I have never known that statement to be more true. What
is it that is holding you back? Because trust me, He is worth it. I
know an entire body of believers that will vouch for that.
I
am not diminishing what the Lord did in my life 3 years ago. My
prayers for those people were genuine. My heart was in fact broken for
the persecuted church. But sitting in Laos, God changed me yet again.
My prayer is that I become more and more broken for His people. My
prayer is as these stories I heard in my past become the faces I
am meeting in the present, that He continues to take me to new places. That my prayers become more genuine.
Oh that I might continue down
this path and never settle for what I have already learned. What I
think I already get. What I think I already understand.
**[my apologies for the lack of photographs in this blog. it is for the purpose of protection.]
Mr. Bill Swan is the man that leads this powerhouse team. He was raised in Pennsylvania, where his family still resides. He attended Moody Bible College where he picked up a good dose of wisdom. I knew after only a few short days at training camp back in October, that I wanted him to be my team leader. I made sure that I informed every AIM staff member that I could find. Luckily, they listened [probably to God, not me, but I was determined to let them know what I thought was best...]. Full of energy, excitement, and gas [yeah, I said it], Bill has played a vital role in my race thus far. The way he leads me, our team, and his wife, has forever changed my expectations of a man's role.
Speaking of his wife... meet Mrs. Katie Swan:
I knew early on that she would be a huge voice in my life. She has taught me so much about being a servant by merely watching the way she lives. She gives allof herself one-hundred percent of the time. And I am convinced that she cares more about my spiritual growth than even I do at times.
I could not ask for a better pair to lead me on this journey. Together, they have taught me so much about what it looks like to have a marriage that is used for the kingdom. I remember in Cambodia, when the two of them were teaching on how to study the bible. Watching them up there together, both contributing something the other couldn't... it became clear why their marriage is one I hope to have. Together, they are able to do things, teach things, learn things, that alone might not be possible. Together, they are better than if apart. Bill leads better because of Katie. Katie leads better because of Bill. It's a deadly combination.
