Why I went on the World Race

As we completed the last page on our calendars I stopped, like most of you, to remember what God had brought me through these past few years. Finishing the World Race  in 2013 was one of the most life changing experiences I have ever had. I went back to something I wrote months before leaving everything behind to start this crazy mission trip. My written words were humbling proof of the Holy Spirit working and I’d like to share the power I read in them with you.

 

11 countries in 11 months. This is what I wrote before I left in July, 2012:

photo by J.K. Photography

Feb. 12, 2012

Why Go?

Every page of God’s word is dripping with reason so clear to me only by the Holy Spirit. If this is what I believe, that Jesus is LORD, then it’s time to live with Him on the throne of my life. When I consider my friends and family members, I know that God’s heart breaks for the lost and so should my own. If I were not here, who would preach Jesus to my own loved ones? Are not others’ loved ones, God’s loved ones, just as valuable? He has chosen me. I know now that He is all I need. The world needs Him.

From the treasures stored up in heaven, to the glory of my God, I have more than enough reasons to go. Every reason but comfort. That even, He promises He will give of Himself. Further, I believe I have been designed for this very purpose. It is my passion to speak the gospel shamelessly, fearlessly. To encourage. To go. To dive into new and unknown places. To love even strangers. To serve others with my unique gifts; be it cooking, making music, creativity, or just laughter from joy. HE is my passion. What makes my heart come alive. In all I am weak, He is strong: He is my heart, my commitment, my comfort, my perseverance, my strength.

I cannot paint Him with words. He is so real. I know this is my purpose. To follow Christ.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have everlasting life.”

I am sent. Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

The need to hear it. Romans 10:14 “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

Love God. Love others. Love God=Love others. Matthew 22:37, 39 “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself.”

1 John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us.”

Matthew 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will receive eternal life.”

Matthew 9:37 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”

Matthew 16:24 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

Matthew 26:39 “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 25:23 “His master replied, ‘Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with little so I will put you in charge of much. Come and share in your master’s happiness.’”

To be a part of bringing Jesus to all the nations. Revelation 7:10 “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”

To be like Jesus.

Because I have nothing to fear:

Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Romans 8:38 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

I don’t know what new mission I will be called to in 2016. It could be anything, I could be staying. Whether we go or stay it’s important to remember what the Lord has done in our hearts and lives.

Let us not be like the wandering Israelites as we walk into this gift of a new year.

Remember where God has brought you from.

Instead of planning your future, ask him how you can be a part of His plans.

“The LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

 

Pray Right Now

“I’ll be praying for you.”

How often do we forget to lift up the causes of our neighbors after making this promise? More often than we’d like to admit.

I want you to start a revolution. Don’t worry, it’s just a little one.

Next time you see a friend in need or a stranger ask for prayer stop and pray with them in that moment. There’s power when two or more of God’s people come together, we should be taking advantage of those opportunities. You might even find that the very act of stopping to pray with someone, serving them with your words and heart and time, will do some of the mending itself.

Last week I followed my own advice-okay that’s a lie, the advice actually came from a wise woman in my Bible study who decided to stop and pray with people as needs came up. She started to do it, praying for me with me, and it inspired me to follow her example. The sweetest moments of my week have come out of that stopping to pray alongside others.

Try it.

You don’t need fancy words. Just be honest, God knows what’s in your heart. You don’t need many words. Just say what you mean, he already knows what you need.

Bullets

This story is not mine, but it was told by one of the speakers at a World Race debrief I was on in 2013.

Our speaker, Shawn, talked about a former Navy SEAL who had gone into the mountains in Burma to save refugees. This man went from the world’s most elite military service to dodging bullets in the Burmese mountains-literally living on a prayer. Shawn spent a few days with him as a journalist, after a rigorous audition to ensure he could survive the journey, and this is what he said the prayers of this warrior looked like:

“God, keep us safe. Amen.”

Tears

Time after time I’ve placed a hand on a shoulder and dug into my soul for prayers, from healing to encouragement to restoration of relationships or hope. Sometimes God is really specific and I pray for a long time, until I run out of words and promises and truth. Other times I simply bring my neighbor’s plea before our awesome God and say thank you. We all have different gifts meant to bless others, but every single one of us has time. Time is all that is required to bless another person through prayer. I can’t count how many times I’ve opened my eyes to see tears in my neighbor’s gaze simply because someone took the time to love them by praying for them. That is life giving.

And it’s unlimited.

Next time you meet a stranger, talk to a friend, or listen to a neighbor, I encourage you to do one thing:

Pray right now.

Job Opening

Wanted: Master Architect for the Kingdom of Heaven

Job description: Lead designer on several current projects. Will be responsible for the layout and production of gold brick palaces in Giver’s Village, mansions cut from precious gems on Widow Drive, and landscaping around the pure crystal lake at Missionary Bay.

Qualifications: Must be willing to work long hours with a joyful attitude, do onto others as Christ did for them, and humbly serve the least of these.

Pay: Crowns to throw at Jesus feet.

Experience Required: 4+ years working at greasy fast food restaurant for little pay; 7+ years of persecution by family members for faith; 12+ years of sickness or disability; battle against addiction; loss of a loved one. Must die to self.

No degree required. May start immediately.

Company policy: “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!'” Matthew 25:21

Faithful Runaway

The wind howled as with the force of an angry God behind it. Ship shattering waves pounded the side of the boat in warning. I could not hide much longer. Clamoring below deck, the other sailors called out to me above the fury, “What have you done to bring this upon us?”

Confessing the truth I let them throw me overboard. I saw the Captain’s eyes as he gave the order, a deep sorrow bought by a man who knew too much loss. They had tried to save me, but no one could. It was my choice to disobey, not theirs. They would not suffer any longer because of me.

This is the end, I thought. I earned this. I will sink deep into the abyss, tangled in seaweed like a forgotten stone.

“Jonah,” he called to me from the place I knew by heart, his voice like my own. His hand was upon me as the last shadow of consciousness ran through my brain. Then, like a black ghost came my rescue out of the deep, and he swallowed me up.  

Misery I thought I had known until I sat in the belly of that great beast. I pleaded with Him day and night to end it. He waged war against my anger, my foolishness, my selfish pride. “I will not save them!” I yelled at Him in refusal. Never could I bestow upon such a vile people the same love that finds me worthy. 

Three days he wrestled with my spirit and then mercy, I was thrown upon land. The nasty monster sank back into the ocean as I filled my hands with sand. Coughing and sputtering I praised God for my life. Salty earth never tasted so sweet.

Broken spirit, I turned from the shore and set onward to the town which caused for me such trouble. No, it was myself, I know this. It is easy to hate what you do not know. To know something is to love it. 

I know Him in my very soul. We were a team, a speaker of truth and a proclaimer of mercy. I was thirsty for his presence always. Joy that I could find nowhere else. I was blessed to teach, not arrogant in my gifting. I wanted to follow Him all of my days, to obey and speak life. Wherever I went his Spirit did miracles in the hearts of men. There was no life apart from Him, and His life was mine.

So I ran. 

I knew if I sat in those docks that he would work his will into my heart and I would have no choice but to obey. I took the first ship leaving in the opposite direction and told no one where I was going. But the sailors were kind to me so I told them, “I have ran away from the presence of God. He spoke to me and in the hardness of my heart I could not bring myself to obey.”

“So I ran.”

He followed me.

When You Tell A Child About Satan…

He is going to want to see a picture.

This morning I had the incredible opportunity and privilege to share the gospel with the tender-hearted first grader I nanny five days a week. His parents are not believers, subscribing to new ages beliefs about spirituality, science, and happiness. I look for every opportunity to share Jesus at work; it’s no coincidence I’m here. It started with a question about the weather.

“Where does the weather come from?”

I told Manix the Bible, (after explaining what the Bible is some months ago), talks about how God holds the wind in his hand and tells the lightening where to go, (Job 38). Pretty awesome stuff- especially for a six year old who adores superheroes.

His intrigue carried over to this morning when he asked, “So God holds the earth in his hand? That means he’s in outer space!”

I have to tell you, explaining the fact of God being present everywhere-to a six year old-was tricky enough, but the entire gospel too?

I jumped through that open door like a woman wearing a parachute. Holy Spirit, remember? Moment by moment, question by question, the Lord gave me the words to explain to a little boy who knew NOTHING about God the Father and Jesus Christ because God brought me into his life, what it means that Jesus Christ is our savior.

I mean, savior from what?

Manix didn’t know he needed to be saved from anything.

How do you tell someone they need to be saved?

I started from scratch, letting the creation story become the segue from our weather discussion. He was amazed.

“Wait, God made the dinosaurs? Cool!”

Then I told him about the sneaky, lying enemy who disguised himself as a snake and convinced two of the first people God made to disobey Him.

“Wait, God has an enemy? Can I see a picture?”

I stop.

I want to tell him to look around at all of the bad, evil and tragedy around him in the world. I wanted to tell him every that time he hears a lie, thinks he isn’t loved, or does something he knows is wrong- that’s what the enemy of God looks like.

But I didn’t, because I wanted to make sure the enemy didn’t steal the spotlight.

Too often I think we can focus on sin in and around us and forget to marvel at who God is. I wasn’t about to let the enemy distract from an opportunity to share the gospel with Manix.

To cut a narrative short, me and the Holy Spirit BROUGHT IT.  🙂

What I want to ask you is this; do you know the gospel?

I mean really know the gospel. By heart. Could you tell it in story form? Bullet points? Personal testimony? Interpretive dance? (I’m not suggesting all of you try that one.) It’s imperative as Christians we are prepared to make the most of every opportunity, (Eph. 5:16, Col. 4:5), because the faith of a little boy might one day spread to a nation.

Isaiah 44

^{3 “}For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants.
⁴ They shall spring up among the grass
    like willows by flowing streams.
⁵ This one will say, ‘I am the Lord‘s,’
    another will call on the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord‘s,’
    and name himself by the name of Israel.”

5 Things I Learned from Traveling the World

                              (Ireland, 2012)

1. Sin looks the same in the heart of every man. 

I’ve traveled to Mexico, Venezuela, Ireland; Ukraine, Moldova (that’s in Europe), Kenya; Tanzania, Malawi, India; Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia, for various mission trips. I’m not bragging. God called, I went. I’ve also had the privilege to spend a little time in South Africa, Romania and Singapore. In each place I found one thing every culture had in common: the way people sinned.

Whether it stems from pride, selfishness, or greed, every person I met was either trying to satisfy themselves with idols or continually surrendering this temptation to the Lord as a believer. The Johns (men who hire prostitutes) in India sin for the same reason as the Johns in Thailand. Corruption in the school system in Kenya rises from the same sin that leads to corruption of the government in Malawi. They all need a savior named Jesus Christ; the only one who can fill the longing in their hearts.

2. We all need love, desperately. 

I saw many children begging in the streets. It broke my heart to stare down into the eyes of a filthy child holding his or her hands out, pleading with me to give them what they needed to survive.

I remembered the woman at the well.

The children I met thought they were most lacking money, materials, and food (which was often true, sadly), but what they needed even more than that was love. The love of a savior who could provide living water, words that nourish, and eternal life. This was true of the people I sat next to on Turkish Airlines (I highly recommend them) just as much as the people selling snacks at the bus stops in Africa.

*A little story: Once upon a time, my team was waiting for a bus to arrive beneath an underpass in Mumbai. A group of “untouchables,” (children), showed up asking for handouts. We didn’t have much to give them, our meager possessions bundled up in our backpack for the year; but we had time. A teammate of mine suddenly pulled out a bottle of red nail polish and the girls’ eyes lit up. Smiles abounded. There we sat for the next 20 minutes, giving the untouchables manicures on a dirty street corner.

3. America really is unique and different from any other country in the world. 

I was blessed to experience parts of South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia from the inside, as the locals do. Living in the culture gives you an awareness that pretending to hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa just does not. Overseas I was catcalled by dark looking men on the street, shoved around by scrambling passengers at public bus stops, and ordered to follow a mandated dress code in airports (ahem UAE *cough cough). Mandatory calls to prayer woke me up like the screams of a fire siren in Malaysia. Students in Kenya told me stories of how tribal feuds corrupt their opportunity to learn as literal fires break out in their schools. This is just the tip of the ice berg.

Did you know that in Ukraine they believe you will become infertile if you sit on the floor? My friends learned this over and over as random strangers refused to let them take a seat on the ground, even forcing the girls to stand up so they could stick their coat underneath them! Chivalrous as this sounds, it speaks to an attitude of ignorance. Don’t even get my started on the “right” way to do laundry in Tanzania.

From life under a government far from democracy to the constraints of a culture that doesn’t allow anyone to think for themselves, I have experienced a world that is nothing like the land I was privileged to grow up in. Having felt the suppression that women face in many other countries, I know for a fact that they aren’t treated as equals, I wasn’t. We take for granted basic freedoms like choosing the way we dress or having personal space on the train.

There’s something truly unique about the way we value and fight for freedom, independence and our dreams. There is nowhere in the world quite like America, and I have never been more grateful to call her my home.

4. What really matters in life are the people you share it with.

My favorite part of every journey I’ve taken has always been the people. My teammates and squad leaders, to be more specific. Of course there were incredible people I met in each country who have impacted my life, but there’s something about partnering with others to do life together. Sharing the struggles of world travel (TIA) and trials as missionaries with people who have chosen to love you-when you deserve it and when you do not-is the most life changing thing I’ve ever experienced apart from Christ himself. I know this is hugely because of the cultured we created like the one in Acts, but I don’t want to leave out the preciousness of having someone to laugh beside when that’s all you have left to do. All of the weird things I ate (like fried tarantula), beautiful wonders I saw (Cliffs of Moore), and miracles I witnessed wouldn’t have impacted my life like they did if I had no one to share them with.

I am reminded of what Christopher McCandles wrote in his diary before he died alone in the woods, missing the opportunity experience this: “Happiness [is] only real when shared.”

5. Sharing the gospel looks the same no matter where you are.

Go, Send, or Disobey.

We are all called to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the nations, to all men; those of us who have received Jesus as our savior. (Matthew 28:16-20).

It was a surprise to learn that being “on mission” in Africa and Asia during a long-term trip looked exactly like living out the missionary life at home in the ordinary. True, I don’t often get the opportunity to teach a lesson on James in a handmade wooden hut filled with Burmese men here in America (or ever), but people need Jesus in the same ways they do in the corn fields of Moldova (it’s a real place, I promise).

But what does this look like practically?

There are a lot of ways to share the gospel, and I’m not just talking about words. Every aspect of the way we live our life is an opportunity to share Christ. This might mean going hut to hut (or house to house) knocking on doors to share the gospel with anyone who will listen. It might look like harvesting corn or grapes in a village that doesn’t speak a lick of English, (save for the translations on gas station bottles of Fanta). Or, in America, offering to do laundry for an overwhelmed neighbor you might barely know. Even wiping down restaurant tables at work with a smile on your face is an opportunity to spread the gospel, (make the most of every opportunity, Ephesians 5:16, and do everything for God’s glory, Colossians 3:17).

Telling people about Jesus can look really different depending on who you are and whom you are sharing with. Use whatever gifts God has given you; be it listening, drawing or dancing. I’ve found that the best approach is to share from your experience. Tell others what Christ has done for you, how he has changed your life. Share your transformation story, even if you don’t have a wild testimony like Paul. God did exactly the same thing in your life that he did in the most visible 180 degree testimonies.

Ask questions.

No matter where I go, people respond to questions. They love to talk about themselves. On college campuses there’s a huge sum of students (and teachers) who have never even thought about the answer to what they believe about life after death-because they’ve never been asked.

We are called to live exactly the same way as Christians with exactly the same faith and preach exactly the same gospel no matter where in the world we are or how insignificant we feel our work is. Every single human needs Christ. No calling ranks beneath the worth of another; the value of what Christ did for you on the cross does not lesson for any human.

You might be more traveled than I am, or you might be waiting to leave the state you grew up in for the first time. Either way I hope this blog encouraged you and challenged some of your perspectives. It’s my prayer that you’ll benefit from my experience and take this as an opportunity to live differently. That might look like an attitude change; it might look like finally going to that place you know God has been calling you to go for a long time. If God has already showed you these things himself, I hope that you’ll be inspired to share what you learned with others.