Ask me what God can do in just one and a half months..oh man! So it's been 6 weeks since last time I wrote and as usual, God likes to flip us upside down and all around... if you're looking for adventure, let me tell you, God definitely takes us for a ride. Haha. I am actually done with lecture phase and i'm leaving for outreach tomorrow morning!! The topics have been Worship and Spiritual warfare, Cost of Discipleship and Servanthood, Worldview and Cross Culture, and then Releasing Destiny and Missions! If I wrote about each week I would write a book so i'm going to try and just hit on the most meaningful things.
So, with all my time here, the classes/lectures, ministries, small outreaches, etc. have been really great and i've grown a lot, but, I think the thing that has really impacted/ taught/ and challenged me the most has been getting to know this family down the road from base. This all started by going to play football (soccer) with my best friend here, Michael, and through that I have been getting to know all the guys on his team really well, but especially Michael's two closest friends, Zagaro and Bruce (they are brothers). We had been going over to their house every day before football but I hadn't really talked with the family at all until their Aunt got really sick. Now, neither of these brothers have any interest in “all that God stuff”, but when their Aunt got really sick, Michael came to me and said “Lindsey I need you to come to Zagaro and Bruce's place and pray for their Aunt!” Now, you don't know the whole background story and what I had been going through before this, but a very very short summary, I have been wrestling with the whole gift of healing thing and trying to figure it all out, how it works, if I have it, what it means, etc. And the week before this I has just gone through a very emotional discouragement in this area. But my faith had been built up and I was confident in my God! I didn't know much of her case but long story short, Oleva, their Aunt, she's only 26 years old but she has been soooo sick, to the point where all she could do is lay in bed, couldn't walk, couldn't talk, and could barely eat (she's been close to death for a long time). She had been this way for FIVE YEARS!! And she's been to several doctors and no one knows what's wrong with her. They've even traveled to surrounding countries to seek guidance and nothing has worked. The family thinks she was involved in some kind of witchcraft and this was the result. Anyways, Michael told the family that we have a big God and that he would bring me and we would pray for her and we prayed and prayed and prayed! And I wish I could say that we proclaimed Jesus' name over her and she was instantly healed, but this was not the case! I grew a real love for this woman and felt God's heart for her and after we left the first day, I was really confused and frustrated with God. I just wished God would heal her and show this family the testimony that God is real and he does work in powerful ways and he can even use young students such as michael and I to reveal his glory, but God chose not to fulfill our request and it just made me sad. And I was hurt because we had faith and really believed God could heal her and I just couldn't understand why God chooses to heal some and not others and why he says even if we have faith the size of a mustard seed that we can move mountains, and yet the mountains aren't moving, and we have much faith! It just confused me. But God was teaching me a lot through this and I learned I have to trust God even when I don't understand him and this is the time I have to continue to press into him and believe he knows the bigger picture and he knows what he's doing, and I don't. The passage that had been heavy on my heart was James 1:2-4, "Consider is pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." I've realized that he IS testing my faith and that if i continue to press into him even when i'm frustrated with him, that it will build my faith.
So, very long story short, if I couldn't show God's love through his healing touch, then I knew I could show God's love and heart by serving the family anyway I could. So, the following 3 weeks, I had been going to their house every day and just pray over her and just be a support to the family. Now, about 5 weeks later, I go over there about every other day and I can't even explain it all but I have really become apart of that family and I love this family as my own! I will never forget them. I go over there and help them cook (and they've taught me the real african way of cooking.. it's been awesome!) I help them clean dishes, wash clothes, sweep the house, we eat meals together, have tea, watch movies, I even go there to take naps, I go to church with the family, we just sit and talk for hours upon hours! And the most amazing thing is Oleva is now walking, talking, and eating! With going over there every day, day by day, she has slowly been getting better! God does work miracles. She's not 100% better but when I first met her, she couldn't move, now, this past weekend we cooked lunch for the family together and talked for like 3 hours! I realized that by becoming so close to this family and just loving and serving them has actually showed God's love and power MORE then if he just instantly healed her the first day. And because he didn't just instantly heal her, I have been so blessed by this family, and learned and grown more than you can imagine.
The thing this has made me realize is, THAT is what our faith is about! It's not about whether we can heal someone, or prophesy, or preach a powerful sermon, or quote a lot of scripture, but it's about loving and serving the people around us, that is what Jesus did and he is the one who is our example. We have really taken our faith and made it so “religious”. Something we talked about in class, which is so simple but it just blew my mind... Jesus was here on earth for 33 years. We always say that Jesus only did 3 years of ministry, starting at the age of 30, right? The first 30 years of his life, he was just a carpenter, and then at the age of 30 he started his “public ministry”. Jesus did not only do 3 years of ministry, He did 33 years of ministry~ 90% of his life/ ministry was just in an ordinary job, just living life with people, and reflecting God's love through who he was and his acts of service. When Jesus began healing people and performing miracles, that was only 10% of his life! So, if we are to live like Jesus, which part does he show to be more important?
It’s not what you do... it’s how and why you do it and who you are while doing it. Being able to prophecy or preaching a powerful message does not impress God, all he wants is our hearts, to know us intimately!
In class we talk about the importance of making DISCIPLES. When Jesus went back to his Father, the last thing he said to his disciple was to go out and make disciples of all nations! He did not say go out and “save” every person. Our mission is to disciple, to disciple someone means it’s not just a one time prayer but that’s teaching and showing by example how to strive to live every day like Christ. If we look at Jesus’ disciples, they just lived life with Jesus and learned from him, they did everything with him! That’s who we’re supposed to be.
Christ says we are to be the salt of the world. If someone takes a spoonful of salt, what will they do? …They will run for a cup of water and guzzle it down! The world is not thirsty for what we have because we are not living like salt. We are giving the world the wrong answers to their questions. They are looking for hope, but, we are giving them religion! They don’t need a boss, they need a Father! So much of Christianity has turned into straight, plain religion. The week of Releasing Destiny, we talked on how your destiny is NEVER ever ever ever WHAT you do! Your destiny is who you are becoming! So instead of focusing on what we are “called” to do with our lives, ask yourself, do you do what you do as a son or daughter of the King? This is meaning whether you are a teacher, a chef, a business man, a truck driver, a soccer coach, etc. Working in the “church” is not more spiritual, it's not wrong, it's just not “better”. Yes, sometimes God calls us to a specific nation, or ministry, or whatever, but a lot of times he allows us to choose, what do you want to do with your life? We shouldn't feel if i'm a christian I need to be doing the “ministry” that everyone thinks of. We are NOT called to die to our dreams. What are your passions and dreams? If God asked you,
“If it doesn’t matter how much it costs, cause it really doesn’t, and you know I’d say yes, what would you ask me for to do with your life?”
“The size of your dreams for your life, is a reflection of how big you believe God is!”
My dream is to go to all the different nations and learn their culture, live with the families, learn from them, serve them, and just fellowship with them (Just like I am with Oleva's family here). Something I learned in class is God calls us to go to the different nations to learn about Him! God is like a diamond- He took a facet of himself and put it in you and me. If we don’t live out our faith and show our unique beauty and giftings (because we each have something no one else has), then the world does not see that part of God’s glory. This is how each nation is as well! Each nation we go to, each culture we learn about, reveals a unique part of God's character and of his beauty, each nation has a unique gift that the other nations don’t have. We are called to the nations to learn about Him and to bring out nation’s gift to them!
I have so much to talk about but this is getting long...! Anyways, tomorrow morning I will be going to a new nation to go love on and serve the people. My team and I are going to the Congo, into the Bush Bush! And I will not have my computer... so this is goodbye for 2 months! I'm excited to go into the jungle and to now practically live out everything we have been learning.
Some prayer requests:
One, just a grace to have a desire to really love and serve the people there. Here, we have had small outreaches where we go serve for like 2 or 3 hours but then we get to come back to base and just rest and hang out. But, it is going to be all day every day while on outreach and I probably won't always have that excitement to go minister or mop floors or pick up garbage or have to walk an hour just to get drinking water! I'm sure I will have times where I'm frustrated and tired. So, prayer for strength and to find my rest in God!
Two, there is a lot of witchcraft in the Congo and the spiritual realm is very real and strong there! There is some really scary demon possessed areas and people and for us from the West, these things don't really seem real to us. But it's real, and even the church in Congo has been corrupted and they are involved in witchcraft too, even the pastors and it's really serious! So, for me, I am beyond far naive about witchcraft and evil spirits. So, prayer for discernment from the Holy Spirit and that I can just really be sensitive to the spiritual realm and be able to grow in wisdom in this area and to hear from the Holy Spirit what to do if/when confronted with these things.
Three, I have been chosen be the student leader for outreach and to join our 2 staff who are going on outreach with us, and I will now be considered one of the leaders. I feel really honored and blessed to have been chosen, but I am a little concerned because I am the very youngest person on the team and I now have authority and leadership over my team, which is a very big responsibility! I know that I am going to really be challenged and I will grow a lot from this amazing opportunity but I also realize that I definitely need prayer! I went to the leadership meeting with all the staff here on base and they talked to me about what my role means and what my responsibilities will be, and oh boy, it's a lot! I am in charge of the discipline on the team, communication, and organization. I could go into much more detail but basically, I need the prayer support for wisdom and to really be able to step up and take advantage of this opportunity. I know that I really have to be in the word and constantly seeking guidance and encouragement from our Heavenly Father. So please please please be praying for me especially in this area!
Thank you all for your love, support and prayers. Once outreach is over I will definitely make sure to share my experiences and update you on what God has been up to!
Some prayer requests:
One, just a grace to have a desire to really love and serve the people there. Here, we have had small outreaches where we go serve for like 2 or 3 hours but then we get to come back to base and just rest and hang out. But, it is going to be all day every day while on outreach and I probably won't always have that excitement to go minister or mop floors or pick up garbage or have to walk an hour just to get drinking water! I'm sure I will have times where I'm frustrated and tired. So, prayer for strength and to find my rest in God!
Two, there is a lot of witchcraft in the Congo and the spiritual realm is very real and strong there! There is some really scary demon possessed areas and people and for us from the West, these things don't really seem real to us. But it's real, and even the church in Congo has been corrupted and they are involved in witchcraft too, even the pastors and it's really serious! So, for me, I am beyond far naive about witchcraft and evil spirits. So, prayer for discernment from the Holy Spirit and that I can just really be sensitive to the spiritual realm and be able to grow in wisdom in this area and to hear from the Holy Spirit what to do if/when confronted with these things.
Three, I have been chosen be the student leader for outreach and to join our 2 staff who are going on outreach with us, and I will now be considered one of the leaders. I feel really honored and blessed to have been chosen, but I am a little concerned because I am the very youngest person on the team and I now have authority and leadership over my team, which is a very big responsibility! I know that I am going to really be challenged and I will grow a lot from this amazing opportunity but I also realize that I definitely need prayer! I went to the leadership meeting with all the staff here on base and they talked to me about what my role means and what my responsibilities will be, and oh boy, it's a lot! I am in charge of the discipline on the team, communication, and organization. I could go into much more detail but basically, I need the prayer support for wisdom and to really be able to step up and take advantage of this opportunity. I know that I really have to be in the word and constantly seeking guidance and encouragement from our Heavenly Father. So please please please be praying for me especially in this area!
Thank you all for your love, support and prayers. Once outreach is over I will definitely make sure to share my experiences and update you on what God has been up to!
Much love,
Lindsey Dawn
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