It’s hard for me to believe there are only three months left of the Race. Being at launch in New Zealand seems like it happened yesterday, and images that are still so fresh in my mind keep popping up as I look back over the last eight months. Eight months!! Tonight I get on a plane to Europe. We have a one week conference in Ireland called The Awakening with every squad that is currently out on the Race. Squads will literally be coming from all ends of the earth to meet in Ireland. It’s blowing my mind that the last continent is here. We’ve completed the Oceanic, Asian, and African portions of the race, and now there is only one more.
The Lord can do so much in three months, and I pray that he does. I was answering a question the other day about ways that I’ve grown over the last eight months and got into a discussion about ways that I still want to grow. I want the Lord to teach me to love much. That’s it. That’s my prayer for growth for these last three months of the Race. I want him to use his Holy Spirit to wash over me a love so strong for him and for his people. I want this love to replace the human love that I often operate in. My human love falls so short, and I pray that he uses the Spirit to bring about a supernatural love in me. I want that love to be fully returned to the Lord in the way that I fall more and more in love with him. I also want that love to permeate every human relationship I’m in…with family, friends, strangers, and enemies. Matthew 22:37-39 – Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love God and love others. If I don’t experience huge growth in that on the race, then I will have missed much. Join me in prayer for that if you are willing.
Looking back over my time in ministry in Africa is so strange for me to think about since the memories are so fresh. It’s such a unique culture. The sights, sounds, and smells are so different than in America. The children are beautiful and will come from any distance to interact with you. The people of Africa are hungry for the Lord. They want to hear you speak about the Lord…even if they are not Christians. They want to hear you preach. I am so thankful to have had that opportunity a couple times while here. They want to see you dance!! The children are looking for any and every opportunity to go crazy. I don’t like dancing…but I’ll dance with African children anytime!
This last week I took a break from dancing to pray for a demon-possessed woman. There were a number of pastors praying for her
as she crawled and flailed her arms all over the dance floor. She would crawl through the dirt to new places and send the children scattering. I would follow her wherever she went to be close to her and pray for her. Everything was fine until, in the middle of one of my prayers, she crawled straight at me with her arms going wild and punched me in the groin. What?!?! Are you kidding me? Did I just get punched by a woman on accident or did I just get sucker punched by a demon?!?! If it’s the former, no big deal. If it’s the latter, I’m furious!! I said one final prayer for her and went back to dancing with the children J
One final story. It’s about a 50 year old man named Mohammed who lived in one of the fishing villages. He had been a Muslim for 45 years and followed a local cult, where the leader believed that he was God, for the last 5 years. I was able to share the gospel with him and hold his hands as he prayed to give his life to Christ. We were even able to supply him with a Bible before we left. It was such a beautiful moment. After praying, he told me he wanted to change his name. The local Christians who were with me told him that he didn’t need to do that. He could just keep his Muslim name but know in his heart that he was different. He quickly pushed back. He knew he was a new creation in Christ, and as a new creation, he wanted a new name. Amen, Mohammed. Amen!!
