I was surprised at how many people I met in Africa. Hundreds. There is one person, however, that I will know forever. I visited him a lot – every night actually! He lived in a small, messy bedroom with three other guys, all of whom were from different parts of the country with different stories of their own. He called them his “brothers”. There were four or five women in the house next door. Their stories were similar – all at different points in their life. He called them his “sisters”. But it was this one guy that I really connected with that month.
As they gathered in the small bedroom each evening, they would share their lives with each other. The brothers and sisters would share all the joyful things that happened to them throughout the day. They would also share the things that were weighing them down. What the group did next was remarkable! They spoke Truth and life into one another. They called it something that “roughly” translates to “feedback”.
Feedback usually included Scripture – the group found the Bible to be quite important. Feedback also included some solid life advice. Sometimes this feedback was easy for them to receive. Often, the feedback was as messy as the bedroom. Again, I found myself connecting with this guy each night as the group of brothers and sisters shared what they had on their hearts for him.
The group seemed to see potential in the young man. A reality that existed deep inside of him, but a reality that needed the help of others to bring to life. They commented on his obvious love for Christ. They affirmed him in his desire to connect with people around him on a personal level. Yet they realized things about the young man that he might not have seen in himself.
They pointed out to him that he would always be seen sitting in the corner of the room, observing things from a distance. The art of the analogy is alive and well in other cultures, because one of his brothers pointed out to him that life is not meant to be lived while sitting in the corner of the room, on the sidelines so to speak. On a different night one of his sisters told him that he had a voice and if he were willing, God would use it to change people. The group would take turns praying over one another before embracing each other in a hug before turning the lights out for bed (unless, of course, they were already out due to the nightly power outage).
Amidst these nightly times of bonding and love, you could tell that this man was changing. He could feel it inside of him. His brothers and sisters began to take notice as well. Because of the community this man lived in, he grew closer to his Father.
During the few weeks that I was in Tanzania, I saw this man change from what he was before I knew him, to a man pursuing everything that God his in store for him in his life. He preached the Gospel to strangers. He even started volunteering at the local orphanage! Toward the end of June, the young man and one of his sisters left the group. It was difficult for the young man to leave his brothers and sisters, but he was prepared to walk into a new season of his life.
This is the point in this blog that I would typically say that I miss that man greatly. It is here that I would ask why he would leave that wonderful group of brothers and sisters.
Truth is, I don’t miss him.
I don’t miss him because he got on the plane with me and flew back to America. The guy I met in the messy bedroom in Sumbawanga, Tanzania is me.
Adventures in Missions encourages their missionaries to lose their expectations when going on their adventures. And did I listen? Absolutely not.
You see, I expected to see some zebras, giraffes and a few great sunsets. I expected to maybe make a few friends to send a Christmas card to every year. I expected to experience a culture different than my own. I expected to play with kids and maybe speak at a church service. All of these expectations proved to be true.
Luckily, God always has more in store for us than we could ever imagine. I did not expect a horrible bus ride that would redefine my definition of exhaustion. I did not expect to be reminded how blessed I am to live in a country with quality roads and transportation. I did not expect God using me to share from his Word thirty seconds into my first day of ministry and having it impact a life. I did not expect being pushed out of my comfort zone so far that the only place I could find refuge was in God.
I did not expect to be put on the awesome Team Intimate Grace that consisted of my new sisters Grace, Missy, Brittany, Amanda, & Julie and my new bros Dan, Chase, & Nathan.
Proverbs 27:17 tells us that “Iron is made sharp with iron, and one man is made sharp by a friend”. This verse especially came to life during that month. The process of speaking life and Truth into others and having life and Truth spoken into you is always a difficult process. However, the process is worth it. When iron sharpens iron, the two metals change, just as we change when we speak life into each other. The people I listed above have experienced this first hand. This process, while difficult, was so good for each of us. It was so good that we still continue it with each other today, just under different circumstances.
God used Team Intimate Grace to break through walls in my heart that I couldn’t break through under my own strength. I knew I had a voice for God to use for big things, but my heart didn’t believe it until my brothers and sisters spoke it into me night in and night out. I knew the sidelines were not the place for me anymore. They weren’t calling me out. They were calling me up. Up into stepping into more of what God had for me and those around me.
Since returning to America, I have noticed that there is something missing from our relationships with others. This is by no means a blanket statement over every relationship in America, but intentionally building each other up by sharing God’s word and speaking Truth & life into one another is seemingly absent in several circles. I am the first to say that I am guilty of this in several cases. However, I have seen and tasted how good this can be and it is on my heart to share it with you.
So I ask you, how can you be speaking life into your loved ones? How can you be seeking relationships that build your relationship with Christ? The process can be messy. But the process is worth it because you are worth it.
