I arrived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic optimistic about the month. The last 3 months were amazing in Africa, every country there stole my heart but something was off. My heart felt heavy, I could not get out of the hole I felt like I was in. There was a constant weight of depression, anger, and hostility towards the people around me and ministry in general. Luckily I got to see my parents and best friend Bekah during a layover in New York. This alone made my heart feel rejuvenated and all seemed well. I was ready to start this final chapter of the race strong. I was ready to take on the last 3 months of the race with a renewed heart. We get to our host home, which is an unrented out office space and reality sets back in. This is still the same race, I am still the same one living with a never ending sense of exhaustion. I have found myself becoming easily frustrated at things I have no control over.
Well, we wake up for our first Sunday at church 4 hours before the service actually stats and were there 3 hours before it started. I felt myself growing in anger and frustration as I see the team that is there living in luxury, surrounded by an amazing family. Never stopping to think about how blessed I am with what I have been give this month, I’m simply sitting in envy. Then walks in a group of Americans, ages 45-90. YES I said 90. They are a group from a church in Maryland who were spending a week or so here providing sustainable water supplies to people in more rural areas who can’t afford fresh water. We started talking with them and a man named Keith points out the old man in their group to me. He tells me his name is Reese and he is 90 years old. He started doing mission work at 70. He said he has an anointing on him of healing and he is the most astounding man he has ever know. I had to meet him!
So time passes and Keith calls me over to chat with Reese. I told him I heard he was 90, I asked where all he had been on his missions, his response, over 40 countries. His favorite place is India, we talked about common places we had both been there and how India holds a special place in our hearts. I asked him what he was doing at 70 when the Lord called him to leave home, he said ‘nothing…just sitting in my rocking chair.’ He told me his family thinks he is crazy. He said, ‘once the Holy Spirit had a hold of me there was nothing I could do.’ The service began so our conversation was cut short. After the service there was a line to receive prayer for healing from Reese. Person after person was walking away healed and every time Reese would give a loud cheer praising God for his grace!
I decide I would have him pray over my arm which is a little bowed and unable to face palm up. He prayed for me and after he leaned in and whispered these words to me, ‘the secret is to never buy a rocking chair,’ and that was it.
I made my way over to Oopsie the clown, which is really the pastor leading the mission group who uses clowning as a means of children’s ministry wherever he goes. He asked me about Reese’s prayer for me and about what he whispered to me after. I told him about his secret of the rocking chair and asked if he knew where that came from. Jack (otherwise known as Oopsie) told me that at when he was 70 Reese’s wife passed away and he was devastated. He came home broken hearted from loosing his best friend and wife of so many years. He sat on his front porch in his rocking chair and told God he had nothing else to live for. God responded with something along the lines of, ‘Yes you do, cut up your rocking chair and go tell the world about me.’ Of course Reese being 70 at the time responded with,’No Lord I am too old,” and still God said ‘GO.’ So he got up and went, never looking back!
Reese saved me that day, he saved me from going home, he saved me from looking at ministry as a waste of time, he saved me from giving up. He helped me realize that no matter how tired I am, no matter how annoyed I am with the situation I am in, I am still in God’s will and there is no better place to be! If I buy that rocking chair I am wasting valuable time, time to serve my God. I had my mind made up that morning that all the frustrations I was facing was not worth it, that I was not making a difference out here, and then walks in sweet 90 year old Reese who will serve the Lord till his dying day.
If he can do it I can too. We serve the same God, the same God that called Reese at 70 called me at 23. We are working for the same mission. Thank you Reese for giving me the inspiration I needed to press on and to look up for the help I need everyday.
Since this day my heart has been renewed with the fire I had for the race in the first few months. I am more excited about ministry than I have been in a long time. I am no longer spending my free time watching movies and sulking in my depression, I am out and about always. I am loving life right now and am so blessed to be here.
I think I will take Reese’s words of wisdom with me always. My life’s motto is now, never by a rocking chair. I don’t think Reese would mind if I use it. From one tired missionary to the other, thank you Reese and thank you to the rest of the Maryland family for giving me the kick I needed to keep going.
If you would like to support me in my last 3 months on the field please go to paypal.me/morganwingler to do so.
God Bless. <3
