Well, this month took quite a spin. We originally came to Togo, our ATL “hotspot” if you will, not having any idea what we were “called” to do ministry wise. We simply believed that this is where we were supposed to be, where God wanted us.
Therefore, the first several days in Togo were spent searching for ministries / contacts that we could possibly work with for the month. We thought that we might get to work with Mercy Ships, since one is docked here in Lome. We also had the opportunity to work with an orphanange out in one of the villages of Togo.
It didn’t appear that the Mercy Ship here in Togo had any space for team Jubilee, so after several days, and quite a bit of prayer we decided that the only thing for us to do was to work with the local orphanage, along with teams Logos and Rev 217.
However, as far as my own personal side note goes, I did not have peace with this decision. I knew that there wasn’t anywhere else for us to go, but there was something in me that couldn’t shake the feeling that this just wasn’t for my team. The feeling was so strong…
I shared this with the team, and although they understood and respected it, and some even felt similar feelings, they agreed to pray with me on it with the knowledge that there just wasn’t anything else presenting itself.
So the night before we were supposed to leave I began to earnestly ask God to close the door if we weren’t supposed to go. That before we got in the Taxi the next day he would shut the door somehow, and that we wouldn’t be able to leave.
So the next morning, all our bags are packed, Taxi’s are at the hotel to pick us up… AND ……
Weston (one of our awesome squad leaders) pulled Matthew, as well as the other 2 team leaders that were supposed to be heading out to the orphanage, aside and said that 3 teams was too many to send out to the orphanage. And so it was that team JUBILEE was supposed to stay back and seek out another contact.
CAN YOU SAY “PRAISE Jesus”….
Our whole team had peace about this, and although we didn’t know where we were going to stay, or what we were going to do… we knew that God was completely in control.
So, after about a week or so of praying and searching out contacts, team Jubilee is painting… that’s right painting. There is a local seminary here in Lome that needed some physical labor done, so we are painting the dorm rooms. Honestly it is so much fun… we hook an ipod up to some speakers and just go at it for a couple of hours.
I don’t know why God brought us here… to Togo, Lome, and to a local seminary to simply paint… but if there is one thing that I have realized, or am starting to realize, it is that I don’t need to know…. I just have to be secure enough in my relationship with Jesus to know His voice and say “YES” when he says “Go”.
It is pretty amazing, and there is so much peace in it.
It is a crazy adventure that we are living out here…maybe not in the ways that we expected, but most certainly in the ways that we need!!!
