Visions for My Supporters

Today I was taking a nap. Yep. A nap in my bed that gives me backaches
and headaches…but it’s my own bed. In a hostel that stays warm in the cold autumn weather. It has a shower with unlimited
hot running water.
It has electricity…

 

Anyway. As I was drifting into my comfortable sleep, I got a
picture of a beautiful African woman. It was an
image that convicted me in more ways than one.

 

Lately, I’ve felt less than satisfactory as a missionary. I
haven’t thanked my supporters enough. I haven’t blogged enough about what God’s
doing in the people that I’ve met.

Conversely, I understand that God is and has been teaching
me stuff about myself…and that’s ok, but I just wish I could tell my readers more.
That I appreciate them.
That they are serving this
world for His Kingdom too…

This Blog is for the people who have faithfully
stuck by me, financially and prayerfully. I don’t think you realize
what you’ve done for me…for the Kingdom.

 

The beautiful woman was Doska. I had the wonderful and life-changing
privilege of meeting Doska in Tanzania (Read this blog and this blog). God
used this amazing woman to speak to my life. I re-read the blogs I wrote about
her, and they brought tears
to my eyes. This month in Hungary, I’ve told Doska’s story many times. Even
though I’ve posted pictures on facebook, it wasn’t until my nap that I realized
I never finished the story…

After we left her bedside that day, we set out to find out
how much a sewing machine would cost. We found a place that would sell us one
for a price that our two teams could afford. I’ve become so comfortable saying
that our teams could afford that sewing
machine…

So we found one. The end.

Not a lot of progress was made on the sewing machine for a
couple reasons, but ultimately, I had no idea where she was. Though, I did find out that
she was staying with a friend from her church, but where that was, only God knew.

Three days before we left Tanzania, we were holding a Bible
study at Pastor Paul’s church. I was sitting in the pews when this beautiful African woman walked in. Now, at the hospital,
Doska’s face was badly beaten and bruised. But my heart skipped a beat when I saw that woman
that day in the church and I asked the Lord, “Is that her?!
Is that Doska?�

I remember whomever was speaking started to pray so I closed
my eyes and bowed my head. After the prayer I saw that the woman had gotten up
and moved to the back of the church. I felt in my heart that it was her…so I hurriedly walked back
to stop her from walking out the door and said, “Doska?�

Her smile answered my
question. 

She was ravishing. You would have never believed that this woman had been beaten. Not only were her wounds healed, but her face, eyes, smile, and heart showed absolutely no sign of
the beating.

I proceeded to tell Doska that I had a surprise for her.
She couldn’t tell me where she lived. So I asked her to come back the next two
days to the Bible studies. I said that either the next day or the day after
that, she would
receive her surprise.

I was able to get my teammate David and our friend Yusuph,
to help me get the sewing machine on the last day we were in Mwanza. The three
of us carried it up to the pastor’s house. After Bible study, we presented it
to her. She was beaming with joy. We prayed over
it and over her. We declared that that sewing machine would be used to further God’s Kingdom.

As I mentioned in my previous blogs, Doska had nothing
materially. But what she did have was faith. What
happened after our prayers over her and her new sewing machine changed my life.
She asked the pastor in Kswahili, “Can I pray for them?�

Oh my lanta, I’m about to start crying…

Doska, humbly came before the Lord that day. I have
absolutely no clue what Doska said. But I know what her heart meant. She was
weeping as she gave thanks to her Abba.

 

Uncontrollable weeping.

 

She gave me the biggest hug. And continued to say “asante
sana� and “Mungu akubariki� (thank you and God bless you).

So today as I sit in my warm, lovely hostel. I’m humbled and
wondering how Doska is doing. As I mentioned earlier, I said that our teams
were able to afford that sewing machine.

Truth is I can’t afford anything.

If you’ve been prayerfully and financially supporting anyone
on Team Citizen’s of Hope or Team Post Office, you bought that sewing machine. Through
Christ, You
enabled a beautiful African woman a second chance
at life. Through Christ, You
sent us to Mwanza, Tanzania to meet Doska. Through Christ, You have touched the
Kingdom of God and the life of this 24 year-old missionary from Colorado.

 

On behalf of Doska,
Team Citizen’s of Hope, Team Post Office, and myself: