Writing blogs on this race has been interesting to say the least. Trying to put such a dynamic month, full of emotions and experiences, into words on a screen is somewhat of a daunting task (at least for me). But me not trying would not only be a disservice to you all back home, but it would also be one to God Himself.. because He is the one orchestrating this story for His glory. So I'll try..
First off, can I say how thankful I am for the constant encouragement and prayers coming from you all. I can hear the echoes of intercession proceeding from the states like a fearless army of faithful soldiers. And that is what you are. All who have been praying for me since the beginning until now.. faithful soldiers. So please keep praying. Your prayers fall fresh on my soul every morning.
I'm currently sitting in the international airport of Saudi Arabia reflecting on this past month spent in Addis Ababa. What a month. I'm confident that the time spent in Ethiopia will have lasting effects on my life.. and hopefully in the lives of others. The culture took some getting used to but boy did I love the Ethiopian people. Their dance, their hospitality, their food, their coffee, their affection, their art, their love.. I adored it all. The experiences were some that I will never forget. Where should I start?? I could tell you about eating Firfir everyday with my hands (a traditional Ethiopian dish that was delicious.. look it up on google images) .. or how I held hands with my new friends almost daily (in the Ethiopian culture it is normal for two males to hold hands to display their friendship), or the time I danced and worshipped with over a thousand Ethiopian prisoners on an open field.. good times. I could tell you about sitting so close to strangers in taxis that I literally felt their breath.. I could tell you stories about my new friends of the streets and how some had their lives changed forever. I could tell you about seeing the furious love of the Father in the eyes of the homeless.. the crippled.. the widows living on the streets with their infants.. I could tell you all these stories but the moral of each story would remain the same.. God is good and His love is strong. These memories will stick with me for a while.. some for a lifetime. But here I am getting ready to head on to the next country. How do I process all that I experienced in a few days.. then turn around and do it all over again?
it's tiring.. demanding ..stressful at times..
but I can confidently say, with a grin on my face.. It is the greatest adventure I've ever been on.
I'll share a lesson I'm learning even now as I type these words. I'm learning more about the "abiding" life that Jesus calls us to (John 15:1-11). I'm learning that life with Christ is a moment by moment experience.
See, I'm the type who loves his quiet time. I'll do anything to guard it. For me, solitude is not so much a spiritual discipline as it is a spiritual luxury. Maybe I got it from my father who is an intense introvert. He was single for 12 years.. so I spent much of my life watching him read on his own, pray on his own, study on his own, take trips on his own. My dad is very much an independent type of guy who cherishes his quiet time, and I remember wanting to be like that when I grew up.. so I did. Now, if you know anything about the World Race, you know that alone time comes about as often as free wifi does. It just doesn't really happen much. So it's been a huge adjustment for me coming from a place where I was able to get away anytime I wanted. Back home I remember needing a good solid hour or two of intense quiet and alone time for me to be able to operate during the day. It was as if my devotional life needed to be perfect in order for me to be fully who I wanted to be in Christ. But with 16 hour work days in Ethiopia this month, I didn't have time to get away and have the perfect devotional time I desired. Alone time now is when you put your headphones on and face a wall. This month I hardly had any real "devotional time".. and I allowed that to really dictate the rest of my day. But then.. it hit me. Why was I so adamant and obsessive over my quiet time? Why did I need a perfect devotional life in order to grow in Christlikeness?
As an American college student you get into these habits of molding God into your own likeness and experiencing His Presence under your own conditions. I would typically need a perfectly lit desk, with a perfect pour-over cup of coffee, and pure silence. Now I'm starting to deal with the repercussions of that bad habit. But Christ is teaching me, in His loving grace and great patience. I'm learning how to stop obsessing over my devotional time so much and start obsessing over Jesus Himself more often. I used to view my devotional time as something that would restore me with faith.. something like a phone charger. And I would count on that juice to get me through the whole day. At the end of the day I would flop into bed depleted of all strength and wait for the next morning to charge up once again. But I'm beginning to see the importance of abiding in Christ moment by moment throughout the chaos of the day. Don't get me wrong.. I still love a good devotional time. It's definitely needed. I'm just realizing that the Romans 8 life of walking in the Spirit isn't sustained purely by my devotional time in the morning.. it's sustained by, as Tozer puts it, the ongoing gaze of my soul on a saving God. And when my gaze is fixed on the author and finisher of my faith moment by moment.. I'll stop being so dependent on that perfect pour-over in the morning.
Like I once read from a great saint of old..
"Hardly do I pray for longer than 15 minutes.. but hardly do I go 15 minutes without praying" – I can't remember.
The Philippines is the next country I have the honor of going to. My team and I will be working with street children once again. The ministry is called Children's Garden and they aim to rescue boys from the streets, give them shelter and food, teach them how to live in community with love and honor and aim to show them the love of Jesus everyday. I have a feeling that God has HUGE plans for this month and I can't wait to get started. Keep striving towards Jesus friends and family. It's in him that we find life, and that we find who we are really made to be. We were made to love and serve others and you definitely don't have to travel around the world to do that… but what an honor it has been.
Check out some moments from Ethiopia here:
Blessings,
Joe
