This is it, folks. In just a few hours, our time of training in Spain now come to a close, my team and I will be headed to North Africa to begin our ministry in the 10/40 window.
The last three weeks are hard to sum up. It’s hard to wrap my mind around just how far we’ve come since we all landed in Barcelona 3 weeks ago, and for the first time since beginning the World Race process, I’m not even sure what to write. Believe me, it’s not for lack of subject. It’s because of the abundance of what we’ve learned and the ways in which we’ve been challenged. And yet, for all we’ve learned and gained in faith over the last few weeks, we’ve barely scratched the surface in our walks with Christ.
We spent 5 days in Barcelona, exploring the city and marveling at its art, architecture, and grand history. We sampled Iberica ham and paella, and we attended ministry training classes in the morning. But most importantly, we began to tell one another our stories – who we are, what our lives and backgrounds have been like, the ups and downs of our individual relationships with God, and our reasons for coming on the World Race.
The more I listened to everyone’s stories, the more I came to realize that our team is as eclectic as a 3rd world bazaar.
Vulnerability did not come easily for all of us. Even I took some time before I felt comfortable telling the whole of my story – past struggles and all – to my teammates. By the time I came to that point, we began the next phase of training – El Camino de Santiago. We spent 5 days on that ancient pilgrimage trail, hiking from village to village, cathedral to cathedral, covering over 100 miles in an effort to prepare our bodies and our spirits for the task ahead. Though the weather was fair for our beginning in Logrono, the air soon chilled, the winds began to howl, and the slate grey clouds that blossomed overhead soon released their icy rain. Despite the cold and the biting wind and occasional rain showers, the beauty of Spain’s countryside, the grandeur of the mountains in the background, and reverent history of this pilgrimage were far from lost on me. AS for the challenges and the soreness of feet, those things brought us closer as a team.
Over that time I meditated on my story and God’s hand in it. Was there a point to my story beyond my normal broken humanity? Would people hear the hope of a loving God in the telling of it? I meditated on the readiness of my heart and the state of my spirit. Was I truly prepared for a year’s worth of ministry, or was there work that God wanted to do in my heart before sending me out with my team to the 10/40 window?
By the time we finished our portion of the Camino in Burgos and traveled to Mijas, I had my answer to the questions about my story, and I knew that I had more preparation to go through before I could feel adequately prepared for this ministry. My story isn’t just a story of brokenness. It’s not just a tale of a series of spiritual screw-ups. It is, as Louie Giglio would put it, a comeback story. It’s a story that gives people hope because through it God has demonstrated His willingness to pursue those He loves even when they run away. I was that one sheep that He left the 99 to find. I was the coin that the woman swept her entire house to recover. I was the prodigal son that the Dad ran to embrace when He saw him from far off. (if you don’t know what all that nonsense about sheep and a coin-crazed woman was about, read the book of Luke) And even though I’m a work in progress as far as sanctification goes, my identity as a son of God and co-heir with Christ is secure.
My story helps to illustrate man’s chief end – to be loved by God. That’s what this whole thing is all about. To enter into relationship with God and to acknowledge and accept His love for us is to glorify Him, because that is why He created us – to Glorify Him by being loved by and united in Him. Out of God’s love for us flows our love for one another and our understanding that everyone around the world is loved by God, even if they don’t know it or accept it. Our week in Mijas under the teachings of Andrew Shearman and Gary Black was the spiritual crucible that solidified that idea for me. And it’s that idea that my team and I will start bringing to the 10/40 Window a few hours from now, beginning in North Africa.
This journey and this ministry is not about me, but I must know my story and, better still, my testimony if I want to effectively demonstrate God’s love to the people we are going to serve. God has given me clarity in that respect over these past few weeks of adventure and trial in Spain, and I can’t wait to share that with the people of the nations.
