Life is full of unexpected blessings and calls us to do the
craziest things “thus sayeth the Lord” like Him telling me to go to China(even
though my heart was set on South America). This month my team felt called to go to Malawi, a small
country in Africa near Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. About two weeks ago,
Dave and I were handed a list of contacts for ministries in Malawi but nothing
seemed to be working out. We told our friend Scott, a missionary here in South
Africa, about our plans and he quickly directed us to this “amazing couple”
Jose & Naara doing Farming God’s Way in Monkey’s Bay, Malawi.
The next thing I know it, I am facebooking these friends
telling them about the plans we have to come to Malawi and if they would like,
to serve with them alongside their ministry. Little did I know, that at the
exact same time, they had been praying for a group to come. Jose likes to use
the analogy of Noah and the Ark.
A little over a year ago, they were called to Malawi, a
country they had never heard about either. They are from Chile (oh yes-South
Americans!!). They gave away their house (yes-donated it to someone!), same
with their car and came with little more than the airplane ticket in hand.
When they arrived in South Africa, the Lord prompted some
couple to give them their car (a BMW at that) and they traded it for a
pickup. At the same time, they
were given a tin trailer to live in and off they went, on the 3 day journey up
to Malawi.
When they arrived, they parked their caravan outside of a
pastor’s “house” and endured outhouses complete with flies, mosquitoes with
malaria, and bats on a daily basis. The shower was a once a week pleasure at a
local guesthouse. Food, well there was no meat, and for us Americans, that is a
sad day indeed. They prayed and trusted God to build their ark aka their house
somewhere in Malawi, and He directed them to this beat up abandoned summer home
of an official in Malawi. They knew then, this is the ark they had to build.
They located the owner of the house and asked him if they
could use the bathroom facilities there and park their caravan outside if they
worked on fixing its present (poor) condition. The owner was pleased at the idea of free labor and allowed
them to move to this site.
Fast forward now one year and this is when team Luminous
(alongside Tikvah) enters the story. We walk through an African village filled
with mud huts, little African children holding our hands and as Emily puts it,
sings us a long note of “hellooooooooooooo”. When we arrived to our ministry site in Monkey’s Bay, to my
shock and complete surprise, I enter what I would like to call a missionary’s
dream place—a house on the water, complete with one amazing on-fire
missionary couple directing us and a plethora of daily service projects to do
(including physical labor and playing with the local village children with
weekend outreaches to fisherman villages and the bush).
The beauty of this place is quite indescribable but I can say
after all my travels, it may be the most beautiful place I have ever been (and
those who know how many places I have been-that is saying a lot!). Jose and
Naara did an amazing job building their ark and now they tell us that we are
the rain which has come. They knew this house would be a receiving place for
teams from all over the world to join them in their vision to reach the
children, disciple the nations and love those around them in a most practical
way.
Every day I am blessed to watch the sunrise (if I so choose
to get out of bed at 6:10), hear the children’s deep laughter every afternoon
and feel God’s promise fulfilled both in Jose & Naara’s life as well as
mine.
Years ago I heard a calling from God to lead short term
missions. Soon after He called me to China for long term and then the World
Race. This year, I have had the best practical training for leading short term
missions than I could have ever asked for from places like organizing our time
in Thailand to Malawi and I am thrilled at the possibilities to take YOU, my
friends and family, back to these two places, Lord willing, in the future and
finish the work He has started both in my life and the people we serve.
Faith is a radical testimony, but I am blown away this month
by God’s provision. It makes me once again smile at the future, relax about the
many plans in my mind and let God speak to me today (knowing that the plans He
has for me are good and that He will provide). I need a house in a bad
economy—let’s see God work, food—-neighbors bring it over,
healing—-prayer makes one well. That is truly God’s economy and I have
complete faith that whatsoever we ask for in His name, He will give it to us
according to His will. I am seeing that come to pass this year more and more in
the lives of so many people around me. I ask the Lord, “Give me the faith to
see what you see, live how you live and serve how you serve.
My prayer for you back at home is that you take the time to
hear from God and see what He is calling you to do this day. It may be the
answer to prayer for someone else which will in turn encourage both their faith
and yours! To God be the Glory!
