Anticipation and excitement filled the air with the question
of when would they get here? We had been waiting all day and now we sat
anxiously peeking out the window. I couldn’t stand it he was coming and I
couldn’t just stay in the house. I found a few brave souls and we faced the
piercing cold winds together. Minutes that seemed like hours passed and then we
saw the lights! They were finally here…
If you know my dad at all you know he always has to ride in
the front seat… something about claustrophobia 🙂.
There he was, I quickly found his hand as the van drove past me. I ran
alongside grasping his touch till the car rolled to a stop. I couldn’t get into
his arms fast enough. The cold was a faint memory compared to the warmth of his
embrace. Goodness gracious he was here.
The next day was pure bliss. Walking hand in hand we
explored the beauty that was all around us. Dad let me share and process all
day long the past 8 months of my life. He asked questions and I shared my heart.
That night at our session I won’t ever forget it. In the middle of Seth’s talk
my dad leaned over and whispered in my ear, “there is no place I would rather
be”. You couldn’t have slapped that smile off my face if you tried. Wow. What
an incredible blessing I have… He came across the world for me. He reminded me
of that all week long with his words, his random sweet hugs, his huge smiles
and little winks, and his “Hey Moriah”, “Ya dad?” “We are in freakin Africa”.
Hahahaha oh man. What a week.
Back in Malaysia when I heard they were doing a Parent
Vision Trip (PVT) where parents would be joining us on the field I about
flipped a lid. I knew my dad had to come. If you know my mom at all you know
she would have been here in a heartbeat. But God told both of us that dad
needed to ride solo this time. God in His awesomeness made the way and soon my
dad boarded the plane.
It didn’t take long for my dad to make friends with everyone.
He got that from my Nana. They both have an ability to make anyone feel special
and connect in a sweet way. My dad is a pastor/leader/ take charge type of guy.
He is a go-getter and I saw that more than ever at our hospital visit. My dad
wanted to pray for each and every bed and he hardly let anyone else pray. After
3 or so hours I was ready to go in exhaustion but he found out there were still 20
more beds… you better bet we were going. I smiled and thought to myself “that’s
my dad”. I realized later that I have prayed for so many people on the race
that I have almost gotten anesthetized to it. His vigor and excitement spurred
me on and awakened my faith to action again.
One night during worship I felt the Lord prompting me to
share the gospel. I held back from saying anything but shared with my dad that
night. We both agreed God wanted to do more. He was asked to speak the next
night and said he would share the gospel. We decided we would both fast and
pray asking the Lord to show up. The next morning God took control. He used two
Kenyan women who sang beautifully to call down heaven right in our midst. The
presence of God was so thick it was crazy. The Lord prompted my dad to speak up
so he did. With all eyes open and every head up he boldly quoted Luke 9:26 “if
you deny me before men you will deny me before my father who is in heaven”. Two
parents stood to their feet declaring Jesus as their Lord and savior in front
of us all. We got to come around them and pray and speak life over them. It was
incredible. God obviously didn’t want to wait till the nighttime to show up and
as a little bonus didn’t make us wait to eat either 🙂. His timing is perfect.
I really believe that due to the prayers laid before this
week God moved more mightily this week than any other week on the race for me.
Over eight people gave their lives to the Lord. We saw a couple miraculous
healings. God brought restoration to families. God used the work of our hands
to literally save the lives of people so that they weren’t affected by the
mudslide that occurred while we were there. Although 3 lives had been lost to
the mudslide the Lord told me 3 parents would be brought to life in Christ. And
He sure did it. I am still processing the amount of kingdom that was brought to
Kijabe, Africa. The amount that He moved…wow and that was just what I saw. I
can’t even imagine what was accomplished in the unseen.
I realized something this week… I am a lot more like my dad
then I thought. Not only did I get my sense of humor and pranking from him (it
was fun to be reunited in this for a whole week…our poor roommates 🙂) but also our ministry
styles/giftings. I think sometimes we as children can see our parents for their
faults and shortcomings. We see them for their sin and hold them in that place.
This week God showed me how awesome my dad is. Not only has God changed me the
past 8 months but has done a ton in my dad’s life as well. I saw my dad step up
and out in a new way. I saw him lead and love people. I saw him disciple and
train in so much wisdom. I saw him walk boldly in faith. I saw him come to life
in a new setting all the way in freakin Africa. I saw him for the incredible man
he is. I was so proud of him and constantly thought “that’s my dad”.
Thanks dad. Thank you for coming. I know you have a lot
going on but you chose to postpone things to be with your girl. Thank you.
Thank you for trusting the Lord and hopping on the plane sitting in your little
exit row seat with more legroom to come give me the push I needed. Thank you
for loving and serving me soooo well this week. Thanks for listening to me talk
through my race. Thank you for the wisdom and guidance you gave me as I dream
about my future. Thanks for the healing conversation you led with tears in our
eyes as we repented for the mistakes we both have made. Thanks for caring for
the people I care about. Thanks for investing in my friends and following their
journeys. It was so evident to see how invested you were/are by the way you
talked with them and they you. I love you dad. Thank you doesn’t even come
close to depicting the gratefulness I have towards you and mom. You both have
come with me on this journey and you even got to see first hand what it is like. What a blessing! This is a week I will never EVER forget.
Just so you know… I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always as long as I’m living MY daddy you will be.
