I have a confession to make.
I want all my blogs to be really, really good. Now, that is not a bad thing but it does lead me to not post anything when I haven’t been able to sit down and write a really good blog.
So this is a temporary breakdown……….because you all deserve to at least know where I am at and what I am doing.
But as a bonus it will be short……….so it won’t interupt much NCAA tourney watching time.
Plus at the end I will put a link to my favorite You Tube video. (Which I expect you all to watch)
Good. Because trust me: You don’t want it. Your ignorance is truly
bliss. In fact say a quick prayer to the Lord right now asking Him to
never allow you to have it.
Well if your not catching my sarcasm………I am now just getting over a bout of it. I am glad to post this blog today when I am feeling well because if I would posted one last week I would probably need to be confessing and repenting as we speak.
So, let me start by saying that I am just about over it now before I tell you about my experience.
It is contracted from Mosquitos and there is currently no vaccine or antibiotic to take care of it.
This is from a medical website describing my lovely disease:
It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with headache, fever, exhaustion, severe joint and muscle pain, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy), and rash. The presence (the “dengue triad”) of fever, rash, and headache (and other pains) is particularly characteristic of dengue.
Not to mention the fact that body temperature reaches up to 104 degrees typically and you are starting to get the lovely drift of my disease.
Ill skip the details and get right to point. The Lord used it to bring me to the end of myself.
You see I have this problem of always wanting to be strong. Wanting to eliminate weaknesses that I have. From the very beginning of World Race training the Lord has been trying to get across to me,
“Stop thinking you have to be strong for this trip Nate. Its not your strength that will get you through the year. Stop striving to be strong and let me be strong in you.”
This illness brought me to my ultimate breaking point. I mean I broke down.
Physically, mentally, spiritually. I broke down.
But the Lord was bringing me to the end of myself. Showing me that I must look to Him for all my strength and to stop holding onto my pride and belief in my own strength.
He also used it to teach me to trust the body of Christ that He has put around me. I was completely dependent on those He has put around me. And I had nothing to offer back, I just had to accept help.
Also something difficult for a prideful male to do. But I must be able to trust and look to the Body of Christ.
Iquitos was an absolute blessing from God.
Highlights:
*American Food at a restaurant in town.
*An amazing church to partner with who we bonded with so well. So much that they did a big send off for us at the airport!
*Teaching classes to local pastors and church members and watching God bless the socks off of it.
*Seeing the missions team from T Bar M camps in Texas (Where I spent my last 3 summers). And being able to visit the camp they are building in Peru.
*Deeper relationships with my teamates.
*Catching a local soccer game.
*Most importantly, God teaching me that learning to be a selfless lover and servant are the most important things of this trip.
And finally………Cochabamba, Bolivia.
That’s right…..we finally left Peru! This place has been such a blessing. The weather is cool and there are mountains all around. In fact we are sitting at 8,000 feet above sea level, which is actually a step down from where we spent de-brief – La Paz- which is 14,000 feet above sea level.
We are partnering with a local organization here that builds orphanages. We have one week here in Cochabamba helping paint and play with the kids. And then two weeks of construction in the Bolivian rainforest helping build another orphanage.
And then off to Africa on April 15th!!!!!
For deeper intimacy with Christ
For wisdom to understand all He is teaching me.
Enjoy this amazing You Tube Video………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GIPTMzQ9vo
This is Jen, Me and Andi swinging away at the Christ the Redeemer Statue.
Me at the Christ the Redeemer Statue.
I will be in the Bolivian Rainforest for the next weeks…….so internet time might be sketchy. Just to let you all know.
