Open: free of obstructions to sight, movement, and flow
When we arrived in Kazakhstan, we were still two days travel from our home for the month. After unloading from the Cargo Ship at midnight, we passed through security and customs and into the land of Horses. (and horse meat. Yeah, we tried it and I thought it was actually pretty tasty – when served with potatoes). Then, we found a hotel to stay the morning before boarding a train the following night.
This train—was a slow train. The rhythmic clunking of the wheels on the tracks kept beat to the speed of my thoughts. Time passed slowly and quickly. Prayers and conversations with God and each other filled the time as we drifted across the open land. The locals on the train were sure to make us feel welcome and invite us to all of their tea parties. The view out the window slowly changed from flat brown steppe to snow covered empty space. It was as if someone had taken a white board off the classroom wall and stretched it across the earth. Flat. Wide. White.
Then, suddenly, after 40 hours on a train, out of the flat steppe emerged tall skyscrapers each with a unique design. Round curves, sharp corners, tall and pointy, round and squatty. A complete variety and buffet of architectural display. This is Astana. Astana was modern and sleek compared to the surrounding villages of Kazakhstan. Most of Kazakhstan was old soviet structures and homes showing their age in the middle of steppe landscapes. But Astana was bright, shiny, and cold.
It was coooooooold. The wind felt like the winds of Wyoming with the bitter cold of home in South Dakota. Below zero was a regular occurrence. Once, it stretched above 40 and Eli broke out the shorts proclaiming “This is a lake day! Where is the beach!” The frigid temperature made anything warm enough to melt the ice feel hot by comparison.
This month I learned being open builds trust, asking questions opens hearts, and wide-open spaces creates for lots of wind. I never spent more than a week in any one location as I jumped from city to city to meet new friends and help where help was needed. It was amazing to meet so many friends in such a short time. My only regret was not having more time to spend with each new community we met but God would use me in a different way this month.
“Open Doors.” This is the task God gave me for the month. Open doors to future ministry. Literally open doors to serve others. Open doors to conversation with your team. Open doors to friendship. Open doors to their hearts for my word. Write a story. Being open physically or in heart doesn’t mean everything is visible and thrown in a mess on the table. It means creating an environment free of walls and obstruction. Creating space for the free flow of ideas, feelings, people, objects, or, sometimes annoyingly, wind. While I object to not having enough obstructions to block the wind. Having obstructions to ministry or authenticity or the Holy Spirit (sometimes referred to as a wind) don’t need to exist. They need to flow freely. Even though Kazakhstan has rules stopping the free flow of the gospel, God showed me how to open doors to allow conversations with friends and plant seeds in others lives. I’m grateful and thankful for His Spirit going before us and showing us the path. When we walk with Him, we flow. Though confusing, the path is still free and moving. In the right time, Fruit will be produced.
As I looked out over the flat landscapes of Kazakhstan I prayed hearts would also look the same. Unobstructed. Open to hearing of the Father’s love. Wild, free, untamed, and alive just like the horses that run across the beautiful prairies of Kazakhstan. Open to the wind of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
With Faith, Hope, and Love
Nathan
