Most of you know that my journey is different than the rest of the World Race Squads. Normally, a squad receives daily instructions from the host organization in each country. Their tasks may include manual labor, teaching English, preaching, kids programs, home visits and much more. My squad doesn’t receive daily tasks from a host organization. We obtain our daily instructions from God and see where He leads. This requires paying attention and constantly asking the Lord what is on His heart.
The last three months has taught us how to hear the voice of God and rely on God for our direction in life. We find where God is working in each country, and join in on what He is already doing. With this flexibility, we are able to meet new people and go where God leads us—serving those who wouldn’t be noticed normally. This lifetime experience has taught me life is ministry and ministry is life. I’ve realized that I am not on a mission trip. I am living life for Jesus.
Living for Jesus is always an adventure. You never know where he will take you or who you will meet, but one thing I know for sure, it’s anything but boring.
One afternoon, we received terrible news about an accident in Korah, Ethiopia, which was located 20 minutes from us. There was a landslide in a dump and it killed around 200 people. An interesting fact is that news around the world reported different facts. The media reported that only 50 people died. It’s crazy how if I was in Angola or the USA, I would not be aware that the death toll was worse than the news reported. This issue opened my eyes to the fact that we think we know what’s going on around the world but we are clueless. I only knew the whole story because I was in the affected country.
My team and I decided to move closer to the site so we could help the families affected in any way we could. Being close was challenging because there were cops everywhere, and the government wouldn’t allow anyone to go to the dump. According to the locals, the government didn’t want pictures in the media and for people to know what truly happened.
After a couple of days, we made local friends and were able to visit the dump more often. The first time we visited, it was very hard. The air was rich with the scent of trash and chemicals used to burn the trash. Also, bodies were trapped under the trash. The hardest part was meeting the families affected.
I met Paul, whose whole family died and he survived only because he wasn’t home. When the incident happened, he was arriving home so he saw the landslide and watched his family die. He was suddenly an orphan, and had lost friends and neighbors. He was completely alone in the world, and was homeless.
I felt privileged to simply listen to Paul, and blessed that the Lord trusted and chose me to talk to him. I was also overwhelmed with the situation. I asked the Lord, “What can I give to this man? What can I say?”
Then I realized I had the most important gift—I had the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul needed peace and I knew the author of peace. I told him about Jesus and shared that He is near to the broken hearted.
I left Ethiopia that day so I don’t know how Paul’s story ends. I don’t know if Paul gave his life to Christ. But I do know that God loves Paul, and He is pursuing him. My prayer is that Paul accepts Christ.
One of the hardest parts of my journey is that sometimes, I don’t know the whole story. But, one thing I have learned is that I’m excited whether I’m planting or sowing. This is not for me, it’s for the Kingdom so whatever part He asks me to play, I AM ALL IN.
