First, thank you, thank you, thank you for all your prayers, supportive words and financial support over the past couple years!
Sadly my journey with the World Race has come to a close, but God is working and moving in exciting new ways! In fact, He has me living in San Francisco as missionary a now, and I have a whole new need of prayer and encouragement! If you are interested in staying in touch with this new journey, I have a new blog! http://sfmissionary.wordpress.com
I am called to have the same passion, anointing and effect on my mission field as Heidi Baker in Mozambique. I am called to live in peace AND in power amidst immense poverty, corruption and spirit of suicide - against all odds and loss of possessions/friends/comforts. I am called to bring the Presence of God- and testimony of Jesus Christ to the lost and destitute. Just like the past 1.5 years of living in the 3rd world, I should be good at this!
Only I have been called to one of the most affluent, independent and spiritually unaware cities in the world. The darkness is no lighter than the slums of Africa. The debauchery just as blatant as Sodom. The presence of evil is no less than in the hidden brothels of Southeast Asia. But here most people live in abundance, without any known physical need, without being poor in spirit, with an answer for all their existential questions.
I feel like an only child here. Like a leper and a freak. Totally weird, totally different.
I guess thats been my prayer, huh? But now that I'm here I can't stop asking...
How do I do this?
How do I LIVE OUT what I have come to know as the absolute truth- in a place where people don't have "time" for it?
Their aching need for a Savior is looking me in the face and crying out, yet there is no recognition of it.
How do I maintain my focus on the Lord with the billion distractions, options and temptations? Without a community? Cuz it's hard.
But I don't have to have the answers.
I guess that's what God meant when He said " My grace is sufficient"? H
Song: Underoath - Desolate Earth... The End is Here
"You said there was nothing left down here
Well I roamed around the wasteland
And I swear I found something
I found hope, I found God
I found the dreams of the believers
Oh, God! Save us all" - Underoath
How often do we go through life not thinking twice about all we are blessed with. It is nothing to turn on the sink or a light switch, choose what we want to eat or drink, or determine the most ideal temperature of our house year round... I know this sounds like I am beating on a drum that every missionary beats on, but how many times do we need to beat on it for it to actually set in...? This is a video shot at a garbage dump we visited in Nicaragua. There are people living here and sifting through trash just to make ends meet. We decided to put our money together and bless these people with water, food, and etc. It might just be enough to get them through a few days, but a few days of food and the knowledge that God loves them, beats a lifetime of food and a life wasted on selfishness. One thing I love about God is that He is not to good to for the desolate.
Support Me and help me continue the journey of change that God has me on!
This is a blog by one of our racers Rachel Iverson. She is in Honduras at the ministry I just blogged about.
Her name is Sandra. She has dark brown hair and skin, and gorgeous blue-green eyes. She is sitting on a curb in the heat of the day behind a dumpster doing her homework. She is with her grandmother Germina, who makes a living by picking through the things other people throw away. She takes out the things that can be recycled (plastic bottles, paper, cans) because the recycling place will give her money for them. This is actually an organized system where different people pick through the garbage in different places. But while earning this money, she has to pick through bags of maggots, flies, rotted food, and other revulsions.
Sandra does not know how old she is or when her birthday is because she does not have a birth certificate, though her grandmother says she is 11. It is her first year in school and she has learned to draw circles, then letters and now is working writing simple words. She is excited to learn and proud of her work, though it is hard for her. She had not been in school because her family could not afford the tuition, and is now attending classes because she has received a sponsorship.
She has a large and complex interconnected family with many problems of poverty and illness. She witnesses countless boys pass that are high on paint thinner, including her 16-year-old cousin Christopher, who is spending this month getting clean and is going through withdrawal. Yet her grandmother professes faith in God, and Sandra too says she goes to church and knows Jesus. She does not complain about the smell or the heat, but leans lovingly on my arm, sipping a coke and snacking on some bread.
I have seen poverty before, but to see the daily living conditions of this sweet innocent little girl still crushes me. I want to help; I want to save them, to make their lives better. But I am not the Savior. Jesus came to save the least, the lost, and the lonely. The street kids who everyone else says are hopeless. Sandra and her grandmother as they spend their day in a dumpster in a parking lot.
This month in Honduras, I had the pleasure of spending 10 days with two of our teams on a farm just outside the capitol city of Tegucigalpa. It was an incredible time of watching the fruit of a ministry that is SO close to the Father's heart, well, it IS the Father's heart.
Tony Deien and his wife Nidia have the unique ministry of loving addicted, abandoned, hopeless, street kids into a new life in Christ. In Los Pinos, one of the hardest/unsafe barrios in Honduras, most young boys here live a life of addiction to sniffing paint thinner, sleeping in dumpters and a lifestyle of desperation. Many come from one-parent families, no-parent families or drug addicted, unconcerned families. Tony has spent the past several years getting to know the boys ( and thier families) of the Los Pinos and a few have allowed him in enough to trust his as a father figure. Tony has a very specific way of winning their hearts: He loves them and doesn't ever leave them. Even when they emotionally and physically abuse him out of brokenness, he stands firm, reminds them that he is not going anywhere and empowers them to make the choices for their own life. Right now, there are two street kids living on his farm, in the house with him and his wife. The rules are, for a month you don't get to go home for any reason, you get clean from your addictions, do work/chores around the property and become a part of the family. Henry, an 18 year old ex- street kid has been living with them since January, its his permanent residence. He has been clean for months, is going to school, and just got baptized 4 days ago, on his birthday, while we were there. He calls Tony and Nidia his mama y padre. And they call him their son.
There were 5 or so other young boys at the house while we were there, Christofer being the only one who has been invited to live there for the month and get clean ( he's been there for a week and a half now). The others haven't made the decision to leave the lifestyle yet, although they are welcome to come visit the farm for a couple days at a time. A handful of these boys have come to the Lord in the past few months and 5 were baptized alongside Henry on his birthday ( along with 4 of my racers too !). It was quiet the event.
Its absolutely amazing to see the impact Tony has had on these boys, just by being a Father to them. Just by having the unconditional love OUR Father has for them. What an example to the world and what a reminder to us as the carriers of God's love and presence.
It
thought I was going to leave Peru without falling in love with it. Then we
ended up in a tiny mountain community, Patacocha, 7 hours east of Lima and that
changed altogether. It was one of the hardest places I've had to say goodbye to
in the past 2 years.
It was such a huge difference from the sandy,
desert-like area of Trujillo. Nestled in the mountains, surrounded by Lord of
the Rings-type scenery, Patacocha is a village of 200 or so people who work
hard in the land they own. Until recently, no one there knew of Jesus. Only in
the past couple years- even months have a handful of children, families and
elderly learned of their Savior and entered His family. I was blessed with the
privilege of visiting and ministering to one of the handful a couple of days
before we left.
Two
girls from my squad (Alli and Char), 2 Peruvian Christian gals and myself
trekked up the mountainside to a home of a beautiful elderly woman just before
lunch.As we approached I noticed the
typical variety of livestock/foul/sheep grazing and clucking in the grass, the
usual sheep skin/hide hanging on a rope to dry in the sun, and the smell of an
outhouse. But as we came further along the path, the trees opened up and we saw
a panorama of the mountains and surrounding valley, basking in the warm morning
sunshine. I wish I had a photo that even remotely captured the beauty, but I just don't.
All
of us Ladies sat on the grassy slope in front yard of her home admiring the
valley and chatting about life while the sweetest breeze blew gently around us.
At 78 years old, she came to know Jesus. She is 78 now. And as she talked about
all the things the Lord has been doing in her life, her eyes ran over with
tears of gratitude. I felt the presence of God so heavily during our conversation;
it hit me like a waterfall. At that moment I had a sort of out-of-body
experience, taking it all in. There were so many thoughts and so many emotions
but mostly I remember realizing, this is what its all about.
Its
about one elderly woman (whose name I don't even know, but God does) in a tiny
mountain town in Peru, coming to know the God who loves her more than His very
life after 78 years of not.We didn't
see thousands of people weeping at a crusade, we didn't watch 50 Africans in
one day say the prayer repentance, but we did witness a precious child of God
coming back to the heart of her Father. This is what life is all about!This is what Jesus was/is all about. The one.
No matter how young or old or "nameless" or quiet or far away- these are the children
of God and these are the ones He died for.
It's
all so obvious and so simple I know, but as the revelation hit me I really understood its importance to
God, maybe for the first time ever. And as I did, I became overwhelmed with
what a privilege the last year and a half of my life has been.
There
have been lots of moments of impatience, discomfort, sickness and brokenness in
my journey and a handful of discouragements too. Yet the moments that matter
are the ones like this one. Sitting on a mountainside, in a jungle home, in an
African field, a shack in Romania, on a stool in a Thai bar or in a restaurant
in Turkey with the one Godsent me for. One who has lived their
lives without knowing the truth about who they are and whom they belong to.
This is why the Lord sends us to the nations.
I
have 26 more days on this World Race journey I've been on for the last year and
a half. Of course in this too there are so many thoughts and emotions. But as
the end of this season draws near I'm truly recognizing what a Holy honor it
has been to be a part of all these moments. It is no small thing to see what I
have seen. To go where I have gone. I am so in awe and I am so humbled.
You see, world racers start dreaming and having at length of conversations about foods back home-mostly meals sans rice. Last month we had rice 57 times, I'm not even joking, believe me my body wishes I was...
Most of these conversations I have to admit include BACON, crunchy, glorious, burnt bacon dipped in Nutella, in caramel, in syrup, dipped in anything or standing alone, sitting on a plate, laying in its glimmering grease, displaying itself in all its beauty, Mmmm.
On that note, (or really, the best way I know how to segway here) we don't want our squad mate Megan to have to go home to experience Dennys by herself in the states- we want her HERE, eating rice, praising God, preaching the word of God, working hard-I have been hanging with Miss. Megan a lot lately and I have been so incredibly impressed by her character. Earlier this month her backpack with all her electronics were stolen, it didn't phase her: she pushed past it and is one of the hardest workers I know and she pushes us harder and further by leading the charge most days by example working without complaint and choosing joy in every situation. She is a great woman of God, that adds so much to her team.
Would you please prayerfully consider helping Megan stay on the World Race, and finish what the Lord has asked her to do?! She needs $2,000 by APRIL 1st or she is going back to the United States! You can donate to sweet Megan here:http://tinyurl.com/4cdbe6g or visit her blog to learn more here meganthomas.theworldrace.org
Megan is not the only racer from our squad who is in need of support to continue this trip. Char Matz, another one of our irreplaceable young missionaries needs $4000 dollars by the end of this month or she will be on a plane back to the States. Please prayfully consider supporting her and US who desperately need her here! Support her by going here: http://charmatz.theworldrace.org/ and clicking SUPPORT ME.
"Creation waits
with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.... For we know that the whole
creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now...(Romans 8)
In the last two years especially there has been urgent
evidence of the groaning of Gods creation: Haiti, Chile, Egypt, numerous
natural disasters on U.S. soil, now Japan. Many have coined 2011 as the year of transition; and I
believe it is exactly that. And in transition there is necessary shifting. I
believe we will see much more groaning and shifting in our world this year. And
we, the sons of God, are the answer. The real followers of Christ, the children
of the Most High, WE are the light of the world.
God has been raising up His people. He has been building an
army of lovers and of truth speakers. He has been endowing us with more of His
mind and heart so that we can testify of His goodness, righteousness and peace. In the past two years, I have gone through some fantastic
transitions of my own. I remember in December of 2008, lying in my darkened
bedroom in San Francisco crying out to God to save me. I was tired of all the
crap my life had lead to. I hoped there was more to my existence.I was so far past my wits end that I
was ready to throw it all away if God didn't show up and do something. But He
did. He came and picked up my brokenness and took me into His
healing embrace. The Holy One who created the WORLD, came to my rescue. Because
that is what He does.
Now, the Lord is revealing us, the Redeemed sons of
God to our broken world. Let us advertise our redemption!
So this is a call brothers and sisters in Christ- young and
old-.... this is OUR time. This is our time to testify to the true character of
our mighty God. To give out what we have freely received! To bring the Kingdom
of heaven, and the power of the Holy Spirit every place our feet tread, to
choose the narrow path, to swim against the current. To stand against the lies
the world believes and show them the truth. To be joyful in the face of
destruction and to stand firm while the earth buckles beneath us.Creation is waiting for us, with
eager longing.
So let us arise and shine for our light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon
us. Darkness covers
the earth and a thick darkness over the peoples, but the LORD is
rising upon usand
His glory will be seen upon us. Nations will come to our light and kings to the brightness
of our RISING (Isaiah 60). This
is a promise, not a hope. This is a call, not a request! Lets fulfill our
destinies.
Peru has been nothing like I thought it would be. I think I
imagined everything like Machu Picchu style up in the green mountains- all
indigenous and colorful. I am sure many have experienced Peru that way. But we
are in a city called Trujillo, which is literally surrounded by desert and is
20 minutes from the beach. I can't complain, I LOVE the coast.
Bethany and I spent our first couple nights at the beach
recouping from the mass amount of travel all month in Ecuador and the 2
overnight buses it took to get here. It was quite literally a breath of fresh
air to have no humidity and the smell of the salty sea surrounding us. Ahhhhhh.
Its funny how the ocean brings everything back into perspective for me. Our
second day at the beach, the Tsunami warnings hit and we had to head to higher
ground, so since then we have been "city" living. Leaving the beach was hard,
but spending time with the teams has been amazing.It's the best job in the world to support the work the Lord
is doing in them. And it is mighty!!! It is blowing my mind. They are not even
the same people as they were a month ago. And neither am I.
I am being stretched and pulled in SO many ways. Most of
which I didn't realize I needed to be grown in.God has been working out a lot of issues with rejection and
fear and bringing my dependence back to Him. He is strengthening my weak heart
and binding me to Himself further in trust and allegiance. He keeps entrusting
more and more to me, even while I am being rebuilt. It's incredibly humbling,
but I feel empowered too!I feel
like I am a tree that is sprouting more and more branches everyday; big and
bushy and thriving and my roots are being pushed further and further into
fertile soil.Its uncomfortable
and painful at times, but so worth it all.These changes and growth are so hard to articulate because
they are happening in my heart, but I only hope the fruit will be evident as
return and I get to see you all again.
Please keep us all in your prayers as we press on this month
in Peru. I am anticipating big things for these guys, for myself and for the
world. I will keep updating as time flows on.
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