Mission Accomplished

I had two big goals for this trip in West Africa. One was briefly mentioned in the last post: to listen. Serving as a bridge between the church on two continents, I wanted to hear the stories of people not like me, which happened naturally with no effort on my part.

The other goal was simply to enjoy Africa. Because our work is with families in crisis, so many of the stories we tell are full of tragedies. (See the last post, for example.) We don't want this country to be known for its hardships but for the greater story of its friendship and laughter. 

To enjoy Africa and to listen to their stories: both of these hopes were realized with no effort on my part. Both are the natural overflow of life there, and I am thrilled to get to share them with you....

Titus brought his own fun with this portable ping-pong set that can turn any table into a tournament.

Here he is playing with our language teacher, who has been a close friend since 2014. 

When visiting with the friend pictured below I said, "If the whole trip was for this one afternoon, it was worth it."  Even stuck with extra days in the capital, it wasn't enough. 

We left wishing for more time to visit friends.

We ate as many mangoes as we possibly could.

Anne's actual words were, "Can we move here and eat riz gras at this restaurant every day?"

Daniel had friends cheering for him as he read his book in Braille.

If we boiled the trip down to a chance for me to listen and to enjoy Africa, then the whole story can be said in two words: Mission Accomplished.

Breaking news!

Let us interrupt the barely begun trip reflections to talk about this breaking news!

Philip just got a phone call from our ministry leader, who was dancing around the office, to tell us the ministry was given a rather large gift today:

That's right, it's a cow. We have received chickens before, we have received guinea fowl. But this is our first cow. 

The cow is a gift from a father whose son recently graduated from the formula ministry. In his thankfulness, he provided this cow to sell so that the funds can help other babies and families in crisis.

On our recent trip we marked eleven years since our first visit to this country. All that's come since with the ministry, the friendships, the growth of our worldview, the faith journey, none of that was on our radar back in 2011. Had you asked, we would have said none of it was realistic, practical, or viable. But as Walter Brueggemann says, "We need ask not whether it is realistic or practical or viable but whether it is imaginable."

Today we got a phone call from an African friend dancing around to tell us we'd received the gift of a cow from the thankful father. I'm so glad we didn't stop at what made sense in our little world at each step of the way. We are in awe of a God whose goodness is all around.

As the Words Come

"Too many words about God - too much talking, reading,

and listening about God - can disenchant our faith.

We trade a relationship with God for knowledge about God.

But life with God isn't a test; it's a love affair."

-Richard Beck, Hunting Magic Eels

Just like last time I dropped off the face of the blog-planet, I have really good reason, I promise.

Our whole family got to spend two weeks in the country that we love in West Africa.

There is an idealism in Christian mission that likes to imagine our traveling to distant lands and unfamiliar routines is a sacrifice we make for our love of God. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Everything about this trip was Him pouring out love on us.

I want to hold in the stories because they are sacred and I don't trust my words, but I also want you to have been there, beside me in this other world full of friendship and laughter and striking poverty and hard awakenings. The tingling of new dreams surprised us, the culture stress brought out the worst in us, and we only cried when we had to leave.

Pull up a chair and I'll tell you all about it, as the words come.

Treasury of Faith Journey Stories: Spiritual Health

 What have you learned about spiritual health and well-being?
(Answered by Philip)

What does it mean that God's power is perfected in our weakness?  While I depend on others much smarter than me to breakdown II Corinthians 12:9, I can testify to one way I have seen this in my life. 

Before moving overseas, our missionary training instructors had us try drawing a picture using our non-dominate hand.  For me this meant grabbing a pencil with my left hand, and spending several minutes in frustration.  I enjoy doodling and drawing, and I KNEW my picture would be so much better if I just switched hands.  This exercise ended up being a powerful reminder as we started adjusting to a different culture in West Africa.  All of life felt like trying to draw with our weak hands (and as my wife says, sometimes it felt like drawing with our left feet), and the only way to switch to "our dominate hand" would be to get on a plane and head back to the States.

In this context, the phrase, "Father, help!" came easily and often to my lips.  Throughout our years on the field and in my now regular trips back there, my prayer life became a natural constant conversation with our Father all throughout the day.  I looked constantly in the Word for His truths to set my sights on.  As I was ever aware of my weakness, I automatically looked to His strength to come through.  And it did.  He has remained faithful through the most difficult situations.  

Now most of life is played out back in my passport culture of the USA.  Feeling competent here, I began noticing myself looking first to Google for answers instead of crying to God!  I have learned that when feeling strong I must be more intentional with my regular spiritual disciplines in order to maintain the same connection and dependence on our Father.  These are the same disciplines that drew me close to Him in the first place, causing me to follow Him to a place where I would be aware of my weakness.

Do you sense God inviting you to something that would be well over your head?  Move forward with the discernment of your faith community, KNOWING that when you cannot depend on your strength God is perfecting His power in you.  ANTICIPATE a wonderful season of spiritual growth as you depend on Him more fully in the midst of the struggles.  

My prayer is that we can all arrive at such maturity that we proclaim verse 10 with confidence: "That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

A Treasury of Faith Journey Stories: Your Pain, Suffering, and Hardships

What have you learned about faith from your pain, suffering, and hardships?

Coming off the spiritual high of the adoption, we thought God would continue to lead us in these miraculous ways. Then he invited us to make a home on the edge of the Sahara Desert where I didn't just not know how to find food, I didn't even know how to recognize what is food. I described that first year in Africa as our family being beat upon jagged rocks. God violated our expectations, but he did not violate what He told us to expect.

He didn't say in this world you will have vacations, yummy food, air conditioning, and medical care. He said in this world you will have trouble AND to count it all joy. There were times I questioned if I even wanted a God like that. 

I quit singing, "You're a good, good Father." Immersed in poverty, there were too many times He didn't do 'enough.' Knowing the provision we experience in America, I couldn't reconcile with the poverty all around me. If you had an earthly father with two children who every day gave a granola bar to one and at the same time offered a buffet to the other, repeatedly, there is no way you would say he was a good father.

But we also saw treasures. We saw an unreached village learn of Jesus through a baby they had rejected. We saw God interrupt tragedy time and again. Enough unbelievable stories led us believe life is meant to be lived straddling survival mode and the supernatural. 

When a baby died and with angry, hot tears I cried, "You didn't do enough for her," he tenderly convicted me with the words, "I was her." 

The lesson of faith, especially for us in affluent societies, is that our faith is not just in the One who cares for the poor and the hurting but in the One who identifies himself among them. 

A Treasury of Faith Journey Stories: Other People

How have other people helped you along the way?

This is a fun story from when Operation Christmas Child boxes came to our remote church in West Africa. (Side note: Those boxes arrive in April and have nothing to do with Christmas there. That is a good thing. But that is another story for another time.) 

We had nothing to do with bringing the Operation Christmas Child boxes to the church. They came through a connection the church had long before we arrived. Still, we didn't want to be mistakenly credited with the goodies, so we scooted our family to the back wall where we could watch the distribution without being seen as a part of it. We wanted the church leaders to get full credit for the gifts they had arranged. Subconsciously, we were also identifying ourselves with the givers. We had packed boxes like this before and now we were thrilled to be witnessing the distribution end of it.

But those church leaders saw us back there and said, "No, no, you come up here. These boxes are for the children of the church and the community. Your kids ARE kids of this church."

They sent us home with three Operation Christmas Child boxes. 

We may not have needed the washcloths or the pencils inside, and yet we treasured those boxes as much as anyone. Those boxes represented the gift of BELONGING. When we were the alien and the stranger, this church took us in. 

A Treasury of Faith Journey Stories: Scripture

 What Scripture have you clung to?

Living in a high-risk country, there were occasionally what we called "security flare-ups." During one of these times, I woke up before the rest of the family and that morning I felt like getting on an airplane with my kids. Philip could figure out what it meant for the ministry and the future, but I needed to get my kids out of there.

Not wanting make any rash decisions, I thought, "No, I'm going to read the story of David and Goliath and remember we have a great big God."

Flipping there, my eye caught the heading to 1 Kings 19, "Elijah Flees to Horeb." 

I wonder what God has to say about running away in fear? Was he disappointed in Elijah? Maybe mad because Elijah had just witnessed that whole Mount Carmel episode?

When I got to verse seven, I was in tears as the angel of the Lord said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."

"I know, Lord, I know," I prayed. "The journey is too much for me."

God is not mad! He knows he's asked more than what Elijah has to give, so he feeds him until he has the strength to make it to the mountain of God. Then, when Elijah recounts all the hardships he's faced, in a lengthy desperate list, God does not deny it or defend Himself. He offers Elijah a spacial invitation of Himself.

In the midst of fleeing for his life, Elijah received an invitation to divine intimacy.

It's okay to run. He won't be mad.

When I went looking for a pep rally in David and Goliath, I found permission to flee in Elijah. 

With that foundation of permission to flee if needed, I was able to make a home in that high-risk environment another two years.