So, I have returned from the birthplace of coffee. My family was happy that I came bearing many gifts. However, I have very few pictures. That was a disappointment to many. But, never fear, Erica took many, so talk to her for the visual experience of a life time. Or at least the best you'll get from this trip. I did manage to steal a few from her and Sarah. If you'd like to view a nice video, visit our trip blog. David did a great job.
This post is not really about pictures, though, so I will move on. On Thursday, I went to the meeting for the Christian group on my campus and our leader approached me about sharing a testimony about the trip. Immediately, my face turned red, my palms began to sweat, and my heart rate increased. So, of course, I said what anyone would in my position, "Um... uh.. OK." I then went on to explain to him that I wasn't sure what he wanted me to say, or what I could say about the trip. His idea of clarification was, "Just tell how God is moving." Hmmm... I don't know what you would have done, but if you do, let me know because next Thursday, I will be standing in front of a jury of my peers explaining how God is moving in Ethiopia.
So now, I have to answer the question I really hadn't asked God yet. So I began to pray,
God, how are you moving in Ethiopia? And I kept praying, and well, God hasn't really told me the answer to that one yet; so I don't think that's what I am going to talk about next week.
You see, I'm sure if you poled the 24 different people on the trip, you would get 24 different answers on how God is moving in Ethiopia. You would also get 24 answers on how God has used this trip to move in the lives of those individuals. So, I'm going to do my best to address my own answer to those questions.
First of all, there is no doubt in my mind that God is at work in Ethiopia. I believe God loves every orphan and street child very much. I believe He is grieved by the prostitutes and the slaves. I believe He is excited to work through the willing hearts of His people there (and here) to make a difference in that country. I believe it so strongly, that I am very honored to have been a small part of it, and would love to see many more people allow God to use them in His work there.
Secondly, I believe God is working just as much right here in Arizona. I believe there are just as many people in my area that need the love of Christ as there are on the streets of Addis. Their physical needs may not be the same, but their spiritual needs are just as real. And God is just as real here as He is there.
Now, I hope I have not offended anyone involved in foreign missions by this statement. My point was in no way to belittle the importance of us meeting the urgent needs of the people I met in Ethiopia. Indeed we are called to serve God by meeting the physical needs of those less fortunate than us. I simply want to clarify that if you do not feel overly burdened to leave the country and surround yourself with orphans that does not exclude you from being part of God's work. There must be someone to share the good news with the rich man as well as the orphan.
Also, some of God's work here is to shake up the church, or as Erica said, "To light a fire." God is working in the hearts of many "Western" Christians to give us an awareness of the needs of our brothers and sisters around the world. And I am very glad to be part of the group chosen to go so that I might return to share. In this way God is moving universally to unite His people across the nation and around the globe. It is very exciting, for the needs are great, but our God is greater. That is something He proved to me on this trip over, and over, and over again.
Finally, God is at work in me. Through this trip He has shown me a little more of who He is. He is, in a very tangible way, a Father to the fatherless. He is a Strong Tower, a Shelter. He is the Great Provider, financially, emotionally, spiritually, and physiologically. He provided money. He held back many tears. He provided faith. And He healed sickness.
Through this trip, God also showed me a little more of who I am. And who I am not. Some of this was encouraging. Some of it was heartbreaking. And some of it was downright terrifying. You see, for awhile, I have known God has called me to live the life of full time ministry. There are parts of that I find really exciting. In church, people love that person, and I truly cannot imagine a more enjoyable or rewarding life than one spent serving God as a career.
However, God has asked me to sacrifice a few specific things that I don't want to give up. Some things that are very near and dear to me. He has promised me that He will fulfill the desires of my heart if I follow Him. He has promised that His plans are so much greater than mine that I can't even imagine them. But the price He has asked me to pay at times has seemed just too high.
I didn't tell anyone, but I was about to give up, and give in to my own desires and put God's plan on hold. I just didn't think I had what it takes to follow God into this scary world of ministry. Then, I put God to the test. Not once, but twice. I asked Him to prove Himself to me and through me.
I would not recommend my course of action to anyone. It is a scary thing to test the Almighty. It puts your spirit through great turmoil that takes toll on every aspect of your being. But if you follow my bad example, know this: God
is faithful. Even when you fail Him, and test Him, and refuse to submit, God is undeniably faithful. And He
will prove Himself. But
never on your terms. And that is what He did for me.
You see, God is alive and moving. Here, in a small community just outside Phoenix. And half way across the world in a city swarming with homeless and abandoned children. And God is the same here and there. And He will always be faithful to Himself, and to His people.
And that is how God is moving.
