“My momma always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where they go, where they’ve been. I’ve worn lots of shoes, I bet if I think about it real hard I can remember my first pair of shoes.” - Forrest Gump

I was cleaning up my room and hanging my shoes on the shoe rack that hangs on the back of my bedroom door. I wanted them off the floor because they seemed to be scattered all about and I was tired of coming up one shoe short! Once I finally looked at the array of shoes hanging, I had to laugh. Based on what I saw before me on my shoe rack, not only did it make me laugh, but it also made me realize how true Mama Gump’s words were – that you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes! Where they go…where they been…

Here is my shoe rack!

My shoes range from heels (that I pretty much only wear for church), to flats (what I wear to church, before I change into heels), to running, cycling and rock climbing shoes (yes, I hang these with the other “important shoes”). And in between all of these are the comfy-casual-everyday shoes and of course, my beloved Chaco sandals!!

Most of these shoes have stories behind them, from how they were purchased and how long I looked for the best sale online. Some of them have ventured to different states, different countries and climbed various mountains. Some I’ve purchased from the thrift store (please don’t be grossed-out…sometimes you gotta make do with what you have!) and some were even given to me from friends as hand-me-downs (I love when friends clean out their closets and you get to inherit their stuff). It’s crazy to me to think YES, our shoes can say a lot about us!

I chose 2 of my faves and decided to write a blurp about them, in hopes, if ANY willing soul is as cheesey as me, to write about a pair of their own (or 2 or 3). Take a picture if you can or just describe what kind of shoe, what history with them and any other information you’d like to share : ) I think this could be fun, and maybe we’ll find out what our shoes may say about us or the places we’ve been…

Pair #1

Chaco Z2 sandal

This is what I love about these sandals – bought them when I lived in Wyoming back in 2003 (and still wear ‘em), wore them a ton while I worked on a ranch out there and did a hike up the Teton trail that led to a beautiful hidden lake, just shy of the summit. Can’t remember the name of the trail though…but it was beautiful! Wyoming holds a special place in my heart for MANY reasons and it was a wonderful season before I moved to Chicago, so these sandals make me think on that time. These sandals have traveled with me out west, back to the east, and are in the Midwest now. I’ve been through Guatemala, Honduras and played with the precious children in Malawi, Africa. Oh the places these sandals have been. My only warning regarding these:  be careful wearing them too much in the sun or you’ll get a tan line in the shape of a Z on the top of your foot! (wouldn’t recommend wearing these before standing in a wedding…learned that the hard way)

Pair #2

Beloved cowboy boots

These shoes take me to a happy place…mmmm. Yes, I live in Chicago and yes, I bought them while living in Chicago but I’ve always loved cowboy boots. When I was a little girl, my mom would put my hair in pig-tails, with a denim skirt and whatever shirt I could find. I would then ROCK the cowboy boots, which were usually on the wrong feet and the toes pointed out to alert my mother and she’d have to fix them, every time. Thankfully, I have figured out all that by now : ) and can freely adore these shoes. I think they can spruce up any casual outfit and I absolutely love wearing them with dark flare jeans. I also enjoy wearing them when playing guitar for Children’s Church, so I can stay away from high-heels since there’s just enough of a heel to feel “dressy”. Plus,  when you’re jumping around like crazy, it’s important to stay as close to the ground as possible : ) and a cowboy boot heel isn’t too much! Who knows, maybe one day I can sneak them under a fancy white dress as I walk down an aisle…that would be bliss!

So if your shoes could say something about you, I wonder what they’d say?

But I will try…

The last 7 months, God has been doing a “new thing” in me. It’s been a series of internal battles – the ones of the mind/heart – and they’ve kept me clueless at times but most assuredly, kept me near Him. Try as I may, I have earnestly tried putting all the pieces of the “why’s” and “how’s” and the “what the??!!” together and have only landed in the same place, over and over and over again….

In His grace and His presence. 

I have far more questions than answers, far more moments of silence than clarity and far more greater depths of peace and joy in the moments of each day. I cannot get into all that’s been going on, but I know I’m not the only one who feels the strain and beauty of this life. Gathered into this season more recently, is the passing of one of my best friends, Christen Ringle. My eyes well with tears typing that, because never would I have thought those words would be on this blog. Yet even in the midst of  all this, there again is that indescribable peace. 

It’s a new season – I Am doing a new thing ~

This is what God spoke to my heart just before the new year and I believe He’s awakening my soul to greater places of grace and peace.

With this new year and the new thing being done on the inside, there’s been a change in my perspective and hence, the change in title of my blog: Pieces of the  Mosaic. See, I have the greatest propensity to always dream big, look down the road of all the could-be’s and what-if’s and on and on I go into la-la-land. That’s not a terrible characteristic, I’m learning! But what’s problematic for me, and I’m sure for many others out there like me, is that I miss the beauty of the small things in life. I’m so busy looking down the road, that I forget what’s under my feet today. And the only way to enjoy what’s down that road, one needs to take time to savor what’s going on today. I’m a tele-porter at heart…”Beam me forward, Scottie!” I’m learning, it’s not just savoring the steps of each day, but the strength to enable that step, the will to move about and the trust to plant firmly one sole after another in this soil of life. I know this must sound really ridiculous but seeing life this way is doing a couple things: 1- it’s making me slow down, be still when necessary, not rush the process and SAVOR the moments within a moment of time; 2 – developing a deeper place of gratitude in my heart for each small grace given.

And so, Mosaic is a beautiful theme to not just a new year, but hopefully, a new outlook on life in general. I believe God takes the small and sometimes fractured pieces of life and is in the process of wonderfully, carefully, perfectly and beautifully creating something that truly cannot be captured in one still frame.

He’s doing it in my life. He’s doing it in yours. And if that doesn’t make one’s head spin a bit, He’s been doing it since the foundation of the earth.

• The smallest pieces of our lives matter
• You matter
• I matter
• Each breath, tear, joy, desire, longing, stillness matter
• Each piece fills one moment and develops into a season and continues this Mosaic…the question is, will we savor the work of His hands? Will we let God have complete control of our life, even when we cannot see all that’s at work?

My desire is to savor the small and to enjoy the journey, for it is all leading to a greater crescendo…and I want to take in every moment…piece by piece…grace by grace, for today may be all I have to relish~

Please  click on the link  and enjoy these WAY over-due photos AND videos from my trip to Tanzania/Malawi Africa! I hope they tell somewhat of the story…but, to hear them all, we seriously need a coffee date : )

If you would like any information on how to support an orphan from Project 1:27 orphanage, let me know and I can send you a brochure ASAP! 

(click this link below…)

More than a Mountain

Today, by God’s provision and goodness, I PAID OFF THE LAST OF MY DEBT!!!

HALLELUJAH!!!

Anyone who knows me, knows what a dog-gone burden these last four and a half years have been with debt. I have shed SO many tears over the penny-pinching and weight of it all. I even remember last summer, balling with my roommate in her car because the weight of debt just hung over me like a cloud. According to my calculations then, it should have taken me ANOTHER 3 years to get out…

“With my God I can scale a wall” … “Those who go out weeping, will reap with songs of JOY”

What’s more important is what I learned in the process. These are just some of the things I learned and for them all (and even what I don’t even realize that I’ve quite learned) I am SO thankful!

* My money is not mine to do whatever I please. It comes from God and essentially all belongs to Him. I learned to ask Him about purchases and how I should spend the money He’s given.

* It is WAY better to give than to receive! When I am actually not spending more on me, there is more to give away or, crazy thought, put towards debt! Imagine that…

* Watching how I spend the money that I’ve been entrusted with helps me to distinguish between needs and wants, what can wait and what I can get over and live without.

* God showed me in this process how I would put a lot of security in how I dressed and what people thought of me. Please don’t think I’m saying God wants us to wear paper bags and be dirty, but I learned that He wants us to be less “me focused” and more secure in who He says we are. That’s being clothed with beauty that this world does not have a clue about!

* One of the greatest things I’ve learned – GOD GIVES US INCREDIBLE GIFTS!! Wow, does He ever! I have testimony after testimony of when I had nothing, He lavished me with things above and beyond what I could have ever purchased or saved for (a FREE trip to Colorado, in the mountains, stayed at a Beautiful ranch…need I say more??!)

* Another lesson I so cherish from this time is how to deeply trust and abide in Christ. Money is a real root of worry and anxiety in us all – that’s why we worry when the savings account is low, or 401K’s seem insufficient for retirement or what we will wear and eat. Rarely is it really, “In God we trust” (funny how that’s written on our bills…) but at the root of it if we’re honest it goes more like, “In the money I see or can budget or save, I can then trust in God”. Man, God showed me how ALL of that is just false security and can be taken away in an instant (which it was!) AND I’m grateful. It created a greater leaning, trust and surrender of what I put my hope in.

* A little sure can go a lot farther than we think, and when coupled with prayer to a gracious God, it can go a hundred times farther!

* I want gratification NOW and I DON’T LIKE TO WAIT. Yeah, this reaaallllyy surfaced in my heart and funny thing is, God has allll the time in the world to help us get beyond ourselves : D, so better to learn sooner than drag it out!

Thank you Lord…may I never forget these truths and help me to continue in them! Honestly, one of my biggest fears is that I’ll go buck-wild on a shopping spree or something — haha! Hey, just being honest

To all those who are chipping away at their debt with what seems to be the smallest hammer, I just want to encourage y’all to KEEP CHIPPING AWAY. God will bring the increase and teach you valuable and priceless lessons along the way. And when you get discouraged because you see others doing what you wish you could do, I KNOW it totally stinks in the moment, but press into believing that as you wait on God, something greater is at work then giving in to the temporary lures. He truly rewards those who diligently seek Him with greater treasures that cannot be bought.

My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God!! ~ 1 Samuel 2:1, 2

Hannah’s praise is mine today!!! THANK YOU LORD!

I have to jump to the tug of my heart for my trip. I know I am supposed have my summit story here in this very blog entry – but really and truly what I have woken up to, practically every day since I’ve been back is just this…

Beautiful Lucy

And this…

Dafter with a sweet headband I got him

And most certainly, this…

Esnat and I, the beautiful young lady I sponsor

It’s the faces of these incredible and beautiful children from Malawi, Africa that I cannot get out of my mind and my heart. I wake up with them running through my head – the songs we’d sing, the dances we’d dance and just remembering how much joy they brought to my heart.

Please permit me to tell you about the growing passion of my heart: the Orphans.

We finally landed in Malawi, Africa, after flying from  Dar Salam to Nairobi, then Nairobi to Lilongwe airport. Even after such an exhausting schedule having come right off the mountain, we were not quite at the orphanage in Malawi. To get to Far and Wide Children’s Home, we still had a 5 hour car ride ahead of us. And of course, when you’re ever overseas, what is supposed to be an hour is more so equivocal to 2, thus our car ride actually ended up being about 11 hours long! And what is driving around overseas without the experience of sheer terror as well? Let’s just say, we PRAYED our way to the orphanage and by God’s grace, made it alive!

But this wasn’t your ordinary trip to the orphanage. We were driving down a paved, although un-lit, road for about 6 hours in a crazy rain storm. Finally, and most abrubtly, we took a sharp left turn onto a dirt road. We all finally sighed sensing some relief, thinking we must be nearing the orphanage. But once the truck gained a bit more speed on the dirt road, we soon began to realize there was still a ways to go. Sure enough, we arrived at Far & Wide around 1am – never having met up again with a paved road until we were to leave for the U.S.

I think that was one of the most astounding things from my time in Malawi — sensing all the more God’s incredible LOVE for the children and orphans of this world. I’m pretty sure we were close to “No-where” Africa, but yet God raised up a man from a local village there (near Magowi), trained him in His Word, put it on Pastor Duncan’s heart to start an orphanage, church plant 4 other churches AND start a women’s shelter. Did I mention, he’s 35 years old? YEP! (And yes ladies, he is married…I totally know what y’all were thinking!). And this village I speak of — ENTRENCHED in witch-craft and dark magics. As if that’s not incredible enough, Pastor Duncan began raising up other young men from his village and discipled them. Now these men are not only pouring into this land and are MIGHTY men of God, but they are evangelizing in that remote area and pouring into the children at Far & Wide. Truly, they are raising up an army of Christ followers!

GOD DOES NOT FORGET THE ORPHANS — this was so very clear to me. He will raise people up locally and from around the world to fulfill His mandate to feed and clothe them.

And I’ll tell you what…I cannot forget them either. It’s like they are stamped on my heart, their faces engraved in my mind and their names just bring me to tears. Their stories will cut you to the heart and make you SO thankful for every meal, every shopping spree, every fight you ever had with your mom or dad, brother or sister. Their smiles are like the sun that cuts through the darkest rain clouds. Their laughter reminds you there is always hope…

There’s a song called, “He Knows My Name”, by Tommy Walker  and he wrote it because of an orphaned boy he met on a missions trip. Tommy met the boy one day and a few days later, he ran into the young boy again. The little boy asked, “Do you remember my name?” and Tommy replied by saying “Yes Jerry, I remember your name”. Tommy said that the little boys face lit-up and was filled with such joy that this man remembered his name , for he had no father or mother who ever called him by it. Tommy was broken by this encounter and from it came not only ministry to orphans, but a song that I believe was being sung over every child while we were in Malawi.

My time with the kids was not enough. Even though we had such a wonderful time singing with them, teaching stories out of the Bible and re-enacting them, but you just want more. The most precious time spent with them was just holding them. Every night, I would hear my name whispered through the door. I would go out and find Esnat with a few other of the older girls sitting and chatting and desiring to spend time with me.  Esnat would sit so close to me, trying to hold my hand, always looking into my eyes because I don’t think she was quite used to seeing blue eyes staring back at her.  She let me love on her as though I were her mom and I could feel such desires in my heart welling up in me. We all laughed into the night as we tried learning the language of the other. I sounded absolutely ridiculous trying to mimic their words! But they didn’t seem to care. We also sang our favorite songs and took photos with my cell phone. I showed them pictures of my family from a photo album I brought with me. They asked, “Where is your mudder” (that’s how they pronounced mother). I shared with them how my mom died when I was 21 because she was sick. All the girls sitting there were shocked and couldn’t believe what I just told them. Then they all began to share, one after the other about how their mothers, fathers and grandparents had all died. It was interesting too, that once I shared my mom’s story and how I don’t live with my family, the girls drew even closer to me. It’s like they trusted me all the more because in some small measure, I knew the pain of losing a parent and not having family nearby. I knew it was very different but I was so thankful that the Lord bridged a gaping hole for us all. Hearing their stories just tore me to pieces! I didn’t want to go to bed that night, but they had school and I had to make sure (how motherly of me!) that they were rested and ready.

There are SO many stories of God’s faithfulness to all these children I had a chance to spend time with. I was so grateful but I’ll be honest, I’m still so very burdened for them. In my heart, I’m encouraged that they do have a Father in heaven who is seeking them and pursuing them, but I know there’s more I can do…and as the Body of Christ, more we can do.

Click to view slideshow.

Blanket, tumbler of coffee, guitar, Bible, journal and another sunrise. Another wonderful anniversary to spend with You and delight in all your goodness and faithfulness. There is no where else I’d rather be and no one else I’d rather share this morning with, than You. I love You more than my words can express – you fill my heart with a greater joy…thank you. Thank you for saving me and walking with me all these years – as you held me and molded me, loved me and showed me with greater clarity how deep your love runs. I am forever ruined and ravished, counting all things as loss knowing that I’ve gained everything back in You. Your resurrection changed my life. I love you more than mere words can convey – thank you for another anniversary in You. I look forward to many many more, and rejoicing even more so than the previous year – until I see you face to face and no more tears will be shed. Joy unspeakable and full of glory. How I love you so…thank you for your Best now and what’s to come~

~I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine~

KIBOZERS didn’t even begin to describe the wonder that flooded my heart. I couldn’t help but just beam – from ear to ear – declaring how awesome my God is. I could barely even fall asleep in my single-occupancy tent, so I journaled the miracle I just witnessed…

We arrived into our fourth camp-site, exhausted and tired. Our trekking that day had been the steepest grade yet and we were enshrouded by thick clouds of fog. We just had to keep our heads lowered, pushing through the sharp cold air and the tightening of our lung capacity, pushing up-ward “pole pole” (Swahili for slowly slowly) and until finally, we saw a faint break in the fog and saw our tents. Ahhhh, time to rest. 

Yusef, making the steep grade look EASY. Fog enshrouded us

So we thought. In no time the clouds became darker and it was inevitable that we were on the brink of a rain storm. And it was no surprise either, for we were in Tanzania during their rainy season. We had no sooner began eating lunch in our mess tent when the rain began. “Oh, it’ll be over in no time”, said Gary, who had been to Kili during the rainy season 3 times before. “That’s how it rains on Kilimanjaro – a little storm here, a little storm there but it’ll be over soon.” Well, the only thing that happened soon was that it got worse. Below our feet were little rivers of water trailing through our tent.

So, we decided to remain in the tent talking, laughing and sharing stories until it let-up. One hour passed. Two, three and four hours passed until it was again time for our next meal! All throughout our dinner it continued to rain – which heightened our nervousness. What on earth is happening to our tents? Are they leaking? Will they be washed away because the soil isn’t very solid? And even pitifully I hoped that my tent and belongings weren’t being soiled by the rain. Every night so far had been extremely cold for me since I was camping solo in a tent. I never realized how much body-heat another person provides!! It’s not until you don’t have it that you wish you did. PLEASE LORD! Let the rain stop! I don’t want to be cold and wet tonight. Please keep the tents in place, both for our porters/guides and my team.

Dinner was done and it was STILL raining. We kept chatting away but the anxiety began to come out in our voices. Will this be indicative during the rest of our hiking? It’s cold enough, but the rain makes it THAT much colder. Around 8pm, Gary began to share that the team in 2007 wasn’t able to summit because of the rain on the morning of their summit. He said it was SO cold, they literally had to turn around because of the freezing temps. No bueno.

Just then, Yusef stepped into our tent – soaked – and disclaiming, “OH MY GUSH! Dis is terry-ble. You need to pray to your Jesus for d’ rain to stop because dis is only de beginning! If he doesn’t do someting, it will be bad wedder (weather) all d’ way up and we may not summit.”

He was ABSOLUTELY right! We did need to pray to Jesus. What’s incredible too is that one of the ways God reaches out and opens the eyes of Muslims is that he displays His power through dreams and visions of Jesus Christ. Since they only believe Jesus to be another prophet, God desires to set apart Him apart as HIS SON, God-equal-status.

This morning in our devotional we read from Isaiah 65:24

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.

Coincidence in a Sovereign God…I think not. So I rallied our team together, in that sopping wet tent, as we all shivered together and began to call upon the Name of Jesus. We remembered together how Joshua implored God to hold back the sun from rising, that the Lord granted his request so that they could continue fighting the battle; how Elijah – a human just like us – asked God to hold back to the rains and it didn’t rain for 3.5 years;  and now, the scripture from this morning was on my tongue. Even before we would cry out, Jesus would hear and answer as we sought him….

As the words were leaving my mouth, the torrential downpour began to recede into a light mist before the heavens shut completely!! COMPLETELY. I started laughing and we all began rejoicing by thanking Jesus for answering immediately. We asked too that the weather from there on out would be favorable and that on summit day, it would not rain.

We left for our tents IN AWE of a God who hears and who LOVES to make much of His Son Jesus!! THAT’S why I was grinning and beaming in my tent! Jesus was exalted in that dark place! And I sure couldn’t wait to tell Yusef about it!!

The next morning when Yusef came into the tent, he was beaming, “Wow! the rain just stopped last night!” Before I could speak, Randy piped in, “YEAH YUSEF! We prayed to Jesus and asked Him to do it, and HE DID! It was Jesus!!” Yusef stood utterly bewildered but soaking in the reality….

So were we : ) 

I can testify too that on our summit day, it was the clearest sky we could have ever hoped for~ Click to view slideshow.

Ok – so finally, we get to Mt. Kilimanjaro!! First, I must tell you some geeky facts about the mountain, which I hope will paint a picture of our time there and then in maybe one or two more posts, more about what our time was like with ministry AND of course, the summit experience

First, some geeky facts! Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest free standing mountain in the world – standing at 19, 341 feet at Uhuru (Kibo) Peak. “Free standing” just means that it’s not a part of an existing mountain range. Everest is the tallest mountain in the world but it’s part of the Himalayan range. Literally, when you’re hiking to Kilimanjaro – which is the first 5 days of the trip – you’re not on the mountain. You’re in Kilimanjaro National Park and those 5 days of trekking get you to the mountain. YES, it’s quite a ways out (and the pictures will help you see this). Kili is also a volcanic cone – that’s why it plateaus at the top. From the rim, you can see the crater hole that at one time (?) erupted. By the way – people do hike down into the crater and CAMP! Yeah, pretty crazy especially when we saw footprints in the snow leading to the crater hole. Oh, and by the way, Kili is an “inactive” volcano, so let’s hope that remains true for any hiker who decides to stay the night inside of the crater ; ).

Aerial view of Kilimanjaro - used with permission by Wikipedia

View of the crater! Now you know what I mean when I saw, "we walked around the rim of the crater".

Mount Kilimanjaro is also the 4th most prominent mountain in the world and is part of the “7 Summits Club”. Crazy-serious mountaineers will spend their lives attempting to summit the tallest mountains on each continent so they too can join the ranks of being the few who achieve such a dangerous feat. This is most assuredly not an ambition of mine, but it was a blessing to attempt this mountain!

Tallest summit on each continent = 7 Summits of the World

As you begin your ascent, you go through 5 different ecological zones! It is like climbing from the equatorial rain forest to the North Pole in the span of as few as 20 miles. You’ll notice these different climatic zones in the pictures as well. Also, there are about 20, 000 people a year who attempt to summit Kili and a success rate of 40-50%. This is part of the vision behind reaching the porters/guides with the gospel, because they can reach ten of thousands of people a year!

Ok, so onto one of my fave facts!! The tallest peak on Kili is called Uhuru, which is Swahili. The Chagga people gave it the name Kibo from their native tongue. Uhuru means – Freedom – which I absolutely fell in love with! So I asked my guide Muhammad what Kibo meant. He began to explain to me that when the Chagga people were standing at the highest point, there was only one word to describe it in Chagga: KIBO, which literally means WOW!! I just about fell over because that’s been one of my words as of late!! Haha! Wow and WOWZERS became more a part of my vernacular as God stunned me over and over again with provision and miracles through this trip. How fitting it was then, to be going towards a summit, whose name is “WOW”, with the mission of Christ in our hearts and the glory of the Lord displayed around us??!! Truly, KIBO!! Or as I affectionately infected my team with saying, KIBO-ZERS!, meaning “WOWZERS!”. I’m sure the Chagga people wouldn’t mind me adding to their language : D!

Ok, so without further ado, here are FINALLY some pics of our climb (and the crowd goes wiiilllldddd!)

Hope you enjoy ~ More GOD stories to come!

Click to view slideshow.

This question was prompted by what happened while we were teaching at Pastor Moshe’s church. See, the story began when I met Mike at the airport in New York. He was carrying a fairly large and heavy box with the Desiring God logo on it. Immediately I asked him what it was because I LOVE John Piper’s ministry. He said that while he was at a Pastor’s conference, he was introduced to a ministry through DG that provides “theological famine relief for the global church.” John Piper has received thousands of requests from pastors and lay ministers around the world who are hungry to know more about the God’s Word. This put a burden in his heart to provide materials in other languages to help provide for this famine. Find out more about it HERE - especially if you are going overseas any time soon!

So Mike signed up since he knew he was going to Tanzania and he lugged this box with him all the way from Fargo, North Dakota. We were told we’d be meeting with the pastor who requested the resources…but again, God had more in store.

First, upon meeting these men, their faces radiated with a glow and there was a deep joy emanating from their smiles! Even in their handshakes, it was filled with warmth and love – like family you had not seen in a long while. Mike spoke through our interpreter and presented the box to the men. They held onto it, all 3 of them and kept saying “Asante sana! Asante sana!”. Then they tore into the box and held the different Bible study materials as if it were pure gold or a treasure chest being opened after spending years searching. WOW. They were so hungry – not for anything else, but the Word and to know Him more. They kept saying “THANK YOU!” and we just smiled and were amazed.

But it got better – See, these men began to share about how they got to Pastor Moshe’s church. They had traveled 4 DAYS to get there. They didn’t have the money to travel, so in faith they left, asking along the way for money from where they began, which was a refugee camp in ZAMBIA. 4 DAYS FOR THE WORD OF GOD! They didn’t have the money but they had the hunger and faith to GO.

WOW. WOW. WOW. My heart was so stirred! I thought about all the incredible resources I have at my finger tips that help me to know my Lord better. What’s worse is that many are just chillin’ and collecting dust on the shelf at my apartment. I thought about how desperate they were, as 2 lay people and 1 pastor, to set out and pursue the One who Pursued them. They counted the cost and said, “Well worth it – to know not how, but to go after God despite it.” I thought about how – plainly stated – they HUNGERED for God.

I thought about Psalm 42 and how the psalmist’s greatest longing was GOD ALONE:

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

I thought of David and how he compared his longing to knowing God as a desert wasteland stemming from a great ache welling up inside his being. Imagine being stuck in a desert with NO water, on the brink of death. It’s hard to fathom being physically parched and devoid of water – to the point of death. But that’s how David longed for God and he cried out “MY GOD”.

You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
as in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

Y’all, I was ruined. Laid waste. Convicted to the core. Humbled and deeply challenged yet again, not to live comfortably, flippantly, weakly – devoid of nourishment, which is a life devoid of Jesus Himself. I want to hunger like these men and I’m not exactly sure how to get there – but I’m asking. We have so many blessings here – but so many can do the opposite. It can make us fat and lazy, and not really realize what it means to hunger and thirst for Jesus as though life depended on it…because it should!

Meet Pastor Moshe:

Part of our time at Pastor Moshe’s church was to teach and encourage the local Kilimanjaro Chapter members. What does that mean? These are the men who are guides and porters on Mt. Kilimanjaro and they are also brothers in the faith. Being a porter and guide on Mt. Kili is a well sought after job because of it’s pay. Remember how most people live off of less than $1 a day? Well, if you’re a porter or guide, you can make up to $800 a year. To them, that’s a lot of money and at the same time it’s hard for me to fathom, especially since these men carry easily 70 pounds of equipment up the mountain and make $8 a day! We definitely sought to bless them above their regular pay, but with more than just finances as well! Although these would NOT be our actual porters and guides, we still came with blessing and encouragement.

The INCREDIBLE and strategic vision of Climbing For Christ is to reach the unreached people in mountainous areas, while encouraging and strengthening the local church to go and do the same. It was the intention all along not to take Christian guides/porters up the mountain with us – we wanted opportunities to share the Gospel with those who have yet to receive Christ. At the same time, we wanted to come along our brothers who have an incredible task put before them – to reach the people of the various Nations that come and climb on Mount Kilimanjaro! People from all over the world come to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. How incredible is that, that these men have been placed strategically by the Lord to witness to the Nations?! They truly need much encouragement and strength, because the task and role of these men is not only physically demanding but spiritually and emotionally.

So, we had just a rough outline upon arriving at the church and Gary said, “Hey team, I need y’all to teach today”. YEP – no preparation, just get up and be led by the Spirit of God. Honestly, that was one of the GREATEST blessings that the Lord did in my heart on this trip. He showed me my fears of speaking/teaching, especially without preparation. This required faith and trust that the Lord would fill us all with the words He desired these men to hear. None of the others guys seemed like deer in headlights…only me!!

WHAT A TREMENDOUS BLESSING STEPPING OUT IN FAITH IS!! God prepared us all beforehand (duh – Eph. 2:10) for these messages we’d share that specific day. Bob spoke on intercession, because that’s his heart. Elaine spoke on evangelism and was ready with Gospel bracelets. Mike, our theologian, spoke on the Word and it’s authority. And last, the title of my message (as my pastor would say!), “Worship: One of the Greatest Weapons of Our Warfare“.  Why? Because worship is a means by which we pray and intercede through song. Worship is a battle tool that David used, as seen in the Psalms, King Jehoshaphat used to defeat opposing armies (2 Chronicles 20) and Jesus also used as he worshiped with his disciples just before  being arrested (Mark 14:26). It was awesome to see how God had provided his Words and it was even more so incredible to see these men encouraged for the battles that lay ahead!! FAITH is powerful!

**Awesome Story:

After I shared, we had a time of worship and we were filled with such joy and strength. Then, one of the guides by the name of Dawson, shared a testimony of the power of worship from one of his trips up Kili. He had been building relationships with the team he was leading. On the summit day, the weather was really bad and the strength of the climbers was giving out. Dawson began singing praise songs to Jesus in Swahili and praying over his group. Eventually they all made it to the summit. Once they were there a lady asked, “What were you singing, because all of a sudden i felt something like a hand come against my back, as though I was being pushed up the mountain. That was the only reason I made it up!” She said she even looked back to see if someone was actually helping her! The other people in the group said the same thing. Dawson was then able to share with them that he was singing to Jesus for protection and strength for them to summit AND he shared the gospel with them right there!!

Please continue to pray for Pastor Moshe and these men of the Kilimanjaro Chapter, that they would proclaim Jesus to the Nations! Pray for boldness, protection, strength and also their witness to the other guides who are not Christians.

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