Tug of War

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand!

When Destiny, the thing you can’t shake off, get rid of, lose sleep over, outrun or make happen on your own, tugs on your heartstrings, do not insult it by planning to do it. Our timelines are often times the last defense between us and God’s plan to prosper us and bring every knee to bow. I have been under heavy attack the past few weeks spiritually as I have really dug in and sought out what God would have me do with my life. I already had some whispers and leading on the issue so I wasn’t flying blind, but I was, as with all things that the perfect will of God, flying into enemy territory. I believe the Enemy has limited resources and is not greater than He who is in us (God). That said, he’s good at being bad. He’s been practicing evil as a corporate entity for longer than anyone around, he’s never been at a loss for new recruits and endless enlisted re-upping, and he has some pretty intense henchmen: Angels, albeit fallen ones.

 Bottomline, when you seek God and His purpose for your life, know that there are only a few things the Devil cares about, if I can say it that way. Make no mistake, he cares for

Ireland or something else

I prayed for over 16 years to be able to go to Ireland. On February 15th that prayer was fulfilled. I remember when Ireland first came into my thoughts…I spoke of it as “her,” and courted it by reading about “her” and asking as much as I could about “her,” to anyone who had spent time with “her.” It was, by all accounts, a relationship that carried my heart.

As with any relationship that matters and demands the strength to endure more, there comes a time to have the infamous

“DTR” Define The Relationship. All the romanticism and epic dream-work that I had allowed to serenade my thoughts of Ireland had finally run their course. There comes a time when, no matter how compliant and patient Love is, you simply must taste, see and have it in front of you, confront every part of it, ask it for forever, and leave or stay with the answer given.

The entire endeavor to Ireland was steeped in potential future Missionary work, and much like that confronted Love I urged before, I had to come to see, taste, smell and be with Ireland. I’ve been trying dearly to lean into God on this trip and hear from Him what He would tell me about Ireland. As He would have it, He has been dousing all the remaining romantically lit notions I did not admit were still burning strong. He does this out of Love, for artificial light can never be kindled and therefore can never spread.

Ireland is no longer is

He is the Answer, You are the battle plan!

If you have ever found yourself in the conversation with someone who had an issue with serving God because of the pain in the world, and all the wrong-doing, then read on…by the way, The process of arguing to not serve God because of all the pain in the world is called theodicy.

What’s all this pain happening for?
Why isn’t God doing anything about it?
Because lives are perishing all over the place at such a market pace that it’s…astounding.
Why are there 148 million orphans in the world?!
Why is their 27 million slaves in the world today?!

We as the Church can look back and say…

“Well God, exert your will! If that’s your will do something about it!”
God says,

“I’m constrained to work through the hands, the feet, the hearts, the minds and the lips and the lives of my church. And if you do nothing… Nothing is being done!

Epic Lovestory

Many of you are asking how my last 3 months have gone…with missions, with what’s next and with my heart and where God is leading it. I am happy to share this Epic Lovestory with you.

I left nearly 3 months ago to cross 3 oceans in order to serve God in the Mission Field. Before I left on my amazing adventure (New York, Iceland, London, Dubai, Kenya) I prayed a nearly 20 year old prayer.

Lord, help me find my wife…draw her close to me and me closer to her

I embarked on a crazy tale of orphans, witch-doctors, snakes, indifference, demons, tangible Holy Spirit presence and a flat-out breaking of my heart for the things that happen far from our United shores. But the greatest mission field did not find me in the U.K. or tramping around through Dubai, or even in the red dirt of Kenya…it was in an answer to a prayer I had refused to stop chasing long ago.

On one of my first nights in the U.K.

Waiting to see

(Traded some street boys, addicted to glue, their nasty glue bottles for some ice-cold Fanta sodas.)

So, here’s the skinny of it. A missionary may have all the zeal in the world, but part of their momentum, I believe, is held in the people and the support they are willing to pledge to keep you in your place of service! God enjoys this cooperation and “all-aboard” mentality as He is glorified and sent among the hurting in this world.

That said, my support is only able to keep me here for another two weeks… but, I have much more than that still to do! I am praying to be able to be out here through Christmas.     

Among the projects that I am hoping to be able to stay here and continue (through December) are…

• Building multiple walkways (cement) for the Baby orphanage
• Serving at the baby orphanage, 3x a week,  as their on-site builder and help alleviate some of the interim Director’s responsibility (87 babies!)
• Serve at Mataaw Children’s Home, twice a week, co-overseeing the property while the Directors are back in the States in furlough
• Oversee the final projects at my original children’s shelter… the “Shoe Drive.” (see last blog).
• Etc.

Orphans no more

Mission Field Update Letter #4

I’m sitting beneath a mosquito net, still batting away bugs from the light on my computer screen as I write this. Yes, I am definitely in Africa! I bet by the time I finish writing this sentence the power would have either flickered off or altogether shut off…Yep, there it goes! T.I.A. (this is Africa). Someone asked me today how long I have been here and I was taken aback when I had to admit to him “Only 12 days.” It’s only been 12 days but I feel like it could have already been 12 months. I have been so privileged to be able to do so much already in my short time, see so many different ministries, and genuinely serve in all of them.

Some of what I have been involved in thus far…

I’ve held AIDS babies until they fell asleep in my arms, helped dress for bed 89 under 4 year olds in an electricity deprived shelter…twice, I have played soccer with kids so far removed from society that some had never seen a Mzungu (white person), dressed wounds, ran children shelter kids to the hospital, waited in line at a clinic’s overflowing AIDS seating, preached to a Swahili speaking congregation, built a 5o foot sidewalk for kids at a Baby shelter, learned how to farm like a Kenyan, led worship, prayed against witchcraft, chopped grass with a machete, cooked Chai, hand-washed more clothes than Whirlpool, gotten stuck in the mud…twice, got chased by Thunderstorms and a Black Mamba, and so much more…

I can truly say

Mission Field Update #3

Dear Family and Friends,

My heart and mind are racing this morning with excitement. It might go without saying, but I really enjoy the time when I sit down and report to all of you about what God is doing out here on the Field. Sharing this life’s work with all of you is a mixture of humility and privilege and refreshes the truth: I live in a unique and constant place of blessing just now, having access to your prayers and strength and continuing to be able to chime in from corners of the world that you help keep me at. God is using each and every one of you and I pray for more of you as I seek more of God.

Good news…The U.K. portion of my trip is coming to a close! I am delighted to say that I have accomplished all I felt led to come here and do. I have spoken with dozens of Irish men and women who have both braved the Ministry as well as called Ireland and the U.K. home now for longer than I have been alive. It is in sitting across from the pub table, or the tiny living rooms that I see it…the genuine joy, fear and hope that comes out of these people’s faces and inflections…That is where God has given me such treasure and vision on this trip. I now have exactly what I need to pray effectively about whether or not the U.K. and Ireland will be a home for future ministry.

Preaching…

“There is no way a dark, dying, spiritually struggling country was not going to let an energetic, young, fiery man who wants to talk about Jesus all the time, call the U.K. home for a while and not fling him up behind a pulpit.” (Renfrew Baptist member)

Just this past Sunday I preached in a church that has been around since the 1800’s. Renfrew Baptist Church and lead Minister Brian Luse, who was my Pastor back 5 years ago in the States while I was at Seminary, invited me to bring God’s message to them. And I did! I spoke on Revival…“Why not Renfrew.” It deeply impacted many of the congregation and they

Mission Field Update #2

I am here! I made it into the U.K. 3 days ago counting this morning. Two different families have opened up their homes to me during this, the beginning part of my Mission’s trip. Margaret and Martin McGuire are a semi-retired couple whose hospitality ages like a fine wine. They are young in spirit and have helped me around town, with me often shuffling to keep up. We’ve even had burgers and pizza the past few nights…A touch of home on the dinner plate.

The Hindleys are an amazing family that live roughly 10 minutes across town from the McGuires. Brian and Rose are a wonderful Mom and Dad and treat my like one of the boys! We recently went to Temple Newsam, a countryside estate that looks like something straight out of Pride and Prejudice. We consecrated it by playing football (soccer) all over its enormous fields. We got extremely muddy and man points were awarded!

I would encourage you to pray for them both as their Love is continued to be poured out on both myself and my calling. The McGuires and the Hindleys are their names. (Left: Adam and Alex Hindley)

Hurdles…

Before I left I contacted Kaiser to see if I had any vaccinations from childhood still outstanding. At that time they informed me I had all my shots up  to speed. I left for this trip under that notion. I just received an email from them that they had “made a mistake” and that I never finished my Hep A&B shots. This means I will need to start over with that series of vaccinations before I leave for Africa.

Main problem now is, Hep A&B vaccinations usually take 6 months to administer as a series of 3 shots. I called Kenya and they told me that they would probably not allow me to enter into their country without the shots successfully completed.

The only possibility of averting this hindrance is

Missionary Newsletter #1

Ireland & AFRICA

Dear family and friends,

I pray this letter finds you well. It has been quite the journey thus far pursuing Missionary work, and although the plan did not end up as I originally intended, God is in control. In fact, He has brought together a greater opportunity than I could ever have hoped to orchestrate myself. (Eph 3.20)

My past 4 months of pursuing Missions

Month 1

Pursued Ireland…VISA delayed, volcano erupted, contact fell through.

Month 2

Pursued Africa…More VISA issues and my contacts fell through.

Month 3 and 4

Waited on God to move for a patient two months…

God brought BOTH

Ireland AND Africa to me!

And now…I am embarking on the details below.

IRELAND

I depart September 24th for Ireland! I will spend the better part of three weeks meeting up with Pastors and church-planters from Dublin to Belfast, witnessing how God is moving throughout Ireland. I will be specifically leaning deep into my conversations, trying endlessly to learn about the culture, the movement of God, or lack thereof, and what has worked and failed for the church in Eire thus far. I will learn Ireland so I can then pray about living it.

AFRICA

After my month in Ireland it’s off to Kenya for at least 3 months to pursue the other side of the vision God has planted in me: Working with children at risk and planting orphanages. I will be traveling to

Ire to Iris

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

– 1st Corinthians 13:12

It was nearly 6 months ago to the day that I began to “pull the trigger” as it were on following the Lord’s leading on my heart to head to the Mission Field.

It seemed simple enough: Allow God to fill me with bravery and abandon. Allow those traits to permeate my every motive. Ride that strength and freedom into the Mission Field (Ireland). Funny how the most confusing things often times have the simplest roots.

If you follow this time-line you will see God’s protection at its finest…

– 2 months ago I had my VISA delayed. This delay persisted and kept me from entering Ireland, causing me to cancel my original flight

– 2 weeks after I canceled my flight, I learned that the church I would have been serving in would not have been able to accommodate me as they were undergoing many as-of-late changes.

– 2 weeks after that I received a letter from the main ministry organization I would have been working with, informing me they no longer felt they could accommodate my missionary hopes.

As you can see, had I been able to go to Ireland as I originally intended on June 3rd, it would have taken only a few short weeks for me to find myself without a church to serve in, or without my main source of ministry. That would have been an adventure no doubt, but likewise a disappointment. But out of the ashes of disappointment can once again arise the intended fire. Ireland’s door being shut in my face only emboldened me to remember why I was doing any of this; Why I was going through the inconvenience of raising support to craft a life that would be one of inconvenience, sacrifice and foreign shores. I have been made by God to be a missionary! And by God I will do so!

As I returned to God in prayer after these handful of set-backs began to mount up I distinctively felt as though I had done what was asked of me…“Pull the trigger.” I never had a back-up plan, because my plan was and is to go to the Mission Field and get my feet wet with what I believe is my calling in life. My mode of attack for this plan was, at first charge, the shores of Ireland. I’ve always Loved Ireland and I always will, and perhaps one day I will get to grace her shores and spend time with God’s island. But my calling is much bigger than a strategy, a mode of attack, a VISA delay, a disgruntled volcano and certainly bigger than Ireland. And so, I bid a confident “Slan Eire” (goodbye Ireland).

As it so happened, God gave me many ideas as to how to attack and carry out this plan of the Misson Field at the outset. One of those many ideas was working with Iris Ministries.