What stirred in your heart that led you to serve?

Last year our family participated in a trip to Africa through an organization called Mission One, which serves and supports national pastors and their ministries because they already understand the culture and language of the people they serve. What began as a stirring from an email that wasn’t supposed to be sent, led to prayer for “signs” that this is what God wanted our family to do.

The first sign took place the Sunday after the prayers began when Pastor Mike stood up at the beginning of the service and said that we needed to pray for the people of Africa. I wondered if I was having a “Field of Dreams” moment as I looked around to see if others had heard what I heard (I still don’t know if I was the only one!) The next morning the daily devotional that we receive from Purpose Driven Life was written by the wife of the superbowl coach who shared her story of either attending the superbowl to support her husband or fulfill her plans to go on a mission trip to Africa! The “Africa signs” continued with me becoming more Gideon-like as they happened.

We finally had arrived at the last day before we had to commit for air reservations. We were having dinner as a family on a Saturday night. I spoke a desperate underbreath prayer that, “God I just need one more sign so we’ll really know for sure,” Not a moment later our oldest son, David, was surfing the channels and landed on “Tears in the Sun” a movie that takes place in Africa. I smiled to myself as God had been faithful once again, but it wasn’t until I looked down at my plate that I knew God also had a terrific sense of humor. I had prepared chicken tenderloins on the grill and when I looked down at my plate, my tenderloin was in the shape of the continent of Africa! Laughing outloud, I announced to our family that it was indeed God’s will that we all go to Africa. I learned from this experience that God is always transmitting his will for us, we just have to take the time to tune in to the right channel. And in my case that was accomplished through what I call “hungry” prayer.

Did you/how did you encounter Jesus by serving in a local or global missions/outreach experience?:

Our mission for the trip was to conduct the first ever marriage retreat for the Mission One African nationals and their wives. These families minister in places where witchcraft and female mutilation are a daily occurrence, where they have no electricity and have to walk up to 25 km a day to serve several churches because of the shortage of Christian ministers. Because of these enormous strains on their lives, the family unit had started to suffer because the pastor was away from his family so much. This retreat was an opportunity for the African couples to reunite and refresh spiritually and physically from the constant strain of their ministry. The American couples went with the intention of “helping” them, but what we encountered was a spirit filled determination like nothing we have seen in the US. It is so easy for us to worship. The depth of their commitment to further the kingdom of God was beyond sacrificial. Some had suffered through beatings and lived with persecution around the corner every day. We left Africa more blessed by the African people than mere words could describe.

How did this sacrificial act of servant-hood contribute to my spiritual growth?:

We grew spiritually because we witnessed what real sacrifice in the name of Christ really was. We were privileged to witness a land gift from a Samburu tribe to the Christian church. The missionary we were with had held a revival 3 weeks earlier in this area and 60 people were baptized into the faith. We were stopping by with him to encourage these new believers and found ourselves invited by the elders of the tribe (hanging out under an acacia tree) to join them. One of the 3 week old Christians interpreted and what transpired was the elders sending forth 4 young men who walked out into the cow pasture and stood as 4 corner posts. The elders wanted us to know that these men were marking the corners of the property that the tribe was donating for the building of a new church. No surveyors, no lawyers, no deed, just people responding to the word of God. I am ecstatic to report that there is a beautiful little church sitting inside that area where these Samburu worship in the echo of the daily calls to prayer from the mosque not far away.

When Elisabeth Stemen told me she had been praying about Africa and felt like God really wanted her to go, but she didn’t think her parents would let her go unless it was with someone they knew, I had this feeling that I might be heading back to Africa. Again, begging God for direction about whether to go back so soon; the “signs” began to happen again. I kept having verses about water and wells jump off the page at me, or they’d be verses of the day from the internet. When our 5 year old well pump went out (they usually last for 20 years) and we were without water, I again saw God’s hand in it (sometimes I have to be hit over the head.) I emailed one of the African pastors we got to know last year and told them to pray that I thought God might be calling us back to Kenya. I asked if they had any projects that we could help them with if we were to come. A week later (they have to go into town to get their emails), the first thing on their list was that they needed a new well for their orphanage! Once again I laughed out loud at God’s amazing providence.

So as they say, the rest is history. We have a group of 7 people from Lake Forest that will be heading into the tribal regions (Marsabit, Kamboe) to build a girl’s dormitory and deliver 350 pairs of flip flops that Stewards of the Game collected. From there we will go to the orphanage that needed the well where we will have the incredible privilege of surprising them with the fact that Lake Forest Church is going to give them a new well. I’ll try to video tape this exchange so that we can share it with you upon our return.

We are desperate for any of you that will agree to bathe this trip in your prayers. Pray for safety and for hearts to be opened to Christ’s love. But be careful. . .you may find yourself on a plane to a place that God has ordained for you to serve!