disciples

Yesterday was my first day as a missionary! Sure, I may have landed in Africa January 22^nd….but that doesn’t matter. February 28, 2015 was my first day of being a missionary!

The day started fairly quiet. Saturdays are house-cleaning days, and this day was no different. My job…roaming the yard and picking up dog doo-doo—we have three dogs that roam to guard the property throughout the night. I have strategically renamed my job to “fecal redistribution”—this sounds so much more important!

After breakfast, we had a visit from Wanda (the resident nurse and manager of our clinic) and Linda (Wanda’s Kenyan staff, translator, and assistant). They came to Marc and myself with some questions about a mzee (and elderly respected man) and his family. We took some time to understand the concerns and create a plan of attack on the issues presented.

And this is where it got fun!

We got word that the community well, installed by KDM, had failed to produce water. We are in the dry season, so it may have went dry! But, to be certain, I went to check. Oh…I need a special tool.

Onto the motor bike to track down a special tool to take apart the pump. After a back-roads ride with Silas (a very trusted brother), many bumps, almost falling over on the roads, and many honks as we flew past herds of cows, goats, and kuku (pronounced kookoo, meaning chickens) scrambling off the road, I had tool in hand.

I pulled apart the well, not knowing anything about it, to see what I could see. But nothing looked out of place. I confirmed with the other muzungu (white people) that all the parts looked functional and in place. Put it back together with Isaiah (Marc’s eldest son) and tried the pump. A good foot of water was in the well…so we pumped…and sure enough, water was there!! ??? So, what happened?
Honestly, I believe that the Lord made the pump stop working. A trusted and loved disciple was sitting and watching as we were working on this well. I approached him to see what was going on.

“Habari” (Hello) I said.

“Not too good Tim.” He said to me in English.
This response surprised me. They are often taught in school that the appropriate response is nzuri (good) or “fine,” even if things are going poorly. But he was honest to me! As I sat and listened to his situation, I heard about a financial mix up that was going on…but even more, he was very concerned about the health….and life of his 4-month old son!

This little boy had had diarrhea for 4 days. The night before, he had hardly slept at all! This disciple didn’t want to burden us with this need, so he refused to tell us of this matter! Later, as I sat and talked with him and his wife, they had resigned that their little boy may die!

NOT ON MY WATCH!

At that moment, literally, Wanda called. We explained the situation and was given the OK to go to the local clinic/hospital for treatment. I quickly came home, got a van and took them to the tiny hospital down at the market.

Only moments later we were heading home, medication in hand! After getting them settled in, I came to pay a visit; to check on the condition of the baby… but more importantly, the condition of our disciple and his wife. After a Coke and Fanta as we talked, I walked away feeling they were encouraged and fighting the good fight. This family is AMAZING! I love them dearly. I’d hate to have them leave our tiny village because of having fewer resources out here. I know their faith is strong.

As we talked, he shared that he felt God tell him, “if Marc, Charlton, and Tim can leave the comforts of America to bring the gospel to Africa, I can leave the comforts of the market—where everything we need is located—for the rural villages.” This is why my brother moved to be with us!

Please pray for him and his wife—I have left their names out intentionally.

I came home to a brother coming to get me to take me to his home. He lives in a mud house that was recently repaired, so it looked brand new. (This is the same home and kitchen that I showed pictures of while still in America.)

We talked about the challenges he’s been facing and where he has been since we arrived in Africa. I felt I was to share a few things with him…so I did. After challenging him, not disciplining…just a challenge right now, and encouragement, I left him. It was a great time. His English is so good, I didn’t need a translator, so it was nice to just sit and talk instead of talking in phrases as they are translated into Kiswahili.

I came home exhausted. This brief description of my “first day as a missionary” almost makes me laugh; it sounds so simple. But it was VERY full of running, motor bike driving, bouncing roads, people staring…gawking…as I walked through very rural communities, and making my way around as the new muzungu.

It was truly a great day! In the end…I don’t think anything was wrong with the well. I think it was God getting me out of my comfort of our “compound” and forcing me to interact. My brothers needed me yesterday; I can only trust that my words were not my own as there was MUCH prayer as I traveled here and there, trying to find the right words to say.

Might you be challenged to step out? Do something you’ve never done and know nothing about! You never know, God might use you in a way to encourage another. Or…maybe He’s seeing if you are willing to just step out and have YOUR first day as a missionary where you are!

Be blessed…and be a blessing to others!

So, as I sat in bed last night, I was reading through parts of Romans. I came to Romans 10 and something hit me; there are quote marks in scripture, what do they mean? I see other places where it might say, “and scripture says…” in reference to other writings. So, when I came to Romans 10:13, I was hit with the question as to where does the reference of the quotes come from. It reads:

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

I’ve often heard this verse quoted as just needing to call on him and one can be saved. We need to take into context the verse being quoted. Once we get the background of this passage, and it’s context, we’ll know better what Paul is talking about here.

This passage comes from Joel 2:32. It says:

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

In fact, when reading back a few verses in Joel, you can see that it’s talking about the end times. It says:

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.”

Let’s now flip back to Romans 10 and see what it says after verse 13:

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

This is totally crazy! I hadn’t seen it before because…well, to be honest, I didn’t know the Joel passage, what it said, and what was its context. But, now, when we read this Romans passage about calling on the Lord and being saved, according to Joel, it’s clear that Paul is talking about the end times. How are people to hear if they don’t know? They can’t believe in something they know nothing about! How beautiful it is, those feet that bring the good news! When the news is brought, people will believe and receive the word spoken to them.

Everyone, in those last days, that call upon the Lord will be saved…told by both Paul and Joel.

The “Take Away”
How much do we know scripture? I grew up in the church. I knew the stories (for the most part…uh, at least the big ones). But we can see throughout the New Testament that Jesus, the disciples, and the apostles quote their scripture (I assume) off the top of their head. They knew the word of God.

Jesus hanging on the cross is another big example. I’ve heard preachers take Jesus’ words on the cross so many different ways. I refer to “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But, Jesus was quoting Psalm 22. This is a beautiful Psalm about pain, suffering, etc. But even more, through it, I read that God is still to be praised! I believe that Jesus was suffering on the cross and was crying out to God, through this Psalm, to express, through His pain, “Yet you are holy” (vs.3). This brings so much strength to me! In the midst of Christ’s worst on this earth–the worst the world could throw at Him–He cried out to His father! {Oh God, make me to be dependent on you through my trials, even today. To praise you through it ALL, just as Christ gave an example to us on the cross!}

Getting back to Joel and Romans, in the end, when we know scripture, it puts a totally different light into the truth than the reflection we seem to always look through. We are called to go and make disciples! “Pray, for the laborers are few” doesn’t mean to just pray! God needs laborers. Those laborers, that do go, will soon see that there really are very few!

I challenge you today, Go! Stand firm in the Lord! His word IS dependable. It is not contradictory, as some might say. It’s fully dependable and stable! Read it. Know it. Pass it on. Be a disciple that makes disciples, for that is what “go” is all about!

Lord, I pray for those reading, even now, that you would poor out your Spirit upon them for courage and wisdom. When the hard and challenging questions come from the “churched” and the world, put words in their mouths of absolute truth! May your Spirit pierce their hearts as they read your Word seeking for truths that you bring.

Tag Archives: disciples

I’m now a missionary!

The “GO” Message in Joel