The Process

We start here and we end there and then we start over.  So what happens in the middle?  The process.  I sit on an American Airlines flight from Quito, Ecuador back to the US.   I am in the process of going from where I was to where I need to be next, home.  I am home for ONE day and then on the road to Chicago to interview Missionaries for Extreme.  My life seems to constantly be in the process stage.  I am moving from here to there and back again.  Striving towards purposes that seem unattainable and yet, they are creating who I am.  It is not what happens in the beginning or what happens at the end, but in moving from that one spot to another that is life changing.

The last 4 months I have been in a process that in all honesty, I don’t understand.  It started in Nairobi, Kenya in July and still today it is pushing and moving me harder than I have ever been before.   I know that is hard to believe, all things considered, but it is true. 

The worship team was leading us, this group of 43 students called into missions and about a dozen leaders.  The worship was simple, yet powerful; Swahili and English mixed in an array of songs that lead us to the throne of God himself.   Quietly they began to play the simple tune, “Trust and Obey.”  You know it, super old school.  No great theological depth or power, just an honest proverbial song that guides in our walk with Christ; “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”  And then it happened….God spoke.  “Rachel, I want you to say ‘yes’ again.“ God gave me red hair for a reason.  My defiant streak came to the surface: “Really God?  Really, you want me to say yes again?  If I remember correctly, I said yes when I was 15 when you called me to be a missionary.  Again 5 years ago you called me out of where I was and into this crazy world called Extreme Nazarene Ministries, where I gave up a job that paid money, that had a paycheck with a paycheck and now, you want me to say yes again?”

Now please remember that God and I are close.  I was not being ultra defiant or disrespectful, just honest about where I was at that moment in time. 

God said “You are too comfortable.  You have been Mobilizing for almost 5 years with Extreme.  You love your little home on 2 acres with your chickens and garden.  Chad loves his teaching job.  The boys are doing well in their amazing school and you are too comfortable.”  As I made my way to the alter I began to process what all this meant.  How could I give any more?  Was I willing to say “yes” again, no matter what it meant, no matter what the cost?

As I knelt at the altar I knew that I was about to enter a process.  God had somewhere for me to go and it started there.  I called Chad that night, because technology is wicked cool and I can call my husband from half way around the world.  I told him the story.  He was quiet, which is beautiful, since I haven’t quite learned this quality yet.  And with a quiet honesty he said “This is the hardest 'yes' we have ever had to say.” 

"Why is that?" you ask.  Because we don’t know where it is going to lead us. 

It is the process of faith and trust and hope with complete obedience and a blind assurance that only God can give.  I don’t know where it is going to lead.  I don’t know what God has for us.  What I do know is that “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no heart has imagined what God has in store for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).”  Over the next few weeks, I want to ask you to journey with me.  I can’t promise what will come from this.  Like I said, I am still in the process.  But I need to walk through my last 4 months of process and I would like for you to walk with me, pray with me and believe with me, that God has amazing things in store! 

From Ryan

I'm having a great time in Paraguay. The first morning was free/rest time so I dug holes in a dirt pile with some friends I met in Peru two years ago (Isa and Landon Foster) and friends that I just met this year (Teddy and Reese Williams). The next morning I woke up early, ate breakfast then went to play in a  fútbol tournament. My team won third place out of 6 teams.
Sunday was church then we ate and I played more soccer. Monday we passed flyers then went to a high school to show a video and missionaries talked to the kids. Tuesday I went to a hospital to help preach the story of Noe (Noah) and the ark. I was also in a skit (see below). Wednesday we slept in late, went shopping, then went out with friends for dinner.

Agua Viva

Saturday we participated in an activity we call Agua Viva, or Living Water, where we hand out small cups of pure water to the public... on sidewalks, in collectivos (buses), all over the street. Each cup has the John 4:13-14 and contact information for the church, and the 40/40 missionaries.

13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.
14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

Sunday turned out to be by far the coolest day we've had, with temperatures only reaching 72. We worked hard to greet people, offer them "Auga Pura, gratis," (free, pure water) and to tell them "Cristo te ama (Christ loves you). We ran into traffic every red light (after the first 2-5 vehicles had already run the light) and hopped onto collectivos offering water to drivers and passengers alike. Many rolled their windows up when they saw us. Some nodded, "Gracias," but made no move to reach out the window to accept the offer of free water.

Most Paraguayans carry around thermoses of cold tea called tereré, that they pour into a small cup with a straw. They shares these with friends and family. Some accepted the water even though they had already provided themselves plenty to drink. Others were not at all interested.


At one point Mike Wheatley, one of the 40/40s, noticed a boy on a bicycle sorting through the trash across the road (not on our red light side). Mike took the first opportunity to run across the road and give him water. Matthew 10:42 immediately ran through my head.

42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

Throughout the experience, I tried to balance the fun and competition of handing out water (I gave out SEVEN cups that red light!) with the real reason we were doing it. As we worked, the 40/40s began getting a few texts from people who took the water and were grateful.  We celebrated the opportunity to become more connected and share the source of real Life.

Later that day and the next, I began to process the activity with different eyes. Living Water that Christ offers is the gift that people often pass on. They try to carry on with our own strength, carrying our own tereré, refilling where they can. They nod politely and move on quickly. Some even block us out before we have the chance to share. All are missing out on the relationship in which they were created to thrive. We have to draw close to people and show them what they are missing. We need to share our living water every day, in every opportunity. Just like Jesus did at the well, we have to show how insufficient their own thermoses are.


And we can only do this if we are living in Agua Vida.


Lord, help us live in daily acceptance of your Living Water and help us share with everyone around us.

The Grandma from Gamo

The Ethiopian Village of Gamo

She lived in Ethiopia in the small village of Gamo.  Raised on a healthy diet of fear and superstition she understood the world as a dangerous and terrifying place.  Small mistakes were unforgivable and could lead to death.  She couldn’t even depend on the protection of a man: all five of the men she had been married were snatched away by illness, war or abandonment. 

One day a missionary came to tell her village to share about Christ, no one wanted to hear the message, but her heart was touched and transformed by God.  As time passed, the Chief of the village accepted Christ as well. 

Pastor Ermias Meduria Mekuria, his wife Muiu Meseret and their 3 sons Nathnael, Estifanos and Abeselom

Ermias sat at his grandmother’s feet as she told the stories of Abram, Isaac, Jacob, the Old Testament prophets and Jesus.  As he grew into a young man, God began to lead in his life and he answered the call to preach the gospel of Christ.  Because of his grandma, he now serves as the Field Strategy Coordinator for the Church of the Nazarene in the Horn of Africa.     

In 1992, Nazarene Missionaries moved to the Horn of Africa intending on ministering to marginalized refugees.  The mission was God lead, but the task seemed insurmountable, the field had a total of 150 million people, speaking 700 different languages and 70% were Muslim.  After 6 years of ministry, prayer, labor there were 4 small house churches to show for their efforts, but in the shadows and behind closed doors new converts were planting the seeds of faith in the lives of others.  God made those seeds grow.  Ten years later there were 100 Churches and today, there are 37 Nazarene districts with over 2,000 churches and more than 122,000 worship attendees.

Mission Immersion Team praying for the Mekuria family

But, the work is not done.  The challenge is great.  As a church we must pray; pray for the pastors, for in the last ten years, twenty have been martyred for their faith. Pray for the believers, that God will cast out all fears and give them a courageous passion to serve. And pray for those who are ministering in three creative access areas in the Horn of Africa that God would use them to plant seeds in the lives of people that no one else may ever be able to reach. 

The work is great, but God is greater and we give him all the praise for how He is working around the world in Nazarene Missions!

  

Beauty and Blessings

As I walked across ANU's (Africa Nazarene University) Campus this morning I was overwhelmed by the beauty.  Out my window lie acres of reserve land.  My friend Liz and I are waiting in anticipation for a zebra to cross our paths.  Up and down the path from our housing to the cafeteria thousands of varieties of flowers and trees took my breath away.  I can't think of a better way to start a Sabbath day.  There was nothing to do, but praise God!  And little did I know that he had so much more in store.

Pastor Dany Gomis sat a small round table alone eating his breakfast of fresh sliced bacon, sausage and eggs infused with peppers and onions. With a short introduction he invited me to sit. The minutes passed into hours as we discussed our backgrounds, families and purposes for being in Nairobi. Dany serves on the board of trusties for ANU and is the Pastor of the Baobab Church of the Nazarene in Senegal, Dakar, West Africa. God is blessing his ministry in many ways despite his biggest roadblock: 90% of the country of Dakar are Muslims.

As a young man Dany began to search for God. That is when Dany "met the Lord" and became a Christian. As he explained his journey I was reminded of how amazingly blessed I am to have been taught from a young age about the one true God and His love for us. Dany said, "I have a great relationship with my family and I have to realize that it takes time (for my family to come to Christ)." Ten years after Dany was saved, his mother, too, came to know the Lord.

In the end I asked how we could pray for him, he said:

• Pray for the Recording studio that we are getting ready launch. This will be another great way to reach the Muslim community. 
• Because there is a huge threat with asking people to come to church, we instead have houses of prayer set up around the country. Pray that these groups will continue to grow and God will work through them.

Thank you all for your prayers love and support. I know that God will do great things through the nations as we connect and work as a body of Christ to Expand God's Kingdom!

Mission Immersion

Right now Rachel is on her way to Nairobi, Kenya for Mission Immersion on the campus of Africa Nazarene University.  What is Mission Immersion? See the description below from the Nazarene website.

This gathering is for high school students who have a definite call to serve as a missionary someday in a culture other than their own.

We will have incredible times of prayer, teaching and learning during the 12 day event. Plenary sessions and workshops will offer biblical wisdom and personal narratives of how God leads his servants. Times of worship with ANU students will be rich in the presence of the Holy Spirit. God will lead as we experience hands-on times of ministry and service to the community around ANU and Nairobi.

While in Kenya, Rachel will help lead the project, helping young people explore what it means to be a missionary and how God is leading them now.  Keep tuned here for updates from Rachel; like the Mission Immersion Facebook page for updates on the project in general; and pray that God will move in amazing ways, shaping the participants and changing those to whom they minister.