How often have you been waiting for something and you know without a doubt that you will get it? Every time you start to wonder about it or stress or worry, you realize deep down that you know it will only come with God's timing. That's exactly how I have felt about Africa.
Africa stole my heart in August 2011 when I stepped foot in that great continent for the first time. Each visit back my love continued to grow. It didn't take long and I knew I would be there for more than a couple weeks. I wasn't sure what that would look like or how it would happen but deep down inside I knew that God wanted me there and He would get me there.
Looking through some pictures on an old phone I saw a photo that was evidence of how early on I started planning for this. I took the picture in January 2012. This was right after my second trip to Ethiopia and Rwanda. It was a picture of a map. I had researched the best route to minimize driving and maximize friend time. It was a route to remember as I would have been driving it myself and most likely alone between each stop.
Fast forward over a year to March 2013 and I learn about Africa Inland Mission for the first time. After 15 months of working through each step of the application process I was appointed to full time ministry in July 2014. This application journey took about the same time that had elapsed from when I took that picture to when I heard about AIM. Ironic? I think not.
Countless times throughout the last three years I longed for Africa. I day dreamed about life there. I wondered about what country I would live in and what my home might look like. I wanted to know why it wasn't happening yet. I wanted to know why friends of mine could pick up and go there so fast when I didn't even have a way to get there yet. My heart ached to be doing what I knew God had called me to do. Having the confidence in what God called me to do and not being able to do it was like taking a test without a pencil but I still knew all the answers. It was like knowing how to drive a car but not having any keys and there was a parking lot full of cars in front of me. But it gets better…..
Friends and mentors were always nearby to remind me that everything happens in God's timing. Also, God blessed me so much by providing the opportunity to go to Africa five different times. Each time was part of God's ultimate will as I met more people, had more experiences, and grew a heart big enough not only for my life in America but also for a new life in Africa.
One thing that I didn't realize until just a few months ago is that this new endeavor wouldn't be possible without the support of a home church family. God has graciously blessed me with this very concept!! I have been fortunate to be part of a body of believers since they first joined together in October 2011. My home church has provided me with scripture based teaching, groups of friends to support each other as we figure out life together, times of worship filled with the Spirit, plenty of people to support me and help me as I pursue God's will and so much more.
Right as I am starting to grasp that God has timed this African journey perfectly, God gives me an example in my everyday life to truly understand the level of perfection that fits God's timing.
How I know that God's timing is so extremely epic:
About two months ago I was running errands on my day off from work. I had at least six places to go that day. I was in the deepest part of reaching out to develop prayer and financial partners. Some of the usual errands were mixed in there as well. I remember that at my first stop I waited to meet with someone as I had stopped to see him unannounced and he was in a meeting when I arrived. I had also stopped at one place and returned a second time in an attempt to see someone. Throughout this I drive through countless stop lights, stop signs, and weave through the mess of the day's traffic as the rest of society tackles their own to-do lists. I even added an impromptu stop to the agenda. Not too mention before any of this happened, I had battled the house hold chores, built up the motivation to tackle the to-do list, and started to put things into action. Little did I know that a friend of mine was doing the same thing. His name is Josh.
After a full few hours of driving around town and feeling like very little, if anything, had been accomplished I decided it was time to call it a day and return home. I was in an area of town that allowed for a few options for the route to return home. Once the decision was made I needed to make a left turn at any of the next few roads. I started to assess the situation for the possibility of entering the middle lane. Unfortunately this was not a possibility because a car was already there coming from the opposite direction also attempting a left turn. At a closer look the car had some smoke coming out of the hood. As our vehicles approach each other (in our own lanes) I decided the rate at which smoke is escaping the front of the car is increasing. In that very moment I realize that even though my day was not as fruitful as I had hoped I needed to be thankful to have a reliable vehicle to get me to each destination. But then in a moment of clarity I see the driver's face and it registers that I know this person. The pieces of the puzzle start to come together. I see it now. Josh is driving a mutual friend's car that has had recent history of mechanical issues. Josh looked busy as he was navigating the smokey car. He was on the phone and appeared to be looking for something also. I debated with myself about calling him. He WAS already on the phone. It had to have been Spirit led that I decided to give him a ring as some might say. He answered like he answered the phone any other time I had called him. I skip the pleasantries and promptly say, "Are you driving a car on [this road] with smoke coming out of the hood?" He tries to deny the ride I offer by saying that someone else can come get him. I explain the logic that I am 90 seconds away and this other person is at least 20 minutes away. If I remember correctly, I think he was trying to be somewhere in the next 5 minutes. To sum it up: I gave him a ride.
Now, consider everything that each of us had done all morning and into the afternoon that led to this. Consider the traffic and the stop lights. Consider the time we spent each place we were earlier that day. Consider the conversations we had and the people we crossed paths with throughout the day. Consider any amount of procrastination or times of speedy work as we were motivated. Thousands of factors led into that one moment that was timed perfectly so that Josh was in the turning lane and I had enough time to recognize him.
If God would take the time to for something so minuscule, something so Earthly, something so meaningless, something so purposeless (or so it seemed) then surely I can have no doubt that He would put endless hours of thinking, planning, detailing, growing, and so much more into a plan that gives me the opportunity to serve HIM and further HIS KINGDOM by living with and helping an unreached people group in Northeast Tanzania.
I've known in my heart since 2012 that God would want me in Africa. It took me until two months ago to fully grasp and understand what it means that it will happen in His timing and His timing alone. I challenge you to look at your life. What are you waiting for? What are you expecting? Is it possible that you are waiting because God is putting the finishing touches on the plan so that He will be glorified and His Kingdom will grow?
Africa stole my heart in August 2011 when I stepped foot in that great continent for the first time. Each visit back my love continued to grow. It didn't take long and I knew I would be there for more than a couple weeks. I wasn't sure what that would look like or how it would happen but deep down inside I knew that God wanted me there and He would get me there.
Looking through some pictures on an old phone I saw a photo that was evidence of how early on I started planning for this. I took the picture in January 2012. This was right after my second trip to Ethiopia and Rwanda. It was a picture of a map. I had researched the best route to minimize driving and maximize friend time. It was a route to remember as I would have been driving it myself and most likely alone between each stop.
Fast forward over a year to March 2013 and I learn about Africa Inland Mission for the first time. After 15 months of working through each step of the application process I was appointed to full time ministry in July 2014. This application journey took about the same time that had elapsed from when I took that picture to when I heard about AIM. Ironic? I think not.
Countless times throughout the last three years I longed for Africa. I day dreamed about life there. I wondered about what country I would live in and what my home might look like. I wanted to know why it wasn't happening yet. I wanted to know why friends of mine could pick up and go there so fast when I didn't even have a way to get there yet. My heart ached to be doing what I knew God had called me to do. Having the confidence in what God called me to do and not being able to do it was like taking a test without a pencil but I still knew all the answers. It was like knowing how to drive a car but not having any keys and there was a parking lot full of cars in front of me. But it gets better…..
Friends and mentors were always nearby to remind me that everything happens in God's timing. Also, God blessed me so much by providing the opportunity to go to Africa five different times. Each time was part of God's ultimate will as I met more people, had more experiences, and grew a heart big enough not only for my life in America but also for a new life in Africa.
One thing that I didn't realize until just a few months ago is that this new endeavor wouldn't be possible without the support of a home church family. God has graciously blessed me with this very concept!! I have been fortunate to be part of a body of believers since they first joined together in October 2011. My home church has provided me with scripture based teaching, groups of friends to support each other as we figure out life together, times of worship filled with the Spirit, plenty of people to support me and help me as I pursue God's will and so much more.
Right as I am starting to grasp that God has timed this African journey perfectly, God gives me an example in my everyday life to truly understand the level of perfection that fits God's timing.
How I know that God's timing is so extremely epic:
About two months ago I was running errands on my day off from work. I had at least six places to go that day. I was in the deepest part of reaching out to develop prayer and financial partners. Some of the usual errands were mixed in there as well. I remember that at my first stop I waited to meet with someone as I had stopped to see him unannounced and he was in a meeting when I arrived. I had also stopped at one place and returned a second time in an attempt to see someone. Throughout this I drive through countless stop lights, stop signs, and weave through the mess of the day's traffic as the rest of society tackles their own to-do lists. I even added an impromptu stop to the agenda. Not too mention before any of this happened, I had battled the house hold chores, built up the motivation to tackle the to-do list, and started to put things into action. Little did I know that a friend of mine was doing the same thing. His name is Josh.
After a full few hours of driving around town and feeling like very little, if anything, had been accomplished I decided it was time to call it a day and return home. I was in an area of town that allowed for a few options for the route to return home. Once the decision was made I needed to make a left turn at any of the next few roads. I started to assess the situation for the possibility of entering the middle lane. Unfortunately this was not a possibility because a car was already there coming from the opposite direction also attempting a left turn. At a closer look the car had some smoke coming out of the hood. As our vehicles approach each other (in our own lanes) I decided the rate at which smoke is escaping the front of the car is increasing. In that very moment I realize that even though my day was not as fruitful as I had hoped I needed to be thankful to have a reliable vehicle to get me to each destination. But then in a moment of clarity I see the driver's face and it registers that I know this person. The pieces of the puzzle start to come together. I see it now. Josh is driving a mutual friend's car that has had recent history of mechanical issues. Josh looked busy as he was navigating the smokey car. He was on the phone and appeared to be looking for something also. I debated with myself about calling him. He WAS already on the phone. It had to have been Spirit led that I decided to give him a ring as some might say. He answered like he answered the phone any other time I had called him. I skip the pleasantries and promptly say, "Are you driving a car on [this road] with smoke coming out of the hood?" He tries to deny the ride I offer by saying that someone else can come get him. I explain the logic that I am 90 seconds away and this other person is at least 20 minutes away. If I remember correctly, I think he was trying to be somewhere in the next 5 minutes. To sum it up: I gave him a ride.
Now, consider everything that each of us had done all morning and into the afternoon that led to this. Consider the traffic and the stop lights. Consider the time we spent each place we were earlier that day. Consider the conversations we had and the people we crossed paths with throughout the day. Consider any amount of procrastination or times of speedy work as we were motivated. Thousands of factors led into that one moment that was timed perfectly so that Josh was in the turning lane and I had enough time to recognize him.
If God would take the time to for something so minuscule, something so Earthly, something so meaningless, something so purposeless (or so it seemed) then surely I can have no doubt that He would put endless hours of thinking, planning, detailing, growing, and so much more into a plan that gives me the opportunity to serve HIM and further HIS KINGDOM by living with and helping an unreached people group in Northeast Tanzania.
I've known in my heart since 2012 that God would want me in Africa. It took me until two months ago to fully grasp and understand what it means that it will happen in His timing and His timing alone. I challenge you to look at your life. What are you waiting for? What are you expecting? Is it possible that you are waiting because God is putting the finishing touches on the plan so that He will be glorified and His Kingdom will grow?
