Marty: What I Brought Home from Africa

Many of you know that Lisa and I traveled to Kenya earlier this month to join Erin and some of her squad-mates and their parents for a week of ministry there. What a magnificent time we had in such a beautiful country with a great group of people! Lisa's last post inspired me to share what I brought back with me.

First, an impression of the work that God is doing in and through the lives of Erin and her squad-mates on The World Race. This group of young people demonstrates such love, faith, and trust in Jesus! They readily seek His direction when making decisions, and readily give Him credit for all that is done. They unselfishly share His love with the people they meet: caring attention given to a local teenager, friendly conversation with a mom while holding and playing with her baby, fun banter with a safari tour guide, and so on. We have no way of knowing how these young adults have impacted the specific people whom Jesus has sent them to, but it is clear how Jesus has impacted them through those same people.

Second, an impression of the work that God is doing through the missionaries we met and worked with in Maai Mahiu, Kenya. Matt, Kelli, John, Dorcas, Jason, Fred, and Joyce operate a ministry called "61 Project" that reaches out to young people in their community to teach them and share the gospel with them. Matt and Kelli first worked in Kenya while on assignments with Adventures in Mission. They both felt called to return to this area to minister to the youth there.

And finally, an impression of the effectiveness of leaders who have a passion for sharing Jesus' salvation message with as many people as possible, and doing so with intentionality. Our hosts on the trip were a staff member of Adventures in Mission (AIM) and a Board member of AIM. These men love Jesus and love His people! The interest they showed in our adult children, in us, and in the local people they met was authentic and clearly God-led.

In summary, my experience in Africa made it clear to me how each member of the Body of Christ can make such a significant impact for Jesus in the world. All it takes is for us to surrender our will and seek and follow His will. He'll take it from there!

In Christ,

Marty 

Lisa: Something I learned in Africa

It's been awhile since I sat down to write to you.  Lots of life has happened since we last chatted.  Marty and I went went to Africa to see Erin and some of her team, Marty brought back a piece of Africa with him that landed him in the hospital for a few days, catching up on work since coming home is always fun and then just the day to day stuff--laundry, cleaning and eating.  Of course my healthy food habits and exercise took a back burner the last 3 weeks but hey, tomorrow is Monday so I can start anew--haha!

We had a great time in Africa visiting Erin and catching up on all her stories and hearing some of her adventures that God has taken her on.  He has taken her to amazing places and she has met some incredible people along the way.  She made a comment on the trip that she has probably forgotten about since we were there but it has remained in my mind since she said it to me.  One of the great perks--or not so great, depending on how you think--of her trip is the time she spends everyday with her team, living in community.  She has enjoyed hanging out with her team and doing life together.  We were talking one day about her time with her team and she mentioned that they "speak life with each other every day" as well as lifting each other up to be more like Jesus.  Can you even imagine how your life would be if each day people were speaking life to you and encouraging you to be more Christ-like?  That is exactly what Jesus and his disciples did the 3 years they were together in ministry on this earth, what a great example of friendship and love!  Not all of life speaking, if you will, is pleasant.  Sometimes we are called to share the good and the bad about ourselves with others and listen to what they tell us in love.  Sometimes we are called to share things we see in others that can help them in their walk. Not something we usually are encouraged to do. Speaking life to someone is not on the top of most people's to-do list.  It is easier to go through the day and not do this to be honest.

What I learned in Africa (besides the obvious--don't drink the water, watch out for hippos and you can shower in a single stream on cold water) is how important it is to surround yourself with people who love you and people who will not be afraid to speak the truth in love over you and with you, even if it is hard to hear. What a great gift we can give each other--to encourage to be more like Christ.  I am excited to see who the Lord will place in my community when we are in the DR.  I pray that we will be able to love each other and show Christ's love to each other and those we will be serving.  I pray that all of you reading this will find yourself sharing life with us in the DR sometime in the future. We would love to have you stay with us and share the journey God has called us on.  May God help us to be bold with each other, love one another and share the easy and the not so easy together.  God bless all of you!  Lots of love!

Lisa

Jessica: Live in the Moment

I have been a Christian ever since I could walk myself into a Sunday School classroom.  I was called to be a missionary when I was 15 and have known where God was sending me since I was 16.  I have a bachelor's degree in missions and have been involved in so much volunteer work I can't even keep track anymore.  And yet I am still learning the most basic lessons on how to be Christ to other people.

The lesson I have been learning lately is this: live in the moment.  Show God's love to the people He puts around you.  Sounds simple, right?  But think about it-I have been in love with the Dominican Republic for 5 years, and I can honestly say that not a day goes by when I don't think about the country and the people I love there.  How can I live in the moment when my mind and my heart are so far away? 

And we get so busy.  How can I show God's love when I have so much work to do, errands to run, people to please?  I have always loved serving others, but I so often forget about the people standing right in front of me.  Instead I go to another country, or travel to a homeless shelter a half hour away to be Christ's hands.  I'm not saying those are bad things to do, and I would encourage everyone to go on a mission trip and become involved in their community.  But we can't forget about the people that God puts in our lives day in and day out. 

I am just now learning the joy of intentionally investing in the people that I see every day.  Don't get me wrong, I will cherish the time I spent at Asbury forever, but I think during my time in a small Christian school I forgot how beautiful it is to live in community with people who are different from you, people who don't know God personally and who need an encouraging light in their life. 

I have been working at an orchard this summer, and this has given me the opportunity to be around many people who have different views than I do, even people who come from very different cultures.  I used to just think of it as a job; now I realize that God called me to the orchard just as much as He called me to the Dominican.  And as soon as I realized that, my relationships with people changed.  God gave me a deep and powerful love for the people I interact with, and now I pray almost daily that I can be an encouragement to someone and point them to God through my work.

During this time at home I have developed relationships with people who don't know God.  They frequently comment on my character and integrity.  I wish they could see that everything good in me that they so admire comes from God.  I wish they knew that every carefree smile I give and encouraging word I offer comes from nothing less than my relationship with Christ and the encouragement that He has given me.  And I wish more than anything that I had the words to explain this to them.  I hope and pray that in the coming months they will come to know the truth.

And I pray for you as well, that you will embrace the people around you and show them the same love that God has shown you.