I know that Papa intends for me to stay on the race for the whole 11 months, but I reached a place of complacency. I thought that to endure was enough. All I had to do was hang on, pray and trust that Papa will provide, right?!
WRONG.
And you can count on good ol’ James to set you straight.Upon reading James 2:17, I was convicted. “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
My first thought was, “Ouch! Did James really do that? He did NOT just slap me in the face with my faith.” My second thought was, “Yeah, I totally deserved that.”
It’s true. I had been hanging on to the idea that Papa would provide the money for me to be fully funded, but I did nothing. I gave Him no freedom to work in my support account because I wasn’t doing my part. To a certain extent, I believe my idea of enduring quietly exposed more of my lack of trust in Papa and my fear of letting go and falling.
“If I don’t give my all in support raising or blogging, then at least I’ll have some sort of excuse if I don’t reach my goal.” In my head, failing to reach my goal because of silence or inaction is less humiliating and less painful than failing to reach my goal after being vocal and putting myself out there.
I know that that is a lie. I know what Papa wants me to do…FIGHT.
For the second time in one day, James laid another truth bomb on me:
“Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (James 4:17)
I’m thinking, “Can’t I catch a break, James? First you diss my faith and now you’re telling me I’m going against my Papa’s will?!”
You’re right, James. So wise and so convicting. You’re right, Papa. You always are…
Papa commands us to have perseverance (Revelation 3:10), which is endurance combined with the absolute assurance and certainty that He will never be defeated, that what we are striving for is going to happen if it is of God. He brings fulfillment to our dreams because we step out unashamedly with bold faith.
I am so sorry if I haven’t been blogging about the amazing things God is doing in my life and in the lives of those around me. I am so sorry if I had resigned to being selfish and focusing solely on my race, instead of inviting you into it. I am deeply sorry if I have disrespected you, my supporters, by my inaction and complacency.
I am COMMITTED to FIGHT.
This is not something I want to do, it's something I have to do.
This vision permeates my life.
This means the world to me.
Here is the thing, God has started a work in me, but I know He is not done. He has called some of us to pray, some of us to give and some of us to GO. I am called to GO, but without you, who are called to give and pray I cannot continue to GO.
I have already been abundantly blessed by everyone and to say thank you to you would not be enough. These last few months have changed me in ways that can not begin to explain, and for those who have already teamed up with me, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.
Vulnerability is scary for me.
I NEED HELP.
I want you all to see my vision for changing lives around the world, and this is my opportunity. If I had the chance to sit with each one of you and pour my heart out about how strongly I feel about this step in my life I would.
LET ME be your hands and feet, JUST as I AM being Christ's hands and feet. YOU may not be able TO GO, BUT YOU can keep me HERE.
I am $3,400 away from being fully funded. If I don't get this amount by March 1st, I WILL be sent home from the race.
By supporting me you are being sewn into every mouth being fed, every miracle we encounter and every person we show love to.
Come to think of it, anything related to gardening I was indifferent to. I suppose you could say I just never got the chance to dislike them.
But boy did that all change in Mozambique, where our ministry for the month consisted of hoes, rakes, SPF 75 sunscreen, a buff, and very very VERY dirty feet, hands and knees.
Yup, you guessed it! FARMING.
The first few weeks were not that bad! We were having a grand ol' time spending long hours under the hot African sun, clearing out the land in front of the property, getting pricked by the prickly thingys, and making beautifully straight and sexy mounds (if I may say so myself) were we could plant fruits and vegetables. Did I mention that none of us had ever done anything like this before in our lives?!
5 shades of brown later, I found myself on my hands and knees in the scorching dirt, trying to find a way to make a profound spiritual moment out of picking weeds, when deep inside I was ready to make like a baby and head out.
What frustrated me was that it felt like all the work we had been doing was in vain. We had spent nearly three weeks trying to clear the garden of the weeds and in a matter of two rainy days, all of our hard work had been sprouted upon by rather intrusively intruding blades of grass. RUDE.
What was MOST frustrating was that I let the enemy make me BELIEVE that what I was doing on the race was in vain. There I was, out on the field, trying to make a dent for the Kingdom by doing what?! Farming! WEEDING, to be exact!! How was that making a difference??
And even if I had been making a difference, was it only temporary?? Sure, I diligently spent my time pulling weeds out of the field, but did I get the obnoxious, spikey nodule/root out completely?? Not always. And that meant that the weed would grow right on back with a vengeance. So I pondered, is my time on the race like to that of a gardener, aimlessly tugging at blades of grass with no promise of fruit or consolation, except the assurance that more weed will sprout??
That’s when I heard Him, “Shift your perspective. You’re not the gardener. You are the weed!”
Me: Well, that’s a little backwards. Aren’t weeds undesirable and obnoxious?!
Papa: I'd like to think they are attacked and unyielding. My advice to you, make like a weed and be obnoxiously rooted...in Me!
Ephesians 3:17 “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”
Meek and simple. 38 years young. No husband, no kids. Cow caretaker. Dainty. Giggly. With a smile so pure, it gives the cherubim a run for their money.
Every month I pray that Papa places someone specific on my heart, someone that I can pour into and who can pour into me. This month her name is Adelaide.
A few of us from Team Ruach and 220 met her on our prayer walk through Timbutini aka Goatville. We had stopped to pray for her quickly, as she was tending to some of her family’s cows. The men that were with us chose to continue walking further on while Dada, Ashley and I decided to keep her and her cows company. None of us could have anticipated that this would be more than just a one-time “hey, pray and send them on their way” thing…
Turns out, she has become my African mom. And she's just like my real mom, too!
1) The littlest things make her happy. We walk and talk with her for a few yards and she keeps repeating, “I am very happy! You are my friend.” She wants to teach us s’swati and wants to learn English, so she invites us over to her house!
2) Mary Poppinsesque. She gives out of abundance! She was literally like Mary Poppins pulling things out of her bag. She reached in her skirt and pulls out three, four, FIVE mangos! It was like the gift that keeps on giving! What little she had, she would share it with us.
3) The energizer bunny. She is always doing something! She’ll be running to fetch some mangos for you, while monitoring her cows and skimming milk. True story. Proverbs 31 woman right here!
4) Simple and modest. There is nothing showy about Adelaide (except her smile =)). She rocks the short hair, the simple attire, no accessories, no make-up. She doesn’t have to embellish herself because she is stunning the way she is! The first day we visit her, Dada paints her nails for her. Except she requests that only her left hand be painted. She tells us that she uses her right hand a lot and it will just be ruined. She was probably weighing what would be worse, “wasting” the nail polish on hands that would be bombarded by the elements or being rude by not accepting our gift.
5) As you can tell, she has a big heart and a big smile to match!!
Adelaide knows Jesus. But she doesn’t KNOW Him. The first day we visited her at her house, she was the one who asked if she could pray for us! I was taken aback, and asked myself, “Who’s the missionary here?” It was refreshing to have someone offer to pray for us first. She prayed for safe travels on our journey and we in turn prayed for an abundance in her life, for a community of believers that would pour into her. She said that she doesn’t have very many friends, which I find very hard to believe. But then she works so much, she probably doesn’t have time to socialize.
We invited her to church that day, but she said that she would be busy tending the cows. Hopeful and persistent, we asked if it would be if we could come back the next and maybe even milk her cows with her. The second time we visited her, we did just that! AND we extended yet another invitation to come to church with us. By golly, she agreed! It was an answered prayer!
Adelaide kept her promise and came to church with us. It ended up being a three hour service, perhaps a little too long for her liking. But she cradled my hand in hers during service as if to say, “Thank you, my friend.” She doesn’t know, but when our hands were clasped, I was praying that she would come to know Papa more intimately, that her life would be a testimony to the greatness of God, that she would minister to the women in her neighborhood and be a beacon of hope for all those in Timbutini.
Adelaide is my friend…a sweet, sweet friend. The chances of me being able to communicate with her once I leave Africa, though, are slim. Despite this, I know that God will keep our friendship alive! We don’t need letters or cellphones to communicate, when we have prayer and our Papa in heaven. I ask that you please join me in prayer for Adelaide. Pray that she steps into the fullness of life that Papa has prepared for her. Pray that she has the boldness to minister to those around her. Pray that she returns to the church and effects positive change. Pray that she comes to know Papa as her very best friend.
Who in their right mind jumps off of a bridge with nothing but a bundle of rubber bands attached to them?!
World Racers, of course!!
The objective: To jump off of the world’s highest bungee bridge standing 700 feet tall.
The goal: To not chicken out at the last minute.
The hope: To not die. (Although, the motto of team Fuego was to try to die and see how God saves you.)
If you think about it, it is a bit mental. It just doesn’t make sense, plunging from 0 to 70 mph within seconds towards the ground with really no back up besides the chords that are attached to you. It goes against what our human instincts tell us! And yet Z squad represents… 18 people strong… looking to give a whole new meaning to the phrase “leap of faith.”
It’s kinda what our squad does: we love radically, we live radically and we trust radically.
I catch a glimpse of the bunch of radical believers, who I call family, that surrounds me and I am moved. Like literally…MOVED. I can’t stop dancing. I can’t stop laughing and jumping for joy. I’m about to plunge 7—feet down and I can’t contain myself from bouncing off the walls. Surely, the music that was pumping all around us was a factor, but it was beyond that. It was almost spiritual.
There we were at the end of month three on the field—the turning point in the race. We have a choice to make. We could either stand on the sidelines and wait for opportunities to come that would push us over the edge. Or we could choose to move and jump and take that leap of faith—arms outstretched, eyes peeled, face pulled back botox-style–uncertain as to what lies ahead but trusting that we will fall into Papa’s arms and soar on the wings of His grace.
So we chose… trust falling TOGETHER as ONE BODY.
The feeling is unparalleled. It is euphoric and unnerving at the same time that your mind just shuts off! I had planned on swan diving out and saying something cool like “Cowabunga” at take-off, but I ended up jumping feet first and screaming nothing. But on my way down, the only words that came out of my mouth were “I LOVEEE YOU JESUSSSS!!” and “THANK YOU PAPA!”
So when Papa says, “Will you fall for me?” We say, “How high?” And if he says, “To the highest bungee bridge in the world,” then we go!! It may not go as we planned, but at the end of the day it’s your heart that actively pursues Papa that matters. Now I can’t guarantee that you won’t end up with a whiplash or a popped vessel in your eye, but I assure you that you won’t regret free falling for the One who loves you most.
One last thing, which I got from one of the shirts they were selling at the bungee store: Fear is temporary. Regret is forever.
Mozambique is a beautiful country and God is continually at work through individuals who have devoted their lives to His call. However, Mozambique is also a country of corruption and witchcraft. Many children are orphaned and education is considered a privilege, not a right. With no positive parental influence, teenagers often end up on the streets or living in large group homes, never learning how to become self-sufficient adults.
This month, my team is working with Beacon of Hope - Africa, a ministry that brings teenage boys into a home and provides education, discipleship and life skills training. Every day, they hear about God’s love and learn how to become productive members of society. The boys are expected to use their initiative and new skills to find jobs upon graduation - they do not receive handouts.
January is the start of a new school year and 10 boys will soon be moving back into the Hope House. Beacon of Hope is currently in need of around $15,000 worth of supplies and maintenance before the boys return - and there are only a few weeks left before they arrive!
This Christmas, give a gift that will further the kingdom.
Below is a list of gifts that are needed. Consider giving a gift to Beacon of Hope in honor of a friend of family member (names will be listed on the website as a thank you). No wrapping paper necessary!
You can be a blessing to a Mozambican teenager in need of love in just a few simple steps. Remember, we can't do this without you.
Select the gift(s) you would like to donate from the list below.
The page will open to "Angie Wheeler - Special Project." In the comments section list the gift(s) you are providing the funds for and the name of the person (or family) being honored by the gift.
I don’t know if there’s such a thing as the “Jeremiah Syndrome” (or the "Timothy Syndrome," for that matter) but if there is then I’ve got it.
You know… the anxious feeling you get when you are called to step into a role/position that feels like an overly oversized grandpa cardigan that’s a little too large for comfort! The sleeves sag way past your fingertips, the shoulder regions extend all the way to your elbows and you’re just too wrapped up in the uncomfortableness (ps. this isn’t a word but just go with it) of all that fabric to function. I’m talking about that overwhelming feeling of being small, of not being ____ “enough” ie. not wise enough, not old enough, not qualified enough, not personable enough to be an impactful leader in Papa’s kingdom.
“I can’t speak for you. I’m too young!” Jeremiah tells Papa.
Yeah. I totally get where he’s coming from. Coming only onto my eleventh month of walking solidly with Christ, I was unexpectedly offered the position of team leader AND I was given less than 24 hours to accept or reject the offer. I mean, really?! Seriously?! Did they want to sabotage the spiritual growth of the six world racers that would potentially be under my leadership?! I most certainly did not want to be a part of that. No sir-eee. Plus, there were other more qualified and more capable people who could better push my squad mates into their identity in Christ. Why not ask them?? What were they thinking??
Then Papa responds lovingly, “But I want YOU. Why refuse a gift that is rightfully yours??”
….That’s good! Right?! Papa is SOOO good! When He calls you by name and places His beautiful trust in you, how can you refuse?!
Papa reached out and touched Jeremiah’s mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth!” “Do not be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you.”
In the same way, He has touched my spirit and has said "Yes!" to who I am, “Yes!” to my obedience, “Yes!” to where I’m at in my spiritual journey (regardless of how long or short it’s been), “Yes!” to my freedom from spiritual strongholds, and “Yes!” to me surrendering my race, and ultimately, my life up to Him.
The reality is that Papa is not interested in our comfort; He’s more interested in our character. And though the process of “tearing down so He can build up” may be daunting, we can trust that Papa only desires what is best for us. We can rest-assured that Papa doesn’t know how to leave us alone or how to let us down. When you say “yes” God takes care of the rest because He is good…all the time!
So I leave all my burdens and insecurities at His feet and say “Yes!” to His call because it’s not about me. It just isn’t. It’s all about Him!!
And might I add, I believe Jeremiah would approve =)
PS. Please keep my team in your prayers, specifically for me and Kristen, the newest team leaders. As well as Nick Hayden and Christin Chiles, former team leaders, who are now stepping into a new season of leadership as squad leaders! Prayers for discernment, strengh, boldness, freedom and Holy Spirit fire would be greatly appreciated.Thank you so so much for your love and support! I LOVE YOU!
A few Z Squaders gettin' our beach on!
High School Musical...Z Squad Style! We be craycray!
My CAPTIVATING Team Leader Family!
Team Leaders and Squad Leaders UNITE!
DON'T MESS.... or we'll bust out Holy Spirit FIYAHHH!!
It’s the end of month three and I’m sitting in bed, bible in hand, unsure as to what is to come. The anxiety and anticipation builds as the new team announcements looms around the corner. I'm not ready to leave Fuego, but I know it's gonna be so good for all of us. I know that we will carry the fire we had on our team and set our new teams on fire!
I find myself praying for my new teammates and for a vision for our team. And I turn to John 11:11. (I think it’s interesting that that number pops up because it obviously means so much to me being on a race to 11 countries in 11 months. I love when Papa makes things connect like that!) This chapter is about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
I thought, “Hmmm…it would be pretty legit if we could raise people from the dead! But even if that doesn’t legitimately occur, I’d be ok with being known as the team that raised people out of their spiritual stupor. I could roll with that!”
I pressed further into Papa and He directed me again to another passage. This time it was Ezekiel 37, the story of the valley of dry bones. It is, yet again, a story about breathing life into dead bodies.
I think to myself, “Ok, Papa, what are you trying to tell me here?! Is this for serious?! I mean, in Mark 11 you did say that if I pray for anything and believe without a doubt that I’ve received it, it will be mine. Will you grant my team this, Papa?”
Honestly, I heard no response. But my vision was confirmed when Peter told me that John 11 was the story that saved him and when Rachel told me about her attachment to the story of the dry bones. I believe and claim that my team has the authority to breathe life into the dead, both literally and figuratively. We have the Spirit of the living God within us and plan on restoring life into the valley of death that pervades the nations.
So we call ourselves Team RUACH. (It’s pronounced Roo-Awk. Pretty sweet, huh?!) It’s Hebrew for wind, breath, or the Spirit of God!! And it was the word used for breath in Ezekiel 37:5 where it says, “I am going to put breath into you and make you live again.”
As a team that operates in and through the Holy Spirit, we are determined to breathe life and bring light to places held captive by sin and death. Here goes nothing… Get ready nations!!! Cuz we will… We Will… RUACH YOU!!
Opening the letter that revealed my new teammates!
Team Ruach practicing our "raising the dead" skit for Team Presentations!
beast.feast (v.)- to scarf something to the point of vomiting
When was the last time you beast feasted?! Was it this past Thanksgiving?? Would you say that beast feasting and Thanksgiving go hand in hand??? Let’s say someone took away the traditional Thanksgiving festivities away from you… the food and the people…would you be disappointed? Sad? Bitter? Ask yourself: would you still be able to give thanks??
This Thanksgiving, I had cereal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunch and dessert for dinner! It didn’t bother me at all that I couldn’t stuff my face with turkey or mashed potatoes or gravy or stuffing. I could live without those things (well…ok maybe not the mashed potatoes. But the rest I can live without.) But what did bother me was the thought that for many people, including myself at times, the food and the parties and the things have become the motivation for celebration…the reason for the season, if you will.
I was convicted.
I started to think of the gluttony that consumes our life. Money, pride, lust, etc. I would argue that we beast feast every. single. day. on things that don’t sustain us. And because it doesn’t fill us up, we look for other things that will, but we end up turning AGAIN to things that don’t sustain. At the end of it, we vomit out things like insecurity, depression, and anxiety. And we’re right back where we started…hungry.
I want to encourage you to celebrate Thanksgiving day again! You can do it by yourself or with others, you can fast or you can prepare a nice meal, but I want to challenge you to do it the right way. I want you to feast on Papa—the only manna that does sustain. I desire for you to be thankFULL…to be full of thanksgiving, not just for the things that He has done for us, but for who He is—merciful, healer, loving, sovereign, powerful, life-giving.
Don't know where to start?! Well, I know for me, making lists of things that I am blessed with helps me to posture my heart in a state of praise and thanksgiving. I'd like to share with you a few things that I've found myself thanking Papa for these past few months…things that I would normally take for granted back home like…
1) Water pressure
2) Hot showers
3) Clean chonies aka underwear
4) Potable water
5) Eating three meals a day
6) Garlic
7) A comfortable bed
8) Oatmeal and crunchy peanut butter
9) My education
10) Regular bowel movements
11) Eyesight
12) Toilet paper
13) Toilets with a seat (not squatty potties!)
14) Shoes
15) Free internet
16) Worship music/ music in general
17) The freedom to praise and worship God
18) Quiet time with the Lord
19) Being alone (more than 100 feet from another World Racer)
20) My family
21) My relationship with God
So, what’s on your list?!
PS. Along the lines of being thankfull, I want to thank all of you for your prayers and your financial support! I wouldn't be here without all of you! However, if I don't reach the $10,500 mark by today, then I will be sent home. A few of my friends are also in the same boat. If you could please prayerfully consider helping us stay on the field, we would greatly appreciate it. God is the provider of EVERYTHING, and I know that HIS plan is for us to remain on the field.
You can donate by going to these websites I listed above and checking out the "Support Me" link on the left side. Thank you in advance for helping us get closer to being FULLY funded! God bless you =)
If there is one word that was highlighted the whole month of China for our team, it would be “joy.”
It’s hard to let the joy rise when you travel with a 45 pound pack on your back, running from place to place, making haste only to wait. But Papa says, “Choose joy!” It’s hard to let the joy rise when you’re tired and weak and sleepy, but still He says, “Choose joy!”
It’s hard to choose joy with 50+ hour travel days like this:
Tuesday 7am- we leave Kids International Ministries and take a bus to the airport
Tuesday 11am- we flight out to Hong Kong
Tuesday 1:30pm- we arrive in Hong Kong
Tuesday 3pm- we catch a bus headed to another bus
Tuesday 4pm- we take a but to mainland China, but we get dropped off at the wrong station
Tuesday 8:40pm- we book it from the subway station to the train station
Tuesday 11:50pm- we board the train headed for Lanzhou
Wednesday 12am-12am- on the train all day!
Thursday 7:43am FINALLY, we land in Lanzhou after 49.5 hours of travel!!
Papa encourages still, “Choose joy.”
It’s hard to choose joy when you have to do it all over again at the end of the month, knowing full well that you have to do it 8 more times within the next few months. The travel days could potentially get longer like this:
Wednesday 5:30 am, we leave our hostel in Beijing headed for the airport.
Wednesday 10:00 am, we fly out of Beijing to Hong Kong for our connecting flight to Johannesburg.
Wednesday 2:20 pm, we arrive in Hong Kong.
Wednesday 8:30 pm, we fly out of HK to Johannnesburg.
Thursday 7:00 am, we arrive in Johnannesburg after a 14 hour flight.
Thursday 12:30 pm, we catch a connecting bus from the airport to the bus station
Thursday 2:30 pm, after an hour and a half delay, we finally board our bus in Johannesburg to Cape Town
Friday 9:00 am, we arrive in Cape Town after a 19 hour bus ride.
Friday 11:11 am, we get off the metro line in Muizenberg, our final destination.
Friday 11:20 am, FINALLY, we arrive at our hostel after a 54 grueling hours of travel.
At the end of it Papa says, “Well done my child. You chose well!”
But the beauty of it all is that, by the end of it, joy is no longer a choice that you have to make. Joy has become something that you embrace; it’s something you live in and ride out in day-to-day life.
So when Papa says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight,” do it! ;) I promise you He will follow through and He will reveal to you amazing things and stretch you in ways you never even imagined!
If you find yourself in an unfortunate circumstance or stressing about provision or confused at a crossroad, let the joy ride and see how God uplifts you with His grace and mercy! If you have a story or a word for me, please feel free to share! =) We can praise and give thanks to God together!!!
Not to one person in particular, but to a beautiful Tibetan family. (Mmmm well, if you ask my teammates they would tell you otherwise. They are convinced that I will marry Simeon. But that’s a story for another day.) AND I’ve got a ring to prove it!
See what had happened was…
My teammates and I were given an assignment—to travel from town to town praying for divine appointments and opportunities to share the gospel. With no information on how to get from place to place, where to stay upon arrival and what to do when there, we had to rely purely on the Holy Spirit to provide for all our needs.
The First Meeting:
At the end of October we found ourselves in a small Tibetan village in northern China. We prayed for cheap lodging and after an hour or so of charades, we snagged an awesome deal at a hotel with clean rooms and LEGIT toilets. (Not squatty potties! Woop woop!) God hooked us up! But not even an hour later, the Po-po spotted us and escorted us back to our hotel. They took down our information for “security purposes” and had a little chit chat with the manager of our hotel.
We had been praying against getting kicked out of the city, like other teams we knew, and thankfully we were permitted to stay. But the manager was hesitant to keep us around so we were only allowed to stay the night. Heck, if I was in their shoes I would probably do the same thing too!
The Serenade:
As we, the Fuego ladies, were packing our belongings to leave the hotel and transfer to another, the manager and her niece came into our room, perhaps to speed up the process of our departure. We were compelled to sing a worship song for them before we left. So Michelle busted out her guitar and we started praising and worshipping! After that, we took some pictures and by the end of it, we could sense that they had a change of heart. The manger came up to me, pointed to the bed and signaled for us to sleep there. They didn’t want us to leave. Thus began the courting stage of our relationship.
The First Date:
Our team ended up spending that evening at another hotel because we had made reservations before they had invited us back. The next day we found ourselves back where we started! My mission for that day: to wash clothes! We had been wearing the same clothes for the past week. On top of that we had not taken a shower in a minute… and that just ain’t cute, nor is it pleasing to the nostrils.
So Bea and I decided to do laundry for the team. Again, using our handy dandy charade skills, we got the manager to understand that we were interested in using their sole laundry machine. What we didn’t know was that it was a long, tedious process. You had to monitor the machine while the clothes were washing, then you had to hand wash it to make sure all the gunk was out (you know what I mean?!), and then you had to rinse it out one more time and then hang it to dry. The manager and her niece blessed us so much by helping us do our laundry.
In return for helping us wash our clothes, Bea and I helped them with their chores around the hostel—mopping, sweeping, dusting, hanging sheets, etc. The whole time we were singing worship music and chatting with them as best we could. Our desire was to serve them well and to love on them because that was our way of sharing the gospel with them—not through words but through our actions.
Later that day we got to go to the Yellow River with the manager’s son and his monk friend. And we just got to be. We laughed and played hacky sack and wrote in the sand and basked in the thickness of God’s presence. That night our team bought their family dinner and they prepared dumplings for us! I’m talking a massive amount of dumplings! By the end of the night we couldn’t even stand up because we were filled up to our necks with dumplings.
The Second Date and then some:
The last night we were there we got to have dinner with the family yet again. They prepared noodles, a cabbage dish, and dumplings for us! By this time, we called the manager “Mama” and her niece was “Atche,” which means Auntie. They served us hand and foot and always made sure that we were happy and full =) At one point, Atche took me aside and started dressing me with her clothes. She lent me her jewelry and robes and belt and soon enough we got all the Fuego ladies looking like Tibetan natives! I was just blown away by Papa’s loving grace! One moment we were just strangers and the next thing I knew we had become a part of their family, dressed in their warmth and their love.
The Ring:
I had mentioned to Atche many times before that I loved rings and that I adored her rings so much. One evening, I showed her my ring collection and without hesitation, she slipped the ring off of her pinky finger and gave it to me. It will forever be a symbol of the unity between my World Race family and their family… a bond bound by the love of God.
The “I Do”:
This is the part of the story where you cue the sappy, heartwarming ballad and leave your audience in a state of ecstasy where they can believe in a happy ending. The reality, though, is that I may never see these people again and it’s very possible that we don’t cross their mind anymore. However, I can rest assured that Papa only has the best in store for us! And I would rather it be Papa that orchestrates our lives and I’d rather it be Him that directs our steps.
“I Do” believe that Papa brought us specifically to that town and to that hotel because He wanted us to sew into that family because they will become a catalyst for change in their community.
“I Do” desire for them to come to know Christ someday and become baptized in the Spirit. And I pray that they bring a revival to the Tibetan people in the Gansu province at large.
“I Do” love each and every one of them with all my heart. It’s a love that goes beyond words…one that has touched me beyond measure. And while it was painful to leave that beautiful love behind, knowing that they still had not accepted God into their heart, my heart rejoices in the fact that Papa will continue to woo them and that His love story with each of them continues.
Opening the letter that revealed my new teammates!
Team Ruach practicing our "raising the dead" skit for Team Presentations!
