Walkers.in.Africa

Jesus was out traveling when he received news form Lazarus’ sisters, “Jesus, your bro is sick! We know you love him.” In other words, “Jesus, will you come!?”

Jesus received their message and told His buddies, “Don’t worry, this is happening so that you can see an even greater picture of who I am!”

Does Jesus go rushing to the scene? Surprisingly, no! He waited two days before saying they would head that direction. Then Jesus tells His disciples, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe…”

By the time Jesus arrived in town He found out that Lazarus had been dead and buried for 4 days. As soon as Martha heard he was in town she came running and crying out when she saw Him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!” Basically, “JESUS, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!? You didn't show up in the way that I expected … why!?”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Through her tears and confusion Martha lifts her head and in a trembling voice says, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world”

Jesus then called for her sister, as soon as Mary heard that He wanted her she came and fell down in a sobbing heap before Him. Her tears made stains on His travel weary feet as she said in a broken voice, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”

When Jesus saw her weeping He was deeply moved in His spirit.

“Where is he?” Jesus asks. He asked where the source of their sorrow lay and they replied, “Lord, come and see”. They invite Him in. What does Jesus do? He weeps. He weeps with them. He doesn't say, “Suck it up!” Or, “I’ll make it all better”. No, He simply goes with them into their sorrow.

But then He really does the unthinkable, He asks them to open up the grave! “Uhhh, Jesus?” Martha questions, “Are you sure you want to do this? It won’t be pretty, and I can guarantee it will be smelly! Really, I think this is better left alone. What’s done is done”      

“Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” Looking up He confidently spoke to His Father, “Thanks for listening Father, I know you always hear Me, but I say this out loud so that the people standing here will believe that You sent Me.”

And then He does it, He doesn't whisper, nope, He shouts to the dead, “LAZARUS, COME OUT!”

Lazarus came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go”

               

What I take away from this story in John 11:

He is always saying throughout the Word, “I AM the LORD your God” and I hear His heart crying out, “Remember that I AM YOUR God, Cori, and I HAVE come through for you and WILL continue to!”

Throughout the Old Testament people would build altars as a visual reminder of how He had come through for them, they would look back in remembrance of battles fought, and see unique traces of how He had never left their side. You could physically mark a trail of faithfulness behind the people of Israel and see how God revealed Himself in new ways as they cried out, “You are my Provider!” and “You are a God Who Sees Me!”

I easily forget the LORD’s faithfulness in my life. I often focus on the unknowns of the season I am in and often I feel like a ship lost at sea. But then, doesn't He bring me into these places, a ship lost in inky darkness of the dangerous storm, so that I may cry out, “God, where are you!?” What is His response other than to arise, rebuke my fears and say, “Cori, where is your trust? Don’t you know, can’t you look back over your life and see that I AM faithful?!”

 The exciting thing is there are still storms, a storm is never the same, and the way He has you weather the storm never looks the same. You can know that He will never have you set in the dock because, “It is just too dangerous”. Oh, He is much too adventurous for that!

When we are tossing in the wildest storm it is the memory of God’s enabling strength that sustains our hearts. In times of smooth gliding in calm waters it is the remembrance of the wildest storms that protects us.

We take communion in remembrance of Him: The Bread of Life who gave of Himself that we might be full, The Fount of Living Waters who poured out Himself so that our thirst would be satisfied … what is the promise with this altar? 

I AM coming back! Be ready. Be watching. Because in reality...

our adventures have only just begun!

God - 

Ruru is a little girl at our school who has a slight learning disability. I assisted in her classroom a few weeks ago and she was quiet the handful. I was feeling slightly flustered as she refused to respond to my persistent coaxing to sit still and color. Instead of being frustrated I chose to be creative … isn't He still our Creator God ever mindful of even the smallest moments and details? So I picked up Ruru and one of the dolls she was distracting herself with. Placing the color crayon in the doll’s hand, I grasped Ruru’s hand and together we helped her doll draw. Ruru was thoroughly delighted! And I was thankful that I didn't miss out on this fun little memory.

A few days later I was having a bit of a tough day out on ministry and came back from the squatter camp feeling worn and discouraged. I happened to pop my head in Ruru’s classroom and there she was, perched at a desk coloring with her doll. I had to smile – she hadn't forgotten! And then God reminded me that He hadn't forgotten even the smallest details of my life (never has and never will):

Ah, Father, thank You for never ever leaving me! Even when my focus is on the trials You've never left my side. Even when I can’t feel You, You’re still there. Even when I don’t like myself, Your Love is steadfast and You’re still here!

Yes, ministry days can be difficult here in Africa, it isn't always sunshine. But we don’t have to be afraid when He gives us more than we can handle. God told His prophet Jeremiah, “Do not be afraid of their faces, for I AM with you to deliver you.” Okay, if God has delivered me … I know He is faithful and will deliver others. I stand amazed that He invites us to join Him in the process.

EXPRESSION

“Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.”

1 John 4:11-12

We did ministry in a hospital today, I can try to paint a picture for you, but I feel I will fail miserably. Please take the picture of a hospital out of your mind. Picture more like one room full of iron cribs, kids of all ages … some on their deathbeds some with just a cold.

When you recognize Jesus your immediate reaction is to send word to others, bringing Jesus to them.I recognized Him in the burning feverish little hands, in the thin smiles. I heard Him saying, “Let the children come to me!” and I knew He was right there in the hospital … through His goodness allowing me to be the actions and reality of the love of Jesus.

I came up to a mother who was holding her baby and something was obviously dreadfully wrong. The baby was stretched out, stiff as a board. Her body was swollen from needle pricks and bubbles foamed around her mouth. The baby moaned and shook and the mother tenderly pressed the stiff form against her own tired body. I sat down next to the distraught woman. She told me that she had been there for over a month, even sleeping on the hard floor next to her baby. I looked at her and said, “How are you feeling?” Those four simple words broke down the walls and the emotion stirred on her face.

The LORD expressed His love to her through me. He told her He hadn't forgotten her, He told her she didn't  have enough strength for her baby … but He did … He had MORE than enough.  He was there, He was hugging her and holding her and speaking against the lies, fears, and doubts the enemy had been trying to plant in her soul.He led her to Himself, the Rock that was higher than the sea of difficulties that threatened to beat her down. He reassured her again and again that He not only saw her where she was, but He was there and had never once walked away. He knew her pain better than she did and He loved her baby more than she could ever hope to.

Let me tell you, it is so hard to be the expression to Christ to a hurting world and people in circumstances that I don't understand. There is always emotion behind the expression. When He moves in compassion through you it hurts ... it is rewarding ... but it still hurts. I had only a glimpse of the fierce expression of His love for people and it completely overwhelmed me.

God is fiercely in love with you and watches over you as fervently as a desperate mother over a helpless child. He is warring for your soul as a warrior wars for his loved ones. He is expressing His love in even the smallest details and He is right here, RIGHT NOW.

**Photos by Ashley Bridges

                                                                                           

Last week we met with all of our teachers, 10 women who pour into over 100 children’s lives daily. Okay, I spend 4 hours at the school with the teacher’s help and I’m exhausted. But these women faithfully serve, faithfully love, faithfully pour into the children’s lives … I look up to them!

Teacher Rebecca at first glance would be thought of as quiet, and that she is. She is a woman of few words but when she speaks you are drawn, not won over by persuasive words but by her deep convictions and love for Jesus. In our meeting she shared the devotional which moved and challenged me:

The Heart of Jesus – Children

“In Mark 9 and 10 we read that Jesus was compassionate for children and often used them to illustrate His own heart. It shows us that without His heart, you will lack in dedication, commitment and putting the life of the most insignificant child about yours, and you will lack the understanding in what Jesus’ heart felt for the children, and His compassion for tomorrow’s generation.

This is the prayer I pray every morning before I go teach:

I will be patient, kind, loving, and tolerant. I will not at any time shout or lose my temper with the children God has put into my care. I will be understanding and put the children first in everything. I will do whatever is necessary to teach the children in exciting and an enjoyable manner, even if it means making a fool of myself. I will not be nervous, but I will be in control and relax and enjoy myself as much as the children do. I understand that I am here to teach to a new generation who will trust in what I say and take it as truth. I will not be threatened in any way by the untamed action of the children under my God given authority. I will be bold and strong in the statements that I make when I know the absolute truth about that subject. I will not raise my hand in any form of anger towards a child but will show only love, even in discipline. I am raising up a strong and powerful children, those who will run ahead of me.”

What about Jesus’ heart for YOU? I've asked myself, “If not us, who will show Jesus to the least of these?”  But then, who are we to even say, “Least of these”? Yes, these kids in the squatter camp may appear as the “least of these” with their bare feet, hungry tummies, dirty clothes, snotty noses, and starving for love grip holds on your legs. But really, that is what my soul is like without Jesus: Bare, hungry, dirty, sick and starving for love. Jesus died for the world, we are all the “least of these”. Jesus became human and entered into our filth and He went beyond that, He BECAME sin. HE BECAME THE “LEAST OF THESE” and He died. PUTTING TO DEATH our bare, hungry, dirty, sick, starving sins and He ROSE AGAIN, bringing His life to fill the void of the emptiness that our souls have always longed for.

I've literally danced my socks off a few times here in South Africa. Why? It started with a question and ended with an answer. The emotion left couldn't be expressed in words … so I danced.

My question: Would Jesus be enough for me? If He took away my very words, my ambitions, everything I hold dear, even the dreams of my own that I deem “worthy” … would He really, really be enough for me? When every earthly passion that steals me away is gone, leaving a broken and beating heart … would I still be in Love with Christ?

He created me to be free, free in Him. Yes He gave me freedom of choice but knows that my spirit can only truly be free and soar when it is placed in the hands of the One who created it and breathed it into existence.

The answer: Jesus lives to make intercession for me, His spirit bearing witness with mine that Jesus is MORE THAN ENOUGH for me:

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

-Romans 8:15-16

I’m Your child. You see me when my eyes are downcast. You know my feelings when I think I have nothing left to feel. You know the dreams that I held on to too tightly or pushed away or tried to make completely my own. You didn't shrug Your shoulders. You still created me even when You knew to give me life would be at the cost of Your Son’s. BUT You created me and You relentlessly pursue with arms open wide.

You desire truth in my inmost being. You are truth. Through Jesus I am valued and honored and You Love me. You remain the same and are always here.

And so my beating heart still sings-

“Even if You take it all away
You’ll never let me go
Take it all away
But I still know

That I'm Yours
I'm still Yours”

Story Behind the Picture:

It was our second day back in the squatter camps and we had already struck up quite a few conversations. I looked up to see a lanky 10 year old girl watching us expressively as she balanced a bag of corn expertly on top of her head. My fellow interns felt compelled to ask if we could go home with her and meet her mother. Her eyes lit up, that was the very thing she was hoping we would ask. She excitedly thread her way through the shacks, leading us to her home. She ran ahead and excitedly, announcing in her native tongue that she had brought friends home with her …

We were met by a thin woman with a lovely smile carrying a darling baby. We found out that our little guide’s name was Beautiful, her mother’s name was Edith, and her wee sister’s name was Louis. We settled down, the baby was quick to be kissed and cuddled by the girls on the team and we began to exchange life with Edith.

Edith began to tell us about her family. Her husband had been grotesquely murdered a few years earlier and the killer was still wandering at will. She didn't have money to send her daughter to school and she was obviously distraught over the thought. Her parents are no longer living and she had walked through two miscarriages prior to Life being born. She shared her sorrows gracefully but her smile had faded and her eyes trembled with tears. She said with tears in her voice that she prays, but she didn't think God heard her … He didn't answer.

I found myself on my knees at her feet, peering earnestly into her eyes and saying with the compassion and conviction that only Jesus can give, “Edith. God hears you. God sees you. God cares for you. We are living proof of that. He brought us here to tell you that He hasn't forgotten you!” I was surprised to find tears in my voice as I willed in my heart for her to believe in God’s goodness. Beautiful stole up beside her mother and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. Edith listened. My heart cried at the sobriety of the situation but in the same moment was overwhelmed with the intensity of God’s love for this woman.

Different scriptures came alive to me as I shared them with her. Passages like Psalm 121-

I will lift my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forever more.

And Psalm 68-

A father of the fatherless, a defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families…

And so we loved, we prayed, and we left her with the only Living Hope there is. We look to the Author of our life stories, amazed at how He allows us to be knit together with others as we look to Him as the head. Beautiful clung to one of the interns in tears as we departed and we in turn clung to His Hope that we would see this family again, soon.

Deep, stretching textures depicting colors of feverish royalty swirled with misty grays and shy blues. A final touch and silent screaming whisper of our Maker’s delight. A blush as He kisses our foreheads goodnight and brings out the moon to reflect the promise of tomorrow’s Light. An inspiration of the moment, a bit of gold spilled from heaven, a comma before the continuation. All of this wrapped up in one breathtaking picture that tells a story. The story trails off with a wispy signature of crimson followed by an epilogue … He hasn't forgotten – He is coming back riding upon the clouds. The story isn't finished, it has only just begun.

**Yesterday's sunset. The inspiration He colored for my thoughts:  

I can’t help but think of the Father’s heart as full of light yet wet with raindrops – He knows the story behind every African’s pearly white smile set in dusky faces – He is weeping for and with them. He sees when the smile fades away and their eyes are cast down to dirty, calloused feet.

He counts every single tear that slips down our faces and the silent cries of humanities heart resounds as an anthem in His ears. He knows our pain better than we do, He went to the greatest length to reach into the deepest depths of our sorrows and pull us up in His arms of grace.

The Creator became created, the Healer gave His life, the Lifegiver conquered death, the Father cries, “Come! Come all you who are weak and weary, I will give you rest.” He lifts our faces to His perfectly pure radiance, wiping away our shame.

And then He does it, He asks: “Will you go with Me? Will you be My hands to heal the hurting, My feet to spread My Good News? Will you go to that one person? I will give you eyes to see beyond their beautiful smile. I entered into your pain and now I’m empowering you to enter with Me into someone else’s pain. You think you may know a little of My love?  Ah, just wait, wait until you experience My heart for all of humanity …

For I so loved the world I gave...”

How much you have done, God my God! Your wonders and your thoughts toward us – none can compare with you! I would proclaim them, I would speak about them; but there’s too much to tell!