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A month spent in Ethiopia. A month with no meat, no milk, no chocolate. The stories she shares of holding little babes so tiny you could feel their ribs in their backs. Deep in the heart of Ethiopia, in the jungle, with rain and more rain. No cover. Leaky tents. Molded clothes. Mother's pleading with you to take their children. Orphanages of children who think you're there to adopt them. A heart crying out, "Why am I here Lord?" Emotionally and physically strained. The body at it's weakest point, the mind exasperated.
Maybe I just want to go home.
I imagine the process of the oil being pressed from the olive. All of the flesh's desires deprived. Icky feeling. The smell. No favorite foods or drink. No familiar faces, friends, nor family. Just a tribe of people with so little. Just when you think you could bare no more, more pressing comes, walking miles and miles to get to church. Making it as far as you could go, knowing you would be collapsing because you were at your end, only to be told you had just made it to the foot of the mountain. Learning that it was actually time for the real journey to begin. Looking up and knowing that you HAD to climb this mountain-right here and now-at your weakest moment.
HOW? You cried? HOW?
The Lord strengthened you. He sent many to encourage you. Where you thought you were done, you discovered that down....deep down inside you had more. Many times you thought you'd fall. Many times you doubted you could do it but you never quit.
You screamed. You kicked. You cried.
BUT you did not quit.
When you got to the top of that mountain you experienced something that you had never felt before.
Victory.
Sweet Victory!
I real true VICTORY. And not just any victory but a spiritual victory. A victory in Christ!
In one moment you knew, THIS, THIS is WHY I am here!
6 souls are saved.
6
That seems like such a small number for such a long time. So many people sent at such a high expense to spread the love of Jesus. Ah, but let us remember that it was Jesus who left the 99 to go and get the 1. Those 6 were worth it all to Him. How special they must be to His heart! To have sent all of you to find them, those 6 hearts searching and hungry for the truth of Jesus Christ. And to imagine what they will do with the truth they received.
He is not finished.
Have you not thought about what He has DONE in YOU? The work He created? The process HE began?
He will NOT leave unfinished.
My little girl came home different. Very different. She is not the same 16 year old teenager who left these states to fly to East Africa for two solid months. She is not the same. She is not the same physically-3 pant sizes smaller-with large gaunt eyes. She is not the same spiritually, there is this glow around her, this un-explainable peace. A maturity.
My how I look up to you. I see so much fruit! Actually I believe I see a bit of each one of the 9 in you now. I have to laugh because the Lord is exercising them in you and you have no idea whats going on.
Your view has changed. It's hard coming back into this place of so much abundance that people forget to be thankful. I see you wrestling and it's okay because it's a great blessing to see you growing.
You are in our prayers precious one! Know that He is molding you and shaping you for the plan that He designed for especially for you. I love you my precious V!
.....I'll share more about Sky's trip soon.
