“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” – Mark 11:24 NIV
The Call from a Thought
Well a small thought maybe an understatement, I like to describe it more as a “divine inspiration”. On a Sunday in 2015, during my quite time with God (which means I was sitting quietly on some pillows in my then prayer room letting my thoughts flow after prayer), I was seeking direction on my purpose in life. The purpose question for me has been a life long journey, a lover of many things I was starting to feel lost and all over the place. Well this Sunday God lead me down a series of thoughts about things I like to do. I absolutely love to travel and at the time I was volunteering with the singles ministry serving the homeless and calling bingo numbers at the nursing home. With that, the thought of international volunteerism came to mind, next the thought of my then church going on mission trips.
I got to church that Sunday morning and during the announcements a mini commercial mentions the church is seeking members for the Fall Mission Trips. I was floored, completely shocked and amazed at how quickly God was connecting the dots.
Provision Provided
Well the cost for the trip was $3,200. Instantly I started thinking about how I was going to raise the funds and to be honest I was getting a little discouraged. Well a week later, I was notified that I won a class action suit that I didn’t even know about at work for back pay/overtime. I received a check of $3,200 the exact amount for the trip. I knew then that God ordained this was a trip.
The Moment of Discipleship
In Kenya, my church team of 18 served a slum called Kawangware approximately 15 miles from Nairobi. There we attended church service, taught vacation bible school to 400 students at Huduma School, provided clinic support to local doctors, and conduct street evangelism. During the trip, I along with two other teammates taught 87 students about putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11). Each day we conduct praise and worship, course lessons, as well as arts and crafts around each armor part. By the end of the week students were about to identify the Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Helmet of Salvation, Shield of Faith, Sword of the Spirit, and Gospel Shoes. They learned that each day we must but on this spiritual armor to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Our last day in Kawangware we took to the streets to share the Good News of Jesus with the community. Again we were broken out into team, my team spoke mostly to mothers at the local watering hole. That day the Holy Spirit softened the hearts of those women as a result 19 accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. My overall mission’s team had 28 people come to Christ during our street evangelism.
My Life was Changed
During the trip God spoke to me in several ways: He showed me His perfect timing, the power of the Holy Spirit, He still answers prayers, and ultimately confirmed my gift of intercession. I am grateful that God was able to use me to teach others about the love of God and most importantly participant in bringing them into His salvation.
Since this journey to Africa, I have committed to Christ like never before and my desire to serve Him has increased. The lessons and insight learned on this trip has catapulted me into a new journey of connecting the dots of my ultimate purpose.
The question that I pose to you today is what small thoughts, gentle whispering has God spoken to you? Have you followed through to see the amazing journey that He wants you to experience?