gut check
even when you're intentionally moving towards a big change, when it finally starts to come it can be a bit scary.
we returned from our second survey trip to the former yugoslavia a couple weeks ago. this trip was very different than the one we took last summer. God had different things to show us...
this time the trip was more focused on a specific country and people group. this time it was with potential teammates and a larger number of leadership people. this time we had a more definite goal in mind. it was more real, more intense, more joyful, more sobering.
i think each of our teammates asked God to show them specific things while we were there. i can't vouch for all of them, but i'm pretty sure that He gave each of us what we'd asked for...
i know He did for me. for me, it was a reality check.
it was cold. it was lots of walking in snow and slush. it was going into grocery stores and trying to interpret labels by the pictures and the few words i'd learned. it was hearing the call to prayer blasted regularly from minnerets. it was walking into cafes and restaurants and barely being able to breathe because of all the cigarette smoke. it was wearing multiple layers, even inside, because central heat is rare. it was grey skies for days. it was a spiritual darkness that you could feel that makes you tired... and a palpable hopelessness in the air. it was frequently seeing headcoverings. it was hearing workers say "run away" and "this is hard soil", it was trying not to make eye contact with people on the streets, it was wondering "can i really do this?"...
and for me it was encouragement.
it was visiting with our mentor couple and getting hugs. it was hearing workers say that even though it was hard they wouldn't be anywhere else. it was getting excited as a team. it was incredible times of worshipping together. it was talking to nationals that are now brothers and sisters. it was listening to God whisper that He wants these people, whisper that He wants this country. it was a reassurance that He will be with us no matter where we are, and that His spirit is greater than the spirt that is in that place. it was Him whispering that He wants to do some amazing things, and that He wants us to be available to be used...
our team has been given until christmas to decide if we'll go. this will not be an easy journey.
would you please be praying that we will make the choice that best brings God glory among the nations?