A Valentine's Date to Remember

After our ride

Yesterday afternoon Mady begged me to go on a bike ride with her. I wasn't feeling the greatest and so I asked her if she would like to join me for my 6 am ride through what I call "The Sanctuary" - a ride in the back stretch of the breeding grounds where we live. She agreed and we talked about what to wear and how long it would take. While I was at my weekly Rotary meeting last night Jenn said she talked about it nonstop, so I knew she was excited. I wasn't too sure she would be excited about getting up at 6 am though.

I woke up a little late myself (around 5:45 am) and I need to do a nebulizer treatment before I exercise and as I walked into our living room I found her there dressed in her workout clothes with her shoes already on (actually they were flip flops - I found out she doesn't have any sneakers here. That will change today.) I finished my nebulizer about 6:10 am and when I turned off the machine she told me "Daddy, we were supposed to leave at 6:00, we're late." Ok, she's ready.

We got our bikes and headed off into the wild country. She sky was radiant with little beams of light hitting the foothills with brilliance. We laughed at the monkeys, stirred up a big pack of impala and spooked about 8 Oryx grazing on the grass. We enjoyed the Guinea fowl and a host of other animals. It stormed the night before so everything was glistening and there was a freshness was in the air. I taught her how to pick "a line" to ride, anticipating grade changes, guiding through the puddles and mud and navigating the rocky terrain. Although I went half my normal speed, this was more than double the enjoyment.

After about 20 minutes she started to slow down (and her plastic flip flops kept slipping off her muddy pedals). We ended up walking our bikes and talking for the last 20 minutes of our journey. Apparently my 21-gear, dual-suspension Trek Superfly AL100 Elite mountain bike with 29" tires was too much for her department store special.

The conversation got a little quiet and finally she asked me about what we were going to do today since it was Valentine's Day. I told her I was speaking at a young adult service tonight and that we were going to the church this afternoon for the after school program that we help lead. I also told her that I was going to buy her a pair of sneakers as well (a very special treat). A few minutes later she quietly asked "Did you get an email from Nonny?" My response was "yes." Her face lit up with anticipation and joy.

You see, this wasn't just any email. We've been checking and checking our email for the past 2 days waiting for an email. Actually, an attachment. An email attachment with a copy of our birth certificates and marriage license. You need them to be able to submit the paperwork to become foster parents and to adopt a little boy from South Africa...

A week ago we visited a baby shelter (an orphanage) with the missions team that was here. The moment we walked in, the Lord spoke to both Jenn and I individually about one little boy that was there. We didn't tell each other anything that day but that night, as we were getting ready for bed, I nervously mentioned that something had happened at the baby shelter that day. Jenn told me that something had happened in her heart too. We started talking and we both realized that the Lord had given us a heart and an affection for the same little boy. We had both heard God speak to us about adopting...again. We were a little overwhelmed. "Is God doing something?" "Is the timing right?" "How will this affect our children?" "Can we afford it?" "Can an American living in South Africa adopt a boy from South Africa?" The questions just kept pouring in. We were both cautiously optimistic, considering how enormously disappointed we were when we started the adoption process in 2012 and things went south. We cried out to the Lord in prayer.

As the days went by, we couldn't stop thinking about this little boy. We met with the social worker this week and got the application paperwork. It's all filled out, we just needed a few of those documents that my mom sent me. We are cautiously stepping forward right now, realizing this is a marathon, not a sprint. Knowing that as foster parents, we could lose the child any day if the biological family steps forward. Our hearts could be ripped from our chests, but we have to acknowledge that God did something last week and that we must act upon it by faith in submission to him. "Lord, we're asking that you'll do this for us. Our children are walking in faith in this journey with us. They've already nicknamed him Daniel. This will change our lives. Change our family tree. It will change us. Hear our cry we ask."

This is truly a day we'll never forget. I'm not sure how you are spending your Valentine's Day, but we are doing something that is in our hearts. We are loving. Loving children. Loving on the unlovely.

Loving orphans. 

Happy.Valentine's.Day. 

"Pure religion that God accepts is to take care of the widow and the orphan in their distress and to keep thyself pure from the world." 

James 1:27

Church is for cowards, wussies and wimps

A friends of mine recently contacted me and said that she was thinking about finding a new church home. Although she's had a difficult couple of years, I applauded her desire to connect with a new fellowship of believers. As she and I have chatted about what to look for in a church, it dawned on me that church is often viewed as a place for "happy, smiling, perfect people" with "2.5 kids, an SUV, a mortgage and 2 weeks paid vacation per year." The dad is clad in khakis and a pressed polo and the mom sports the latest designer scarf, perfectly matched discounted skirt (it was 30% off!) and knee high boots.

Wait, maybe I'm just describing us.

As I search the Scriptures and especially the book of Acts, a different perception is portrayed. The believers in Acts shared everything they had with each other (Acts 4:32), worked all night - in prayer and preaching (Acts 20:7-12), celebrated "life together" (Acts 2:44) and even were willing to meet in an upper room for days on end in prayer (Acts 1:13). The notion of showing up on Sunday and warming a pew for an hour just wasn't an option.

If we were to practice these types of activities in modern days, I believe most would consider us a cult, which wouldn't glorify Christ. However there is a way for us to share "Life Together" as the German philosopher Dietrich Bonhoeffer described in his popular book before he was hung in 1945. Life together is openness. Accountability. Growing together. Learning together. Praying for one another. Freedom to be. Freedom to laugh and snort.

My friend and I have had quite a few discussions on what to look for in a new church home. Is the preaching the #1 thing to evaluate? How about the "friendliness" of the church? How about a good children's ministry? An annual cookout? Comfortable seating? Nicely tuned worship band? Ease of location or a close parking spot for visitors? I absolutely agree that a solid church community should have biblical preaching, fellowship, worship and prayer (Acts 2:42). And I absolutely believe there should be small groups that stand for one another, pray for each other and have an accountability system put in place. The #1 consideration however is "Lord, where are YOU planting me in your body?"

You see, church should not be a community of perfectionists who put on their Sunday best and pretend they have no problems. Church should be more like...a hospital. A place for those who can "come as we are." A place for the down and out. The misfits. The sad, the broken. Jesus himself said that "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, healthy people don't need a doctor, sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." (Mark 2:17). Jesus the great physician, calls the imperfect - the sinners, and welcomes them into his house.

The message of the church is for cowards. He promises in Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you…"

The message of the church is for wussies. He promises in Isaiah 41:13 "I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand, and says "Do not fear, I will help you..." 

The message of the church is for wimps. He promises in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My power is made perfect in weakness…"

He takes us where we are and elevates us to the next level. He leads us into deeper intimacy with him. He calls all of us, even the cowards, wussies and wimps into his home. The church should welcome such with open arms…Jesus does.

Maybe, just maybe, we need to have a new viewpoint of the church. Maybe we need to change our perception of who goes to church. Maybe we need to welcome those who come in who don't fit into our "box." Maybe we need to recognize that the church is a place for healing. Maybe the church should be a safe place where we embrace each other's problems and speak love and edification, rather than look at someone with a judgmental, haughty, condescending side-ways glance derived out of pride, arrogance and self.

And maybe, just maybe, the cross on the steeple needs to be replaced with a new cross. A reminder of the spirit of the cross. A cross that looks like…this.

We've decided to not go back

Jenn and I have been praying a lot about a big decision in our lives recently. This has not been an easy decision and it's even more difficult to talk about it. We've decided to not go back to a place that's very dear and near to our hearts. It has big implications now and huge implications down the road. It will impact our children in a way that we can't quite comprehend the outcome. In some ways I know they will be disappointed and in some ways I know they will be understanding, if not pleased.

I want to go back. There's a pull and a tug in my soul and there are places in my heart that scream for me to go back. But as I quiet myself and pray and seek the Lord's leading, I know he's directing me down a different path. One that maybe I've tripped over along the way or even wandered down for a brief period of time. There are certain aspects of the new path that we've gone down before and have become scared or even determined we can't do it. It's a path of the unknown.

I really want to go back, but the Lord is telling me no. I want to be involved in what I know. I want to do what I've done in the past. There's comfort there, and a sense of stability.

But we've decided to not go back.

We've decided to not go back to what we were doing. We've decided to not go back to the way we've gone before. We're sick of that path. We're done. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come." We're no longer living in the past. There's no need to go there again. I'm new. I'm not the old Mark. The old Mark is gone, buried with Christ. The new Mark is here, but it's not even me that's living, it's Christ in me (Gal 2:20) who's alive and active. His life is expressing itself through me. This new life looks different, acts different and thinks different.

I'm not going back. I'm not going back to the old Mark.

I'm not going back to a sheltered life, cocooned off from the world.
I'm not going back to any debt. Being 100% debt free allows me to breathe and sleep soundly. (This was our first Christmas with absolutely no debt and paying cash for everything. Simpler. Peaceful.)
I'm not going back to no accountability. Even Christ was under the Father.
I'm not going back to not taking care of my body. How can I serve if my health fails?
I'm not going back to thinking a "job" has no potential for ministry. I represent Christ in any task.
I'm not going back to taking days off as a Dad. My kids come before ministry.

I'm not going back, to the old way of doing things. If (*when) I fail, I'm glad I have accountability brothers who will keep me in check. Therein lies the beauty of community. I take a stand and then others are there to catch me when I fall and help me back on my feet.

Are you willing to take a stand and make a list and commit it to prayer? To not go back? Who will you ask to help you? Without accountability in this particular arena, we're bound for disappointment and failure.

Lessons from across the pond (posted by Jenn)

(I wrote this post for our most recent update letter regarding our first 3 months in South Africa.  If you would like to be added to our email list to get our updates, let me know.)  

When asked if I would write about a few of the moments that specifically touched me through these past 3 months, I had to pause.  That's a difficult question... so many people, so many events, so many things have touched my heart while living in South Africa.  I have made what I know will be life-long friendships.  I've seen things that I never imagined seeing in my lifetime.  I've been a part of something much bigger than myself.  I've been blessed.

I left America with no idea of what this next adventure would be like.  I had never been to South Africa - only seen pictures.  I felt very much like Abraham must have felt... packing up and heading to a country that he didn't know.  But, as did with Abraham, my faith grew tremendously during this time.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the ministry that is happening in South Africa.  I'm so thankful that I've been able to experience all that I have so far.  I'm thankful to be a changed person.

I'm blessed to have been able to meet a sweet little girl at the Children's Home in our area.  I felt drawn to her the first time I saw her.  We played, hand in hand, the whole time I was there, even though she didn't speak a word of English.  She changed me.  She has a piece of my heart.  I learned that she is very sick and that breaks my heart.  I'm looking forward to the visit where I can see her again and whisper to her, once again, while sitting on the swing, that "Jesus loves you and so do I.  Very much."

 I'm beyond grateful for the opportunity to be able to teach at the country school down the tar road from us.  I was quite nervous the first time I stepped in the school, but now I dislike leaving those sweet children.  I love teaching them the love of Christ right along with a dose of English.  They are beautiful.  They are so loved.  Every.  Single.  One.  Of.  Them.  In all actuality, they are teaching me MUCH more than I could ever teach them.  They have melted my heart with sweet conversations, hugs, contagious smiles, and letters calling me "mom."  I'm much more than a teacher to them... I'm Jesus.  And I am privileged to spend every second I can with them. 

I'm honored to be around the beautiful children at Lighthouse Christian Church multiple days each week.  I love the hugs, the high-fives, cool handshakes and finger snaps that I get every time we are there.  I love seeing the children run to our truck as we pull into the church.  I love hearing them yell for us as we leave.  I love holding the little ones when they can't sit through church.  I love picking up the ones who have fallen down and scraped a knee.  I love praying with the older kids who are feeling hurt or discouraged.  I love talking with them - learning about their lives.  I love watching my children love on them - and vice versa.  I love them.  All of them.  Every single precious child who walks through the gate.  They are part of my family.  We are all a part of God's family.  

Over the past couple of months, I've grown especially close to a small group of girls ages 13-14.  I'm digging into their lives, praying with them, loving on them, teaching them about God's unconditional love... But, like I said before, they are teaching me much more.  They've become "my girls."  I'm so thankful that they trust me enough to pour out their lives to me, and in turn I have the great privilege of sharing love, life and truth with them.  The letters they have written to me will be something that I cherish forever.  Leaving was much harder than I had imagined.  The impact that they have had on me I can assure you is much bigger than the one I hope I can have on them.  The light that shines through these girls is incredible considering the circumstances that they deal with on a daily basis.  God is at work and my heart is full.  I will continue to encourage them, uplift them, and pray with them as we move forward.  I'm looking forward to very BIG hugs when we get back to South Africa. 

My heart is for the children of South Africa - the orphans, the vulnerable children.  All of them.  When I think about what has most impacted me while I was there, it was by far the ministry, the children.  I'm honored to be in South Africa serving the Lord by loving on His children.  Those hugs, those amazing smiles, those tears from those sweet children remind me that i's all worth it.  

Giving up everything to serve Jesus is worth it.  Completely worth it.  

Pray for me: I finally broke down and went to AA

A friend of mine has found going to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings extremely beneficial. They have said on several occasions that I should come along sometime. They wanted me to meet their friends and be introduced to the support group. There was a special speaker speaking recently, so I broke down and went. What I didn't realize is that I needed AA more than I was willing to acknowledge.

Up until recently, I had a certain perspective on support groups like AA, NA (narcotics anonymous), M.A.D., DARE etc. I believed that these groups were just coping mechanisms that over looked the greater need (that being Jesus). I was being judgmental at best. The more I heard my friend talk, the more I recognized that AA has some inherent benefits. I learned that people still attend these meetings even after being sober 20 years. My immediate response was "why would someone go to AA after being sober for 20 years?" The response was not what I expected. My friend said, "We need the accountability and don't want to relapse." Interesting. My friend really wanted me to attend an open AA meeting, so I tagged along.

I arrived with a half-hearted expectation to my first meeting. What I saw I didn't expect. There were about 30 people sitting around the room that looked and acted absolutely normal. These folks were hard working students, professionals, grandparents, and moms with their children. Where were the "downs and outs" giving AA a last ditch effort to escape the indwelling demons? Where were the sob stories and unbelievable situations? Where was the hopeless and helpless looking for a handout? The folks that I saw were well-dressed good looking guys and gals. They welcomed me with open arms and served up a good cup of coffee. I sat down a little uncomfortable as a realization came over me. These people were successful at conquering their issue at hand. Almost everyone in the room from what I could tell had been sober for months, most of them years. They were a success! I was the one that needed AA and I wasn't willing to admit it.

You see, I don't deal with an alcohol or drug addiction. I don't struggle with pornography and I have a thriving marriage. I'm not unemployed and I don't need a recovery program for re-entry into society after a period behind bars. I don't lie, cheat or gamble and I've never been to a strip club. Horror movies are scary to me and I don't own a gun, they're loud. I love my whole family, Jesus, apple pie and football. But I need help. I need an AA type meeting in my life. I need support. I need accountability. After I thought about AA and what it means, I've come to realize that I think we all need an AA type meeting. We all need a support group or small group or whatever you want to call it. We all have struggles. We all are on the road to recovery. We all struggle with our own demons. Some are external, some are internal. Pride, love of money, being a workaholic, insecurity, lack of focus, laziness to name a few. I will never again judge someone who nervously tells me that they've started going to an AA type meeting. Quite the opposite. I will celebrate them. I will encourage them and give them a man hug. Yes they need Jesus, but they are going in a positive direction. They've acknowledged their problem, realized they can't do it themselves and have taken a big, bold, courageous step in the right direction. Some people are completely liberated from an addiction the moment they encounter Jesus but come to realize there are still other issues they struggle with as time goes by. Accountability is a beautiful thing. Many issues need to be addressed and repented of as sin, but after this, how do we help prevent a relapse?

I don't deal with the afore mentioned issues, but I have a big struggle. One that continues to creep up and I've gone to counseling for it, even taken medication for it. Many people don't know this about me. It's not something I would normally go public with on social media, but I'm willing to now, thanks to my first AA meeting.

My name's Mark and I'm a fear-aholic. 

I deal with fear. The littlest things trigger a fear mechanism in me, especially when it comes to my health and the possibility of not being there for my kids and wife down the road. I'm thankful for friends who have prayed with me, encouraged me and helped me the past 5 years. 2 Timothy 1:7 says "The Lord hasn't given ME a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind." The SPIRIT of fear is real and I've commanded that spirit by the blood of Jesus out of my life continually. And I claim this verse almost on a daily basis and I've prayed. My wife has prayed. But I need to take the next step.

There I've said it. I've nervously shared with you a vulnerable part about me. It's actually been quite liberating. I could care less if people look at me with a sideways glance now. I could care less if people judge me for not being perfect. I promise to not do the same with them. We all know we all have struggles. I'm taking my own bold step in a positive direction. I can't do it on my own. I'm looking forward to 20 years of freedom from fear, but for now, I'll start with the next 24 hours.

Now, who's courageous enough to join my small group? 

The Tomato Story

Yesterday was one of those days that I don't think I'll ever forget...

Dr. Blessman got a call from Richard at the Pietersburg 100 Rotary Club. Richard shared that he had a lot of tomatoes to donate to Blessman Ministries Inc.

We stopped by last night to pick up the donation, only to find out that there were 20 crates of tomatoes for us! We filled up the entire back end of Dr Blessman's SUV with tubs of tomatoes and loaded about 6 more tubs onto the luggage racks.

After loading them up, we looked at each other and said, "We have a lot of tomatoes to find a home for!"

Dr Blessman had an idea for where quite a few of the tubs would go: a local pastor and his church, the workers at Shikwaru game reserve by our home and the kids at Lighthouse Church. But we had about 4-5 tubs of tomatoes (probably 75 pounds each) that we didn't know where to take them. We wanted them to go where they would be the most beneficial. We were thanking the Lord, and silently asking the Lord to lead us to the exact person (or communities) as we drove around.

We pulled into a Welfare complex and talked with the headmaster. He said they were government funded, and that they had a contract with a food vendor so they weren't actually interested in our tomatoes. They did say that around back, behind their complex, was a facility that housed mentally handicapped males. As we drove around the outside of their fence on a dirt road, my heart sank as we pulled up to the gate of the "other" facility. The facility that no one could see. The forgotten facility. The facility that houses males that people want to forget about. A facility that houses unwanted and undesired people.

There was garbage lining the entrance way, and young men were milling about everywhere. Windows were broken out, and the buildings were in great disarray. We asked one of the residents where the Administration building was at and his reply was that it was the "green building." We didn't see a green building, but we did see a building with a green roof. Close enough.

We drove over and met with the head master. Actually, he came out and met us at our vehicle as we pulled in. He was a truly genuine man and Dr Blessman and I both had instantaneous fellowship with him. He had a huge heart and a warm smile. He greeted us like we were brothers. Dr Blessman shared a little bit about our ministry and explained that our local Rotary Club had donated a lot of tomatoes, and would these tomatoes be beneficial to the residents at this facility? The headmaster's response is something I'm still trying to compute. I'm not sure where to file the following words that came out of his mouth...

You see, all the staff were supposed to leave at 3:00 that afternoon. By this time it was almost 4:30. They should've been home already. They should've been with their families, probably starting to cook dinner. The problem was that this facility had no food. None. They had been talking and praying since 3:00 about how they were going to feed all 140 males at their facility the next day. There was literally no food left. Their shelves were bare. As we drove in, one of the assistants looked at the headmaster and said, "there's your answer."

We learned about their situation and went to our storage facility about 5 minutes away and gave the headmaster 10 cases of rice packets from Meals from the Heartland. They filled up the whole back end of his truck. They said they would mix the tomatoes with the rice packets and make soup...for days.

Do you have any idea how humbling it is to ask the Lord "what do you want us to do?" and then as you listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, you become the answer to someone else's prayer? All glory to God.

I know that our ministry is making a difference. I know that we feed 7000 orphans a day in 30 feeding centers throughout South Africa. I know that we have an internet café to teach children computer skills and an after school program to teach them Christanity. I know that we are deeply involved with an orphanage about 30 minutes away, some of whom are infected with the AIDS virus. I've heard the stories, but the "tomato story" was different. This was something I was directly involved in. I witnessed it. You know what it did? It increased my faith. Are we going to go back to that "forgotten facility" and give them shoes? You bet. Are we going to partner with them and make sure they get more rice packets? You better believe it. Am I going to pray for my new friend, the headmaster - and a pastor? Absolutely. And I pray that as you get a glimpse into the life of a missionary pouring out his heart on a random Thursday for a country he loves, that your faith will be increased too. That you will ask the Lord "What do you want ME to do today?" Listen to him. Be lead of the Holy Spirit, and maybe the "tomatoes" you have will be the answer to someone's else's prayer as well. 

May you be encouraged.

The Greatest Missionary

I never thought that I would be someone in full time missions. Now we live in Africa.

When I was a small boy I was torn between becoming a racecar drive and a dinosaur. Throughout college, although I was in student ministry, my focus and pursuit was the medical field. When I graduated and found my first job, I believed I had found my career. Looking back now, it was just a training ground for where we are today. It humbles me that the Lord has chosen us to be sent out into the world. There have been countless missionaries before us, and the road is well paved, and yet it still seems so surreal. I love my calling and I count it a privilege to be full time in ministry. Am I any more of a missionary now than I was when I worked for the Reference Laboratory and was in lay college ministry? No. Am I any more of a missionary now than when I worked as a Medical Technologist? No. Is this new vocation God’s direction in my life? Yes. I’ve preached for years “be a missionary wherever you go.” It doesn’t matter what you’ve chosen as your vocation in life. Our chief responsibility is to hear from the Lord and be lead by the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves pure so as to not have anything come between our soul and the Savior.

As humans, we often like to think about “who is the greatest?” The greatest football player? Walter Payton. The greatest author? Shakespeare. The person that is the best at a particular gifting. The best at making money? Bill Gates (among others). The best salesman? Most politicians. You get the point. What about who was the greatest missionary? Was it someone like Billy Graham, David Livingston or George Muller? Although all of these were great missionaries, the greatest of them all was Jesus Christ.

Jesus left his eternal dwelling place. The place he had always known for all of eternity. He left the perfect unity of fellowship with the Father to come to this earth. The place that he had created became what wasn’t intended to be. The sin cursed earth needed a Redeemer and he was sent. You would think that all of humanity would instantaneously bow at his feet in gratitude and thanksgiving but instead “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (Jn 1:11). But he still came. He was obedient to the will of the Father.

I was blown away by a verse that I read recently. I’ve read this verse countless times but it jumped off the page and into my heart this past week. “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.” (Jn 3:34) Jesus has been sent. He was the greatest missionary of all time. He left his eternal dwelling place and came to earth. He left the familiar (purity) and came to a place of unfamiliarity (sin and its consequences). He came to those that didn’t know him, despised him, rejected him and ultimately put him to death. As a sent one, he was the voice, the oracle of God, representing the Father in all ways. Was he alone on his journey? No. He had a helpmate, the Holy Spirit, the paraclete – one who comes up beside, a helper.

In human terms, we usually think of things that ultimately get depleted and run out. Food, money, gasoline, batteries etc run out. When we use something, it ends up becoming empty, depleted, broken or useless over time. It’s one of the laws of our universe. There is one major exception though and Jn 3:34 emphasizes it: the unending supply of the Holy Spirit. We have been given a gift that doesn’t run out. An infinite, limitless supply. This principle of a limitless supply of the Holy Spirit applies not only to Jesus, but to us as well. First, we see God – the creator and sustainer of life, has a will and a purpose for us. He had a purpose for Christ, and he has a will for all of humanity. This same Creator sends us out – those that respond by faith to his will, to accomplish his will here on earth. As we are responsive to the will of God, we can be his mouthpiece. Just as Christ was the voice of God, so we are called to vocalize the will of God. To speak as we are spoken to through the conduit called the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is that channel by which we get our marching orders. With the Holy Spirit comes incredible blessings, like a limitless supply of power, strength and truth. It doesn’t run out. The Holy Spirit doesn’t become tired, spent, exhausted or worn out like all of creation. The Holy Spirit is limitless! Without limit, without end.

I challenge you to consider your ways. Are you God’s servant, being lead out to in a missional way to represent him each and every day? God doesn’t call every person into full time missions in another culture (it wouldn’t make sense, who would represent him in the stores, factories, organizations and companies in every part of the world??) he has you just where he wants you. You are to be his mouthpiece. You are sent into the world to speak his voice. Where does your strength, power, courage, boldness and vitality come from? A limitless supply of the Holy Spirit. Ask that the Lord would clearly confirm your calling and to fill you in a greater way with the limitless supply of the Holy Spirit and just see what happens…

May you be encouraged.