... Being in AFrica takes us all away from things that we once knew before and takes us somewhere deeper, and a place that leaves the world far beyond reach.

I was finally updated with the current events of this world... floods, deaths, presidential campaigns, fires... it's finally SNOWING in Buffalo!

My heart is for the nations, and as the LORD places it in Africa there is not a place I rather for it to be.  Still, this is the first challenge or having to remember what I was taught... that the way I will help this world is by doing my part.  OFten, I want to rush into the world where there is the biggest disaster going on... natural disaster, disturbed peace, war... and then just sit with the people, perhaps not asking them of anything but their life, and then only asking them to pray for them in the NAME OF JESUS.  I get excited thinking of doing this where its needed and when it needed one day...

  Now, I rest comfortably in Africa.  I go to sleep praying for those I have met in the day, thanking God for the things of the day and secretly telling him my deepest hopes for tomorrow.  I then have found myself laying in bed dreaming of the borders throughout where I am.  I have dreamed to go from South to East to West and to North Africa.   I am excited thinking that I am in the midst of something so wonderful already...   There are places in the world I would love to go and just to pray, and if the LORD will have it then my day will come... But here in Africa you do not need to go far to be taken to such a different world.  The people here are exceptional.  I love just sitting and talking to them.  THere is a c oncept they understand that the Western world knows of but lacks demonstrating... that is that they need one another.   Families here are up all day long working in the field, washing laundry by hand, the older children are caring for the younger children... but when the older children are just babies themselves.   There are those who love the LORD and those who only question his name, but I praise HIM that they even know to question his name...

Another great update back home was this... a friend I was able to contact told me that they had planned for their baptizm.  The significance of this is I had prayed to the LORD for him to be consumed by the fire.  There wasn't too many other places his heart seemed to be than with the LORD and the works that the LORD was performing within our college/carrear ministry.... However, something was absent inside.  Ifelt it and it was nothing I could do.  The LORD filled me with such love and compasison for this brother and alas, he was drawn to the need!  On my realization that I NEEDED to be baptized it was because the LORD had put a burden over me...  He of course fetl this as well and was planning the baptism for this Sunday.  I asked him to pray about it and that if it was okay with GOD that I desired he wait so I can be there to witness this event.  The LORD filled my heart with a desire for this day...   Who else could have?  I am looking forward to December 2nd for this wonderful event to happen... Can't wait brother!

I sat with a woman the other day and realized something extraordinary was taking place.   I had something physically overwhelm me as the LORD taught me that I was building the church... That as her and I drew toward the LORD and served purposely at that very moment to pray to him and praise his name, that we were building a church.  I desire to take everyone I meet and bring to CHrist to a church.  I desire this passionately.  Most of this passion comes from what I went through with my church structure I attended at one time of my life... I want to know that I have left my brothers or sisters in safe hands and in a place where they will continue to grow.  

This day, I began using this experience to explain to her how she was the church too... in unity with the body... I explained the body of Christ and the church being people.  I know church is mentioned over 80 some times in the bible without ever referring to a structure...  Even though I was in a hot and sticky hospital room where many of the women lay there with vicious disease I was overcome with  the feelings and emotions I had when I use to walk into the beauitful church I once attended... I had this amazing crucific I could stare up at, stained glass, and the presence of GOD was immidiately layed upon my body... 

With this in mind,  I could not imagine any other structure at that moment being more beautiful than the church that I seen built up between me and this woman. Everything I looked at was within the space between us... somehow with these pictures flashing before my eyes and my focus being to this woman's face, I seen the beautiful creation of this church.  I knew I had built it up... that the LORD did, but u know... I DID!  Me...  The LORD use me for something that otherwise would take so many men and long laborous hours to construct.  We were made the cornerstones... we make the alter at the foot of the cross... there was no cross... but the spirit of the LORD was before us...  so close, in the way that I like to say as if we knelt down we would be able to kiss His feet... It filled the small space between us.

It was a moment where I fell in love deeper with the LORD.  I just wanted to run to him in a way where I had to ask him to calm such anxiousness again, and use me now... here and today.  I want to be with WHOM I love... for now I am more than satisfied with the teammates he has given me for the time being =0) and all my other loved ones!  Blessed are these gifts from GOD!