LIONHEARTED LANDLOPER

      We know that the mission of God’s people is and has always been to make His name known among all peoples. This was the mission at the very beginning and it is still what Jesus commissions us to do today. We also know that we are called to worship and glorify God with our lives. We incorporate congregational worship into our weekly gatherings and sing praises to the Lord regularly. But how do these two relate? Do they relate at all? Does worship have anything to do with missions and does missions have anything do to do with worship? The answer is “yes.” As Zac Hicks writes in his book to Worship Pastor - a Call to Ministry for Worship Leaders and Teams , “just as a heart has no purpose without veins and arteries, and just as those veins and arteries are useless without a heart, so worship is inherently missional and mission is essentially doxological” (Hicks 98). We were created to glorify God and declare His goodness. We read this repeatedly throughout the Scriptures. One

       For years of my life, I’ve been eager to leave the United States. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I don’t like the U.S. — I love it here. And It’s not because I don’t think there’s ministry to be done here — there is no lack of need in all the world. Nor is it because I feel I can’t fulfill my calling here — I know God is guiding my every step and there’s a reason He has me here. So why do I want to leave? Simply because of the fact that I have a burning, growing passion for the lost. The more I learn, the more I want to do everything within my power to change the state of the world. The older I get and the closer to God I become, the more devastated I am by the fact that there are millions of people who haven’t even heard Jesus’ name.        Yes, I feel called to go .        I’ve prayed so many times for opportunities to arise. I’ve been discouraged by the years I know I will have to spend in America to prepare and educate myself. I’ve had heart-wrenching moments that ha

This is a poem I wrote while I was in Tennessee. My mind was racing and I couldn’t fall asleep. I needed a new perspective. So, I got out of my hammock, didn’t even put my glasses on, and went for a walk. The poem is called “Reflecting” because while the Great Blue Heron reflected on the surface of the pond — I reflected on my life. In the dark of night, on a small dock, on a small pond.  Blurry vision, flickering street light, quiet heart. Raining so softly it produced no sound, just a sparkling pond. In the middle of the water — a Great Blue Heron. Standing with me. Together, we reflected.

10-11-18 The air is hot and thick. People on mopeds weave through traffic. I know it’s on the other side of the continent, but it’s already bringing back so many memories from South Africa. We were greeted at the airport by some buskers who serenaded us until they realized we weren’t going to give them money. We rode a bus to WAAST where Mary Ballenger talked to us and we ate pizza, salad, and fruit. The pizza had barely any cheese on it and tasted like hamburger meat. They have good pineapple. There was also some kind of melon. I am staying in house #95. ... It feels so good to be here. Even though I’m tired, sweaty, and my stomach hurts — experiences like this are like a breath of fresh air for the soul. I have finals due this week and it feels impossible. I have no idea how I am going to do it. But I will, and I’m happy and God has created such incredibly diverse beauty to fill this earth with. 10-12-18 I woke up at 6:00 AM, took a shower, and got dressed for the day. I h

        Recently , I had the opportunity to spend eight days in Lomé, Togo, serving at the West Africa Advanced School of Theology (or WAAST). First of all, Togo is a beautiful country full of beautiful people. Even the dirt is my favorite color. All the plants thrive and there are shells on the ground when you’re not even on the beach. There’s lizards of all sizes and colors and more shades of green than you probably realize exist. Everyone wears vibrant patterns and big smiles. The people and vehicles flow down streets in a way that can either look like chaos or the most impressive feat you’ve ever witnessed (depending on your mood). But the most beautiful thing is how quickly the kingdom of God is advancing in that country. Every single church tries to plant at least one more church a year. The alter calls are consistently bringing life-change. The Christian community is marked by unity, kindness, encouragement, and passion. We met missionaries who had been in ministry for decades.

       I have had two experiences with very generous anonymous individuals. 1. Someone bought me real Chacos — my size and favorite color. Like, brand new Chacos. What on earth? Why? Suddenly I felt so encouraged. Yes, God provides for our needs — but He also goes above and beyond just because he loves us. I felt like someone could see me and truly cared. 2. Someone paid the remainder of what I owed to go to Togo. That was a lot of money.  This reassured me that I really am doing what God wants me to do. I’ve never seen generosity so extreme before, and it really touched me. Why would they do this? Why for me? I struggle to pay for all my school and necessities already, so raising money for this trip seemed unlikely. Yet here I am today having been totally and unimaginably provided for. I have no idea who these people are or what compelled them to be so incredibly kind to me, but I feel so blessed. I want to say thank you.         To the individual who bought me Chacos:        

       The doctor casually walked into the room, sat in a chair, and looked at my mom.        “So, your scan looked pretty good.” He said without much thought.        “What?”        “Your scan. The MRI. It looked pretty good. I was actually pleased with how it turned out.”        “What do you mean?”         “You know how there were all those spots and stuff in your brain? Like, they’re almost gone now. Barely even visible.” He explained. The lack of emotion in his demeanor was so incredibly unsettling that none of us thought we were hearing him right.        What does this mean? None of us know.  But something has helped my mom improve substantially and (at this point) the cancer has pretty much stopped progressing entirely. The doctor said it’s not a permanent fix — cancer will be back eventually. He said he didn’t know if that would be a month or a couple years. He said she probably has a lot of permanent damage and may never be able to move her left side or improve much mor