Back To Africa...

I can't believe I'm writing this, but in just 3 days (Sunday), I'm heading back to Africa...Swaziland.  I know there's a story to tell here, but I think it needs to wait until I return...

It's a small team that's going...  I don't have the foggiest clue what my purpose is on this trip, only that God called me to go in a way that left me without a doubt that I was supposed to go. 

I will only be gone for a week, but it will be a full week...  One of the things we will do is spend some time with an orphan headed household that has 28... that's no typo...  28!  children and no parents...  Can you imagine?  Even as I write this, I want to just sit and weep...  We will take them food, blankets and just love them for a little while... Another trip will be to the garbage dump to feed some of the families living there... 

These trips to Africa always change me, but I'm not sure I'll ever be the same after this one... I can barely stand to think about what we will see, and yet, I know I'm supposed to go...  God doesn't stick His 'head' in the sand, so I will face this and let Him break my heart...

While we are there, we will have a lot of meetings...  I would tell you more, but again, I have an idea of what we're doing, but it's not clear enough for me to try and put it to words yet...  I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff...no parachute...no hang glider... no net...  Just a promise of Him, with wings like eagles, to be there when I jump...

Will you pray?  Something has to be done or this nation...this tiny little country (Swaziland) will die...  They project that by the year, 2020, there will be no adults left living in the country...  STAGGERING! 

So whose responsibility is it to step to the plate?  Many have asked me why the government isn't doing anything... I've thought ALOT about that...  But God DID NOT create government to do this job...  He created the church...

I suppose it could be argued that the church is not doing their job, so someone has too...  And that's a fair argument...  But if you are reading this and you are a Christian, consider this...  When we step back and let the government do, what God has given us to do...  We are robbing God of His glory...  Yes...  Hang on that one for a while...  WE ARE ROBBING GOD OF HIS GLORY!

Not one thing we do better reflects the heart of our Abba Father than to care for the widows, and especially the orphans... God is in the 'orphan caring' business, we were ALL orphans before He adopted us into His spiritual household...so how can we not do what has been done for us?

And think about all that Jesus did while He was on earth...  He fed the people, spiritually and physically...  He cared for widows...healed the sick...  He put His hands and feet in the muck of our lives...  He taught the church (that's you and me) to do the one thing that most shines a light onto the heart of God... to love the unlovable...  So when we let any government, here or in other countries, do what God ordained for us to do, we are sitting back and ALLOWING them to steal God's glory...  How that must break His heart!!

I want to really encourage you to read "It's Not Ok With Me," by Janine Maxwell, she's the VP of Heart For Africa...  When you finish that one, read "Father to the Fatherless" by Charles Mulli... And then, in December, when Janine's new book is released, read it too...  (Am I getting bossy here?!)  She was gracious enough to send our team an advance copy so that we could read a couple of chapters that would better prepare us for this trip...  A couple of chapters?  I can't put it down... But don't say I didn't warn you, it will rip your heart out...today I just sat and read with tears running down my face...  But it is reality and we MUST stop sticking our heads in the sand...

So, I'll see you when I get back...  Have a great week!