Now that most of our team is back in the States - Kemp and Kim Ward will remain in Africa until early September - and my body has readjusted to Central Daylight Time, I figured it was time to collect my thoughts and share with you some of things that I learned while in Malawi. While this lessons had a profound impact on me, for many of you these lessons may seem rather elementary, and they could very well be. This certainly give greater credence to the thought that more often than not we are not really learning something new, we are just being reminded of lessons that we have learned previously.
Lesson #1: Our God loves to bless us with serendipitous moments.
Several years ago, Danny and Natalie Gregory were preparing to leave the U.S. to go and serve the Lord in Africa. As they shared about God's calling and the ministries that they planned to be involved in, the Holy Spirit tugged at the heart strings of Richard and Melissa Wilson. As Richard and Melissa contemplated and considered what the Lord would have them do to support Danny and Natalie, they felt led to give them a complete set of battery powered hand tools by DeWalt; drills, grinder, reciprocating saw...the works.
Now, fast forward to July, 2010. Our team is at work in Malawi, fabricating solutions to our drilling problems in Danny's garage. We are cutting pipe, drilling, reshaping...a real testosterone hulabaloo. So, here we are, working away and feeling very manly, when all of a sudden, Danny looks at Richard and said: "Richard, did you ever think that when you gave us those tools that you would actually come all the way to Africa and use them?" It got very quickly became very quiet. Up until then, it had not even dawned on Richard that these were the same tools. It became a very emotional and holy moment for everyone, but especially for Richard.
And isn't that just like our God? Richard and Melissa were simply being obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And God rewarded Richard's obedience. Richard was able to experience - not just hear about, not merely witness, but experience first-hand - one of the outcomes of his obedience. At the time, Richard didn't really know why God asked them to give a set of tools to the Gregorys, but He did and they obeyed. Now everything had come full circle and Richard was using those very same tools to do ministry in Malawi.
Lesson #2: Sometimes you just have to let it go.
I love my wife Deanna dearly. Next to my salvation, she is the greatest gift that God has ever given me. I love her so much that to make up for the fact that a mission trip I was going on left on Valentine's Day (thanks, DG) I bought her a pair of expensive, designer sunglasses. While it didn't completely remove the sting of my being gone on Valentine's Day, it did help take the edge off.
So imagine my wife's dismay when she accidentally drops those same glasses in the village latrine in Malawi. Right into a six foot pit that was filled with human waste, excrement and trash. Into a pile of stuff that was so thick that the glasses actually didn't sink...they just rested on the surface. Now, imagine my incredulity when Deanna asks me to fish them out for her. I tried to reason with her, talk her out of it and change her mind...all to no avail. So, I did what any good husband would do, I fished them out for her. (By the way, I used a wire with a hook on the end, not my bare hands. Love may be blind but it ain't stupid.)
Deanna worked diligently to clean those glasses: baby wipes, hand sanitizer, baked them in the sun, and even considered bleaching them. Ultimately, she decided that she would never be able to bring herself to put those glasses on her face again. There were far too many fungi, bacteria and viruses present in that...stuff to ever warrant trying to wear them again, not to mention the stench that seemed to seep into the very lenses themselves.
Now, you may scoff at Deanna's insistence in trying to salvage her Vera Bradley shades, but often we exhibit the same behavior, just in other areas of our lives. We begin to hold onto to things too tightly - a job, a relationship, a material possession, for example - and what was once a benefit or a blessing has suddenly become an idol or a stumbling block in our relationship to God. But we don't just cling too tightly to the good things, we can also place quite a death grip on our past and our mistakes. Instead of turning over those things to God and allowing Him to forgive us and start anew, we vainly try to clean up our own messes. We mistakenly think that we can become "good enough" for God to love us. It is only when we realize that we could never be "good enough" for God's love and that he loves us anyway that we can let go of our sins and our baggage and let God love us right where we are.
Lesson #3: God is far more interested in our obedience than in our results.
A common misconception that I have observed in the church - at least in North America - is that God is depending on us for results. And you know, that is just wrong because in reality, the results are up to God, not to us.
As you have learned by now, we were not able to install a hand-pump at the feeding center in Malawi. That was the goal of our trip. We did everything that we knew to do, we used every physical resource available to us and we simply could not penetrate that rock layer to get to the water that we know we were very close to reaching. In these terms, our trip was a failure but that only looks at the trip through earthly, temporal eyes.
We prayed desperately to God to allow us to get through that rock layer. The times that we devoted to prayer over that well were some of the most meaningful worship experiences that I have ever had in my life...but the rocks are still there. Does that mean our faith is lacking? I don't believe so. If the results were solely up to our team, then we were defeated. But in reality, we know that the results are not up to us. If God had wanted us to break through that rock layer while we were in Malawi, then it would have happened. We know beyond a shadow of doubt that the One who created the rocks that were blocking our way is certainly more than able to move them if He chooses to do so.
While we may not understand God's decision, we trust that He is faithful. The Bible promises us that "in all things God works for good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). God wants our heartfelt and willing obedience more than He wants the results. The results God can have anytime He wants them, He is God after all. But when we obey, even when it is difficult and even when we don't see the results that we were expecting it develops and strengthens our faith. We become even more obedient in the future, even when the outcomes are less certain. Besides, if our results were God's primary measuring stick for us, that would tend to make us reliant on our own strength rather than God's. And that is a slippery slope that we must avoid at all costs.
Lesson #4: God is "very zeekomo."
For as long as I have been involved in mission trips - whether as a youth, a youth minister, with adults, or whatever - each trip usually ends up with a signature phrase our memory. For our trip to Malawi the given phrase became "very zeekomo." On it's own, the phrase means nothing that makes any sense. Zeekomo is the Chichewa word for "thank you" and we all know what "very" means. So the literal meaning of this phrase is "very thank you." To most people, this is nonsense. But in the hands of our team's resident linguist and Chich-English expert Kemp Ward, the phrase came to mean anything that was exceedingly excellent or good.
A long hot shower after a long day of drilling? Very zeekomo. Drilling through 24 feet of clay in one day as we began our second bore hole? Also, very zeekomo. But even greater was God's presence with us as we drilled. God's prevailing Holy Spirit that continually encouraged us when we had every right to be discouraged. God providing moments for our team to stop drilling and focus all of our attention on the children of the feeding center. The opportunity to share His unconditional love with children who desperately needed to be loved. It was all "very zeekomo."
From the moment we left the United States, we felt God's hand of blessing on our team. We remained healthy, we were continually seeking God's face and we constantly aware that this trip was about more than just water. It was about God being glorified. God honored our obedience and we honored Him on a daily basis. Why? Because God is "very zeekomo."
Soli Deo gloria.
Michael
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Drilling Diary Day Seven
I want to share a story with you that I heard today...
It would be very easy for us to feel like failures, but if we did that, we would be selling God short. The director of the feeding center, Jordan Dowbush, told the team today: "You have laid the groundwork for our ministry to expand its reach and influence in this village. The borehole that you started will eventually allow us to grow more vegetables, feed more children, and have more opportunity to share the love of Christ with them. More importantly, the work that your team has done here has allowed God the opportunity to do a work in each of you as you have gone through this experience."
We do not know what the end result of our efforts will be in Bodza. But as each of us examines what we have experienced during these past two weeks, we know that we have been changed. Our faith has been challenged and strengthened. We have been made more aware of how dependent we should be to God in every aspect of our lives. We have loved children unconditionally; children who long to be loved and cared for. We have supported and encouraged the missionaries that Crossings partners with here in Malawi. We have given the braintrust at Water4 more problems to solve as they expand their arsenal of drilling tools to use around the world.
All in all, it has been a rewarding trip for everybody involved with this trip. God has honored our obedience and faithfulness. God has heard the prayers of his saints around the world who interceded on behalf of our trip. Lives have been changed, relationships have been deepened and the Holy Spirit continues to move and work in the lives of those who listen to his promptings.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Author's note:
Tomorrow (Saturday) morning, at about 5:00am Oklahoma time, we will begin our 36 hour journey home. Please pray for us as we travel. After we return to the U.S. I will post one final blog about the lessons that we have learned in Malawi.
A man was praying to God and the man distinctly heard God tell him to go and push against a massive rock. Being obedient, the man went out a pushed against the rock. The rock was huge and the man's pushing seem to have no impact on the rock.
Day after day the man pushed and he could not move the rock. He tried every technique he knew of to try and move the rock but each attempt was unsuccessful. With each passing day the man became more frustrated with his inability to move the rock. After weeks of trying, he finally went back to God in prayer. He said, "Lord, you asked me to move the rock and you know that I have tried with all of my might, but I just cannot move this rock."
God replied to the man: "I only asked you to push against the rock. I never asked you to move the rock. If I wanted the rock moved, I can move it. Look at yourself, after weeks of pushing you have developed yourself both physically and mentality. I asked you to push against the rock for your benefit, not the rock's."Well, just like the man in this simple story, we have been pushing against a rock for the seven days that we have been drilling for water in the village of Bodza. We completed our day's work with minimal progress. We were able to bring up some rocks, but more rocks - some larger - still remain. So, at this point, there is no water and no well at the feeding center.
It would be very easy for us to feel like failures, but if we did that, we would be selling God short. The director of the feeding center, Jordan Dowbush, told the team today: "You have laid the groundwork for our ministry to expand its reach and influence in this village. The borehole that you started will eventually allow us to grow more vegetables, feed more children, and have more opportunity to share the love of Christ with them. More importantly, the work that your team has done here has allowed God the opportunity to do a work in each of you as you have gone through this experience."
We do not know what the end result of our efforts will be in Bodza. But as each of us examines what we have experienced during these past two weeks, we know that we have been changed. Our faith has been challenged and strengthened. We have been made more aware of how dependent we should be to God in every aspect of our lives. We have loved children unconditionally; children who long to be loved and cared for. We have supported and encouraged the missionaries that Crossings partners with here in Malawi. We have given the braintrust at Water4 more problems to solve as they expand their arsenal of drilling tools to use around the world.
All in all, it has been a rewarding trip for everybody involved with this trip. God has honored our obedience and faithfulness. God has heard the prayers of his saints around the world who interceded on behalf of our trip. Lives have been changed, relationships have been deepened and the Holy Spirit continues to move and work in the lives of those who listen to his promptings.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Author's note:
Tomorrow (Saturday) morning, at about 5:00am Oklahoma time, we will begin our 36 hour journey home. Please pray for us as we travel. After we return to the U.S. I will post one final blog about the lessons that we have learned in Malawi.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Praises, Ponderings and Prayer Services
Praises, Ponderings
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your prayers! We were able to get some of the rocks up out of the hole but we still have not yet found water. Nevertheless, we are most grateful for your prayers on our behalf and we are praising God for the success that we had today.
We spent six hours digging up some of the rocks that we found at the bottom of our borehole. We tried all of our tools in different sequences, making minimal progress with each change. We tried widening the hole by combining our two holes but that was too time consuming with very little return. The clay is just too hard and the tools had a tendency to work their way toward one hole or the other.
Finally, at about 3:30pm, we were able to bring up the rocks in question. What did we find when we finally removed the rock? Yep, you guessed it: more rocks. It seems that we are on top of a layer of granite stones. The stones are of various shapes and sizes: softball, dinner plate, bowling ball, etc. We believe that God honored our prayers - and yours - by allowing us to remove the stones that we did.
So at the end of the day, knowing that we have one more day of drilling left, our mood remains very upbeat. We are disappointed that we did not hit water today but we are not discouraged. We were hopeful that we only had one rock to remove but there are still more waiting in the hole. We are confident that God will be with us and that we will hit water tomorrow.
Too often when we do not get the answer from God that we want, we tend to doubt God's faithfulness. God must not be listening, we think, or even that maybe we have done something to displease God and as a result, God chooses not to answer our prayers. Because our timeline is not the same as God's we often mistake not receiving an immediate response from God as some sort of rebuke.
The Old Testament book of Job tells the story of a righteous man whom God allows to be put to the test. Job committed no sin or any known offense to God, though Job's "friends" and wife think that what he is suffering is a result of some unknown sin. To be sure, Job does not understand why God has chosen him to endure these trials. In fact, Job is even bold enough to question God. If you and I were in the same situation I am sure that we would question God as well. In Job 38 - 41, we read God's response to Job:
Prayer Services
Deanna and Kim have also been a part of our team and today they were able to conduct a Bible study for women. They led the 50 or so women in attendance in a craft to male bracelets symbolizing the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Then Kim shared the story of Jonah with the women and gave her testimony of how she and her husband Kemp ended up in Africa. By all accounts it was a moving service.
At the conclusion of the service, women who wanted to be prayed for were invited to come down and have Kim and Deanna pray over them. Probably about 20 - 25 women took advantage of the opportunity. One-by-one, Kim and Deanna listened to the prayer concerns that each woman had and then diligently prayed for each and every one of them. Many of the women asked for prayer about their marriages, some health concerns and some for victory over evil spirits. Yes, evil spirits are quite rampant here in Malawi, and in some cases some so-called "Christians" still engage in some form of spirit worship.
By the time the last woman had been prayed for, Kim and Deanna were spent, but very fulfilled. They had been used by God to share a word directly to many of these women. They had made themselves available to be used by the Holy Spirit and he used them to speak the truth and to be salt and light to these women. They honored God by being obedient and he blessed them by using them for his glory.
And really, when it comes right down to it, isn't that all he wants from any of us?
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your prayers! We were able to get some of the rocks up out of the hole but we still have not yet found water. Nevertheless, we are most grateful for your prayers on our behalf and we are praising God for the success that we had today.
We spent six hours digging up some of the rocks that we found at the bottom of our borehole. We tried all of our tools in different sequences, making minimal progress with each change. We tried widening the hole by combining our two holes but that was too time consuming with very little return. The clay is just too hard and the tools had a tendency to work their way toward one hole or the other.
Finally, at about 3:30pm, we were able to bring up the rocks in question. What did we find when we finally removed the rock? Yep, you guessed it: more rocks. It seems that we are on top of a layer of granite stones. The stones are of various shapes and sizes: softball, dinner plate, bowling ball, etc. We believe that God honored our prayers - and yours - by allowing us to remove the stones that we did.
So at the end of the day, knowing that we have one more day of drilling left, our mood remains very upbeat. We are disappointed that we did not hit water today but we are not discouraged. We were hopeful that we only had one rock to remove but there are still more waiting in the hole. We are confident that God will be with us and that we will hit water tomorrow.
Too often when we do not get the answer from God that we want, we tend to doubt God's faithfulness. God must not be listening, we think, or even that maybe we have done something to displease God and as a result, God chooses not to answer our prayers. Because our timeline is not the same as God's we often mistake not receiving an immediate response from God as some sort of rebuke.
The Old Testament book of Job tells the story of a righteous man whom God allows to be put to the test. Job committed no sin or any known offense to God, though Job's "friends" and wife think that what he is suffering is a result of some unknown sin. To be sure, Job does not understand why God has chosen him to endure these trials. In fact, Job is even bold enough to question God. If you and I were in the same situation I am sure that we would question God as well. In Job 38 - 41, we read God's response to Job:
In reply, Job says:Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footing set or who laid its cornerstone - while the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted for joy? (38:4-7)
Now we may never know why we didn't hit water today. In fact, we may not even hit it tomorrow. But we have the confidence of knowing that God is faithful and that his plan is far greater and gives himself more glory than we ever could on our own. Whether in this case or some other storm of life we must trust in God's faithfulness and his unfailing love. That doesn't mean that we cannot question God. God can handle our questions. Questioning because we don't understand is considerably different than questioning out of defiance and rebellion. But we must never fall into the trap of thinking that our plan is better than the plan that God has. It never is and because we know that God's plan is the best plan we will be able to sing praises to his name tomorrow even if we don't hit water or lift up another stone. God has more going on as a result of these last 10 days than we can ever know or imagine.I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted...surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. (42:2-3)
Prayer Services
Deanna and Kim have also been a part of our team and today they were able to conduct a Bible study for women. They led the 50 or so women in attendance in a craft to male bracelets symbolizing the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Then Kim shared the story of Jonah with the women and gave her testimony of how she and her husband Kemp ended up in Africa. By all accounts it was a moving service.
At the conclusion of the service, women who wanted to be prayed for were invited to come down and have Kim and Deanna pray over them. Probably about 20 - 25 women took advantage of the opportunity. One-by-one, Kim and Deanna listened to the prayer concerns that each woman had and then diligently prayed for each and every one of them. Many of the women asked for prayer about their marriages, some health concerns and some for victory over evil spirits. Yes, evil spirits are quite rampant here in Malawi, and in some cases some so-called "Christians" still engage in some form of spirit worship.
By the time the last woman had been prayed for, Kim and Deanna were spent, but very fulfilled. They had been used by God to share a word directly to many of these women. They had made themselves available to be used by the Holy Spirit and he used them to speak the truth and to be salt and light to these women. They honored God by being obedient and he blessed them by using them for his glory.
And really, when it comes right down to it, isn't that all he wants from any of us?
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Drilling Diary Day Five - An Urgent Call to Prayer
This is not the blog that initially intended to write for today. A brief summary of today: we drilled a total of three inches. Our efforts have been stymied by a granite rock in the middle of our hole. We have exhausted all of our techniques and know-how. We have tried all of our tools multiple times to no avail. We have reached the end of our human abilities.
The bottom line is this: if we don't get this rock either broken up or moved there will be no well for the orphans at the Bodza feeding center. At least not this well. We need a miracle. Fortunately, our God is a God of miracles, because this is a God-sized task.
We are asking everyone to pray with us and ask God to intervene on our behalf. We need the rock to be moved. Pray, fast, fall on your knees and cry out to God. Only God can meet this need.
Our prayer is that through God's mighty hand this well will become a marker and a testimony to the mighty glory of God.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
The bottom line is this: if we don't get this rock either broken up or moved there will be no well for the orphans at the Bodza feeding center. At least not this well. We need a miracle. Fortunately, our God is a God of miracles, because this is a God-sized task.
We are asking everyone to pray with us and ask God to intervene on our behalf. We need the rock to be moved. Pray, fast, fall on your knees and cry out to God. Only God can meet this need.
Our prayer is that through God's mighty hand this well will become a marker and a testimony to the mighty glory of God.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Drilling Diary Day Four
So with all of our medical issues behind us...some more literally behind us than others :-), we resumed drilling at full strength today. Our task was to continue on the new borehole that will run parallel to the original hole but also avoid the granite rock that was blocking our path. We started drilling at about 9:30am at a total depth of about 6 feet.
The day progressed nicely. We had some minor rocky obstacles that we were able to overcome with some patience and finesse (that term is quickly becoming the theme for our experience) but the hole was coming along quite nicely. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.
Just before 3:00pm, we encountered our first major problem of the day. One of our drilling tools got stuck in the hole. It could have dug in a bit to the sides of the hole or became hooked on a protruding rock, who knows. The tool would not budge and it was almost all the way down the hole. In the process of trying to free the tool, our rope that was tied to the tool snapped. If it had been an old twig it could not have snapped any more suddenly or cleanly. The rope went all the way back down the hole...about 25' below the surface.
It suddenly became very quiet. We were all looking at one another wondering: "Did that just really happen?" The first comment made was by the local Malawian who was helping us, Francis. He used a four letter word that means poop. It was so unexpected that we all got a chuckle out of it. Being the men that we are - fixers by nature - we began to brainstorm and strategize how we would fix the problem. We are at a complete standstill until we get this tool up to the surface.
As we tinkered with contraptions and contemplated solutions, Kim came up with the idea of the day. She suggested that before we do anything else, we need to pray. So we did. Shortly after the prayer our resident McGyver - Richard - developed a tool that we could use to grasp the rope. When I call Richard "McGyver" it is a completely accurate description because here is what he used to make this tool: 20' of square tubing, two steel brushes and duct tape. We dropped it down the hole and with the help of Allan's flashlight tied to another rope we were able to grasp the rope and move it to expose the top of the tool. Then we used a second makeshift hook - courtesy of Kemp and Allan to grasp the top of the tool and pull it to the surface. By 3:30pm we were drilling again.
I found this experience to be a reflection of my own life. I'm walking with God, in the center of his will when I encounter a trial or obstacle. Typically, instead of waiting on God, I glibly tell God: "I got this," and proceed to try to overcome the trial or obstacle on my own. As you can imagine, the predictable outcome is additional frustration and a far more difficult experience than I probably would have originally endured.
That is why I say that Kim's suggestion for us to stop and pray was the best decision of the day. It allowed us to still our hearts, focus on God and to once again surrender our will and our project to him for his glory. As always, God was faithful.
So, by the end of the day, our total depth on the hole was 26' 3". God had blessed us with a good day of digging and also kept us focused on him and his glory.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
The day progressed nicely. We had some minor rocky obstacles that we were able to overcome with some patience and finesse (that term is quickly becoming the theme for our experience) but the hole was coming along quite nicely. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.
Just before 3:00pm, we encountered our first major problem of the day. One of our drilling tools got stuck in the hole. It could have dug in a bit to the sides of the hole or became hooked on a protruding rock, who knows. The tool would not budge and it was almost all the way down the hole. In the process of trying to free the tool, our rope that was tied to the tool snapped. If it had been an old twig it could not have snapped any more suddenly or cleanly. The rope went all the way back down the hole...about 25' below the surface.
It suddenly became very quiet. We were all looking at one another wondering: "Did that just really happen?" The first comment made was by the local Malawian who was helping us, Francis. He used a four letter word that means poop. It was so unexpected that we all got a chuckle out of it. Being the men that we are - fixers by nature - we began to brainstorm and strategize how we would fix the problem. We are at a complete standstill until we get this tool up to the surface.
As we tinkered with contraptions and contemplated solutions, Kim came up with the idea of the day. She suggested that before we do anything else, we need to pray. So we did. Shortly after the prayer our resident McGyver - Richard - developed a tool that we could use to grasp the rope. When I call Richard "McGyver" it is a completely accurate description because here is what he used to make this tool: 20' of square tubing, two steel brushes and duct tape. We dropped it down the hole and with the help of Allan's flashlight tied to another rope we were able to grasp the rope and move it to expose the top of the tool. Then we used a second makeshift hook - courtesy of Kemp and Allan to grasp the top of the tool and pull it to the surface. By 3:30pm we were drilling again.
I found this experience to be a reflection of my own life. I'm walking with God, in the center of his will when I encounter a trial or obstacle. Typically, instead of waiting on God, I glibly tell God: "I got this," and proceed to try to overcome the trial or obstacle on my own. As you can imagine, the predictable outcome is additional frustration and a far more difficult experience than I probably would have originally endured.
That is why I say that Kim's suggestion for us to stop and pray was the best decision of the day. It allowed us to still our hearts, focus on God and to once again surrender our will and our project to him for his glory. As always, God was faithful.
So, by the end of the day, our total depth on the hole was 26' 3". God had blessed us with a good day of digging and also kept us focused on him and his glory.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Monday, August 2, 2010
God is able...isn't He?
It was never a question of if, only when.
No matter where I go, whether it's a local mission event like our church's Bridging the Gap workday, a mission trip with students within the United States, a medical mission trip to Honduras or even a water well digging mission trip to Malawi, it always happens. At some point in during our ministry, Satan attacks us. It is not always a bold frontal assault. Sometimes it is sneaky and subversive. But no matter the form it takes, the Evil One always looks for an opportunity to discourage the team, divide us or in some other way thwart the purposes of God.
For us, today was that day.
Coming off of two reasonably good days of drilling last week, plus two more days enjoying God's creation, our team was sky high as they made their way to the valley in Chikwawa and the Bodza feeding center. They even found square pipe that would meet the demands of drilling that would replace the original flimsy supplies we started with. Everything (aside from my dental issues and David's GI discomfort, but more on that later) seemed to be going our way.
When we last left the borehole on Friday, we had encountered a rock of some sort at 24' 7". No big deal. We had encountered rocks before and made our way through them. Alas, such as easy remedy was not to be. The team spent most of the day trying to penetrate this layer of rock. Not just any rock, mind you, but granite. Drill bits were mangled beyond usage, as much weight was applied to as small a surface area as possible, all the resources that could be mustered were thrown at - dropped on, actually - this rock. All to no avail.
Eventually, the team decided to see if there was a way around the rock. It turns out that this is not an entire strata of rock, but as best we can tell it is just a single rock, because we were able to find the edge and dig around it. The only issue now is that we have to re-drill from the surface straight down to the new hole we started next to the rock. We will be repeating our efforts from the first two days.
It would be understandable, even reasonable, for the team to be discouraged at this point. Two days of digging all for naught. But this is when God showed up. He has used this opportunity to remind us, ever so gently, that this entire process is about more than a water well. As our team member Richard reminded us, the actual process of digging this well - how we allow God to work through us, use us and how we glorify and reflect Him - matters more to God than if we actually complete the well.
The truth be told, this was never about water. It was never about us. It's all about God revealing Himself and bringing glory to Himself. Now certainly, we want to bring fresh water to this village and this feeding center. But if we do it in our own strength without God getting the glory, then how does that honor God? We know that God is able to complete this well and we pray that He will allow us to be the tools He uses to finish it, but if not...His will be done.
Tonight after dinner the team sat around and discussed the situation and any possible solutions. We spent time in prayer and surrendered ourselves, our abilities and this well to God. We made ourselves available to be used by Him in any way that brings God the most glory...even if that means that somebody else actually ends up finishing the well. We're going to stay and work for the rest of the week and we will use all of our knowledge, resources and strength to get it done, but we are fully trusting God for the outcome.
When we rely on God for the outcome rather than ourselves, it removes all of the pressure from us. We just have to be obedient and do our best. All of the pressure is on God and He can handle it, while we cannot. In this kind of a set up, we can't lose. If we complete the well, God gets the glory. If we don't complete the well, we will still praise God for the opportunity to serve Him and because we know that His will was done.
Please join us in prayer. Pray that we will be obedient. Pray that we will be patient. Ask God to grant us favor to complete the well for His glory and for the benefit and blessing of these precious children.
Now, as for my trip to the dentist, it seems like there was some small food particles that worked their way under the gum and caused some irritation around the last tooth on my lower right set of teeth. (See kids, that why you should always listen to your mom when she tells you to floss after brushing). The way the gum is covering a portion of the top of that tooth, the dentist said it could possibly turn into a recurring problem unless I have the tooth pulled. Now mind you, the dentist office was far more modern and up to date than I had anticipated. The dentist was very friendly and seemed quite skilled and knowledgeable, but this is still Malawi. So, I asked the doctor what would happen if I took some antibiotics, reduced the swelling and took my chances back in the States. He said that was a perfectly fine alternative and that with proper dental care (read: FLOSS DAILY) I might never have another problem. Needless to say, I have a bottle full of antibiotics and I am taking them religiously.
David has also recovered from his GI issues, but I don't think his problems had anything to do with the fried mice we purchased on the road yesterday. He should rejoin us tomorrow at the feeding center.
Thanks again for all of the prayers. We continue to need them daily.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
No matter where I go, whether it's a local mission event like our church's Bridging the Gap workday, a mission trip with students within the United States, a medical mission trip to Honduras or even a water well digging mission trip to Malawi, it always happens. At some point in during our ministry, Satan attacks us. It is not always a bold frontal assault. Sometimes it is sneaky and subversive. But no matter the form it takes, the Evil One always looks for an opportunity to discourage the team, divide us or in some other way thwart the purposes of God.
For us, today was that day.
Coming off of two reasonably good days of drilling last week, plus two more days enjoying God's creation, our team was sky high as they made their way to the valley in Chikwawa and the Bodza feeding center. They even found square pipe that would meet the demands of drilling that would replace the original flimsy supplies we started with. Everything (aside from my dental issues and David's GI discomfort, but more on that later) seemed to be going our way.
When we last left the borehole on Friday, we had encountered a rock of some sort at 24' 7". No big deal. We had encountered rocks before and made our way through them. Alas, such as easy remedy was not to be. The team spent most of the day trying to penetrate this layer of rock. Not just any rock, mind you, but granite. Drill bits were mangled beyond usage, as much weight was applied to as small a surface area as possible, all the resources that could be mustered were thrown at - dropped on, actually - this rock. All to no avail.
Eventually, the team decided to see if there was a way around the rock. It turns out that this is not an entire strata of rock, but as best we can tell it is just a single rock, because we were able to find the edge and dig around it. The only issue now is that we have to re-drill from the surface straight down to the new hole we started next to the rock. We will be repeating our efforts from the first two days.
It would be understandable, even reasonable, for the team to be discouraged at this point. Two days of digging all for naught. But this is when God showed up. He has used this opportunity to remind us, ever so gently, that this entire process is about more than a water well. As our team member Richard reminded us, the actual process of digging this well - how we allow God to work through us, use us and how we glorify and reflect Him - matters more to God than if we actually complete the well.
The truth be told, this was never about water. It was never about us. It's all about God revealing Himself and bringing glory to Himself. Now certainly, we want to bring fresh water to this village and this feeding center. But if we do it in our own strength without God getting the glory, then how does that honor God? We know that God is able to complete this well and we pray that He will allow us to be the tools He uses to finish it, but if not...His will be done.
Tonight after dinner the team sat around and discussed the situation and any possible solutions. We spent time in prayer and surrendered ourselves, our abilities and this well to God. We made ourselves available to be used by Him in any way that brings God the most glory...even if that means that somebody else actually ends up finishing the well. We're going to stay and work for the rest of the week and we will use all of our knowledge, resources and strength to get it done, but we are fully trusting God for the outcome.
When we rely on God for the outcome rather than ourselves, it removes all of the pressure from us. We just have to be obedient and do our best. All of the pressure is on God and He can handle it, while we cannot. In this kind of a set up, we can't lose. If we complete the well, God gets the glory. If we don't complete the well, we will still praise God for the opportunity to serve Him and because we know that His will was done.
Please join us in prayer. Pray that we will be obedient. Pray that we will be patient. Ask God to grant us favor to complete the well for His glory and for the benefit and blessing of these precious children.
Now, as for my trip to the dentist, it seems like there was some small food particles that worked their way under the gum and caused some irritation around the last tooth on my lower right set of teeth. (See kids, that why you should always listen to your mom when she tells you to floss after brushing). The way the gum is covering a portion of the top of that tooth, the dentist said it could possibly turn into a recurring problem unless I have the tooth pulled. Now mind you, the dentist office was far more modern and up to date than I had anticipated. The dentist was very friendly and seemed quite skilled and knowledgeable, but this is still Malawi. So, I asked the doctor what would happen if I took some antibiotics, reduced the swelling and took my chances back in the States. He said that was a perfectly fine alternative and that with proper dental care (read: FLOSS DAILY) I might never have another problem. Needless to say, I have a bottle full of antibiotics and I am taking them religiously.
David has also recovered from his GI issues, but I don't think his problems had anything to do with the fried mice we purchased on the road yesterday. He should rejoin us tomorrow at the feeding center.
Thanks again for all of the prayers. We continue to need them daily.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Inspiration and Intercession
On Saturday and Sunday, our missionary hosts took our team to see some of the sights of Malawi. Even though Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world, it is abundantly rich in natural beauty and splendor. To able to spend uninterrupted time in the midst of God's creation and to marvel and the works of his hands was truly a blessing.
Our first stop took us to Zomba mountain to overlook the original capital of Malawi. The mountain ended up being shrouded in clouds, so the view was limited but we were still able to see the gorgeous waterfalls that cascade their way down the side of the mountain. To see the lush green mountainside and to hear the sound of the water as it made its turbulent journey to the valley below was quite humbling. To consider that God loves us enough that we would create this Earth for our enjoyment leaves me speechless. Exactly how does one express gratitude for such a magnificent and generous act of love?
Our visit to Zomba was followed by a trip to the Liwonde National Park, located on the banks of the Shire River. Almost immediately after we arrived, our group went on a game drive in 4-wheel drive vehicles. While there are none of the big cats in this park, we did see plenty of hippos, monkeys, baboons, wart hogs, impalas, water bucks, elephants, exotic birds and crocodiles. One of our team members, Richard, described it as an "out of body experience." Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that he would be on a safari in Africa.
We spent the night at the lodge in the park and the next morning offered an optional walking safari at 6:00am (most of us passed on this in favor of additional sleep), followed by breakfast and a boat safari on the Shire River. We were able to get up close looks at hippos and crocodiles. And when I say up close, I mean UP CLOSE.
At one point our boat eased up to the bank where several crocs lay basking in the sun. We were particularly interested in one big croc who was about 18-20 feet long. Our guide warned us not to make any sudden movements so that we would not startle the crocs. By this point we were probably only about 6' from the croc when he leaped into the water at the bow of our boat. As he tried to make his way under the boat he bumped us...hard. While we were never in any danger of going into the water, our boat did rock somewhat and we all suddenly took a very keen interest in our guide's instructions.
We returned to Blantyre late Sunday evening, ready for a week of hard drilling. The time away from Blantyre was beneficial for our team and our wonderful missionary hosts. It allowed all of us to further bond as a team as we continue with the task that God has set before us.
As we prepare for the next five days, I have some prayer requests to share with you:
Michael
Our first stop took us to Zomba mountain to overlook the original capital of Malawi. The mountain ended up being shrouded in clouds, so the view was limited but we were still able to see the gorgeous waterfalls that cascade their way down the side of the mountain. To see the lush green mountainside and to hear the sound of the water as it made its turbulent journey to the valley below was quite humbling. To consider that God loves us enough that we would create this Earth for our enjoyment leaves me speechless. Exactly how does one express gratitude for such a magnificent and generous act of love?
Our visit to Zomba was followed by a trip to the Liwonde National Park, located on the banks of the Shire River. Almost immediately after we arrived, our group went on a game drive in 4-wheel drive vehicles. While there are none of the big cats in this park, we did see plenty of hippos, monkeys, baboons, wart hogs, impalas, water bucks, elephants, exotic birds and crocodiles. One of our team members, Richard, described it as an "out of body experience." Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that he would be on a safari in Africa.
We spent the night at the lodge in the park and the next morning offered an optional walking safari at 6:00am (most of us passed on this in favor of additional sleep), followed by breakfast and a boat safari on the Shire River. We were able to get up close looks at hippos and crocodiles. And when I say up close, I mean UP CLOSE.
At one point our boat eased up to the bank where several crocs lay basking in the sun. We were particularly interested in one big croc who was about 18-20 feet long. Our guide warned us not to make any sudden movements so that we would not startle the crocs. By this point we were probably only about 6' from the croc when he leaped into the water at the bow of our boat. As he tried to make his way under the boat he bumped us...hard. While we were never in any danger of going into the water, our boat did rock somewhat and we all suddenly took a very keen interest in our guide's instructions.
We returned to Blantyre late Sunday evening, ready for a week of hard drilling. The time away from Blantyre was beneficial for our team and our wonderful missionary hosts. It allowed all of us to further bond as a team as we continue with the task that God has set before us.
As we prepare for the next five days, I have some prayer requests to share with you:
- Drilling supplies: we need to find additional square tubing that will be able to withstand the rigors of the drilling process. Ask God to provide the tubing - or the solutions - that will enable us to continue to dig as deep as we need to go to find water.
- Women's work: Kim and Deanna will soon begin working with the women of the village. In order to do so, there are arrangements that still need to be made for translators. Please pray that the necessary translators will be provided.
- Local workers: On the second day of drilling, five young men from the village came and joined in with the drilling. While there is a language barrier, the men are eager to help and to learn the skills necessary to begin to provide for their families through this vocation. Pray that our team will be an example of what it means to be a Christ-follower to these young men and that they will desire to honor our Savior in all that they do.
- Team health: David is experiencing some GI issues but we are hopeful that they will be resolved very soon. Please pray for his rapid healing. Meanwhile, while the rest of the team will be drilling tomorrow, I am headed to see a Malawian dentist on Monday. It seems that I have some sort of impacted tooth that has caused some swelling and discomfort since about Wednesday. I finally swallowed my male pride and decided something needed to be done. As far as a specific prayer request, I am going to see the dentist in Malawi, need I say any more?
Michael
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