Christmas

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

As Chase and I patiently wait in God's timing as our journey to Kenya begins, it reminds me of the excitement of waiting in expectation for the coming King, born not in a castle or high place, but a stable where all could gather near. What a comfort to be reminded of how God continually pursues us at each and every turn and especially this season through the birth of His son Jesus!

Merry Christmas to all!

Kicking at Darkness, Til it Bleeds Daylight

My perception of mission work was drastically altered the first time I set foot in Kenya.  Somehow, I had the skewed vision of being the enlightened crusader on foreign soil out to share the gospel in a dark land where there was no Light.   However, I quickly learned that this was not the case.  When I first went to Kenya I saw evidence of His work everywhere, ranging from a local entrepreneur giving up the corrugated tin to fix his own leaky roof, to the love and kindness of Maasai women inviting us into their homes to share a cup of chai. God was already there! I was left with my shaken view of missions and the question “Lord, what am I here for?” There are 60% of the Maasai that have not been reached with the gospel, but I was struggling to share with them. Was there a way I could be more effective in this diverse culture and language?  In college I had been studying sustainable growth and development, focused primarily on agriculture.  It was during this time, with sustainability on my mind, and my feet in Africa, I began to think about how I could most effectively be used to further the gospel.

             
The main issue I encountered while in Kenya, besides reaching the unreached, was that of a distorted gospel.  Most people were not able to study the Bible for themselves, whether that was an issue of language, reading ability, or knowledge of how to study something inductively.  Therefore, many of these people were easily lead astray by false teachers or those in search of making a quick shilling (dollar). If we could train leaders in the community to combat this plague of false teaching, that were already more fluent in the language and culture than I could ever hope to become, we could reach people and places that I could never reach in quite the same way.  In this way it seemed to me that discipleship was a more effective path than evangelism, that as in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, and Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.” I was only a part of God’s work, and once these methods were taught and absorbed, for it to be truly sustainable, I would someday be working myself out of a job, for success without a successor is no success at all.  

This is our vision in Kimana, Kenya. To establish a pastoral training and community development center that will be focused on meeting the needs of the whole person while teaching them to study the Word in a culturally contextualized way.  So that, in this way, they, as James says, “may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  We hope to be able to establish a place where local community members may come for any need they may have and that it will sustain itself within that community, long after we are gone. By doing this,  we are not creating a dependency that will cause this mission to fall when we leave. We have faith that God will accomplish this work through  local pastors and leaders. They will pick up the torch and continue to let God do the growing.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Let us give thanks for this meal, saying, we thank you, Living God.
For this breath, for this heartbeat, for the gift of these companions, we thank you, Living God.
For this nourishment and flavor, for soil and sunlight, air and rainfall, for all to whom this food connects us, from field to farm and store to table, we thank you, Living God.
As we share this meal together, may our thirst for peace be strengthened and our hunger for justice deepened, until all are fed, and safe, and well. We thank you, Living God. Amen.

-a prayer by Brian McLaren

photo by Michael Thornton, Ngong Hills, Kenya

FAQs

Hello, friends!
A heartfelt thanks to all who have been praying for us in this adventure and for taking a few moments to read our blog updates. Today marks our first official time telling the story of what God is doing in our lives as we begin to partner with the Strangs, serving the Maasai people of southeast Kenya. Chase and I set up a table at Northstar Church in Blacksburg, Virginia, the church where we attend. It was encouraging to speak with other missionaries, college students, individuals, and couples who were interested in what God is doing. Here's a little cell phone snapshot of our table below. (Chase didn't know I was taking a picture.)

Since we shared a lot of this information today, I thought that this week I would clarify a few questions that may be floating around!

A few FAQs:

Where are you going?

We are planning to work in Kimana, Kenya on the border of Kenya and Tanzania near Olitokitok. In Kimana, you can look over into Tanzania and see Mt. Kilimanjaro clearly on most days. Kimana is about a 3.5 hour drive from the capital city, Nairobi.

How long will you be there?

We have committed to at least a three year term, but are going under the banner of long term missionaries, and are waiting to see where and how God leads.  

Who is supporting you?

We hope to be supported by friends, families, churches, and individuals.  We are raising our own support which gives people the unique opportunity to become more involved with our mission to Kenya.  Therefore, we are relying on your support: prayer, financial resources, interest, Skype calls, and visits to Kenya from people who want to play a part in God's work in Kenya.

What organizations are you working with?

We are under the The Antioch Partners (TAP) that base out of Houston, TX. TAP provides member care, financial and missional accountability, helps us with fundraising, covers us in prayer, and insight due to their number of years experience on the mission field. 

www.theantiochpartners.org (TAP website)

http://www.theantiochpartners.org/arndt/ (Our biography on the TAP website)

We will be working with Maasai Special Project Fund (MSPF) throughout our time in Kenya. This nonprofit was started by Fred Foy in 1990. The goal of MSPF is to provide a Theological Training by Extension center Oldoinyo Kiti to enable local Maasai pastors to study the Bible without having to leave their families. The hope is that this center will also meet other needs of the community by providing resources for education and health and wellness.

www.mspfonline.com (MSPF website)

Who are the Strangs?

We are working with Dr. Rev. Fred Foy Strang and his lovely wife, Cecily Strang, who have been mentors to us since 2008. During our time at King College, Fred Foy and I connected over our passion for East Africa. I had just returned from Ntagatcha, Tanzania before starting my freshman year at King. Chase met Fred Foy in 2008 and they bonded over their love for Jeeps. We knew Fred Foy before Chase and I knew the other existed! Fred Foy was excited for our passion for the people of East Africa and has taken both of us to Kimana. He married us on August 5, 2012. Cecily has been a friend and mentor throughout me knowing Fred Foy and is currently working on her Ph.D. in nursing research. Hopefully, I can help Cecily where I am needed as she educates the community about malaria prevention.

When do you hope to leave?

If funds were raised, our hope would be to depart around October 2014.

How can we support?

-Prayer!  We need your prayers as God leads us on this journey of support raising and holistic ministry.

-Financial Support: We are in need of both monthly and annual donors; we have committed to long-term ministry in Kenya and as a result your provision will enable us to keep serving, confident of God’s provision.  http://www.theantiochpartners.org/arndt/ (Click on donate under our profile)

-Referring others to us: If you are part of or know a church or churches that are looking for missionaries to support, whether in Africa, to the Maasai people, or even just in holistic ministry, we would be thrilled to come and share with them the work that God is doing in Kimana, Kenya. 

-Future involvement with us on the field.  If it is a Skype call or a visit to work with us on the field, we would love for you to be somehow involved with us as we continue on our journey.  

What do we plan to do?

Our goal is to provide holistic ministry to the Maasai.  For the first year, we will be primarily engaged in culture and language learning building up some preexisting relationships in the community as well as developing some new ones.  It is during this time we will be assessing needs in the community and some ways to meet those needs even further.  We are looking at ministering to the all the Maasai peoples needs, not only their need for Christ.  One of our main objectives where a need is present is the the need for theological training for Maasai pastors.  With Chase's background and M.A. in Intercultural Studies, Chase hopes to work alongside Fred Foy in pastoral training and the development of the Oldoinyo Kiti, a Theological Training by Extension center. 

We also hope to be involved with agricultural development, provide clean water, work on construction projects, teaching and/or tutoring in ELL (English Language Learning), and healthcare methods within the community. Additionally, I hope to explore and advocate for the mental health needs of the area since I'm currently earning an M.S. degree in Counseling and Human Development. There is a possibility that I will work in partnership with Cecily Strang in holistic ministry (the combining of mental wellness and physical wellness) as she seeks to teach malaria prevention and education in the area and around the globe. Hopefully, students from King University (formally King College) will spend some time in Kimana for study abroad experiences within their different disciplines in the future. I would enjoy working as a coordinator and leader as far as getting teams and individuals acclimated to the culture of the Maasai in Kimana.

During our weeks of working and internship we're continuing to set up times to meet and talk with various churches. We're getting a few dates on the calendar, which is exciting! Between my internship, work, classes, and classwork, I've had less time to devote to this than I would like. Thankfully, Chase has gracefully picked it up between working his full time job.

Mark Yaconelli, in the book Dangerous Wonder, put this experience well when he said, "What moments! What holy moments! To be in the presence of God, frightened and amazed at the same time! To feel as if you are in the presence of Life itself, yet with your soul shaking in both terror and gratitude."

Gathering in the Results of Prayer

When I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:15-19

Support: Unfortunately, a dirty word for some, and a scary word for those of us relying upon it. Before Audrey and I began pursuing mission work, I had heard from some of our friends that were pursuing long-term missions, about the perils of support raising and the many responses one can encounter.  Some of these statements we have found to be true, while others have not occurred to us personally, however, I would like to share some of these responses to fundraising:

-Missionary support is begging from friends or family and should be avoided.

-If you are not working on a project, you are not a worthy investment.

-I would love to go on an all expenses trip paid to (wherever) why should I send you on a vacation.

-Missionary support is a necessary evil that must be overcome to do God’s work.
 

First of all I believe there is a biblical basis to supporting missionaries and mission work. 

Now when I say support raising I am not merely referring to the raising of funds but rather an authentic biblical partnership, with many different partners working together in a variety of ways, doing God’s kingdom work.  Audrey and I, as long term missionaries, are only a small part of this partnership.  We are not the only ones, the lone rangers, out on this mission fighting injustice, and false prophets alone.  We have a team, a family, a body of believers, churches behind us and with us every step of the way.  Just as it takes many different members to make a body, we need many different partners on the field using the gifts God has gifted them with to accomplish His kingdom work, ministering to us, to each other, and those on the ground we go to serve.  It is together that we make the difference. That being said, we do not merely ask for you to do something for us, but to join us in the mission WE have been called to, to further His kingdom.  Join us in making a difference in Kenya, in the Maasai peoples lives, join us in fighting disease, false teachings, water shortages, abuse, and in spreading the gospel.  Become part of our team.  

Often missionaries face a variety of warfare, from doubts and fears, to finances, to language barriers, health issues, culture shock and other spiritual warfare.  We rely on your prayerful and generous support, both individuals and churches.  Without the dedicated and consistent support of the body of Christ, overseas long-term missions would be impossible. There are several general reasons I believe it is important to give, but nothing makes quite the impact of seeing it for yourselves.  I would love nothing more than for all of our friends and family to experience Kenya and the Maasai people on a visioning trip, or in any fashion, but until that time I am going to attempt to paint you a picture...

The Maasai people are some of the most welcoming and friendly people I have ever met.  A simple nomadic tribal people, raising goats, sheep, and cattle, they rely on support from their family and friends for their survival.  They go where the food is, where the water is, live in simple mud/dung houses, they have no electricity or “clean water”.  Their diet consists mainly of ugali (a grit like meal) and rice.  There is some church influence in this area, primarily Pentecostal and Presbyterian, but large majorities of the people remain unreached.  Malaria and AIDS plague the people, and often there is drought and famine, so the members move from area to area in search of food and water for their family and animals.  Lately the prosperity gospel has become more and more prevalent in the area, and people seeking truth and seeking God are lead away by false prophets and promises.  These are some areas in which we hope to serve and assist.  By working among the Maasai people in Kimana Kenya, we can help them learn the Word of God for themselves, teaching them how to read and understand scripture instead of only relying on others.  We hope to help them with language and reading and writing. We hope to train pastors at a Theological Training by Extension Center so that they may better minister to their own culture in their own culturally sensitive ways.  We hope to dig wells, help with farming methods, train people in malaria and aid prevention as well as community health.  In all these this we, as a body of Christ, help the Maasai people in holistic ministry, giving them an understanding of God’s love for them.  It is with your partnership that you will gain the knowledge and satisfaction of radically changing lives of the poor and hungry into brothers and sisters that radiate and reflect the face of Christ.

"Prayer is the real work of the ministry. Service is just gathering in the results of prayer." -S.D. Gordon

Ways to support us in Kenya:

-Prayer!  First and foremost we need to be surrounded in your prayers before, during, and after, as God leads us on this journey of support raising and holistic ministry.  Join our monthly prayer letter list, follow our weekly blog, be intimately and continually united and committed to us and with us in prayer. 

-If you feel called to support us financially, we are in need of both monthly and annual donors; we have committed to long-term ministry in Kenya and as a result your provision will enable us to keep serving, confident of God’s provision through you.  Commit to us, and to the Maasai people, as we commit to you and our brothers and sister whom we serve.

-If you are part of or know a church or churches that are looking for missionaries to support, whether that be in Africa, or Kenya, or to the Maasai people, or even just in holistic ministry, we would be thrilled to come and share with them the work that God is doing in Kimana, Kenya. 

-Future involvement with us on the field.  If it is a skype call, a care package, visioning trip, or a visit to work with us on the field, we would love for you to be somehow involved with us as we continue on our journey. 

 If you would like become partners with us on our journey or have any questions check out the Antioch Partners website at http://www.theantiochpartners.org/   click on partners and then The Arndts to learn more! or email us at chasevarndt@gmail.com or audreymarndt@gmail.com we would love to talk to you and tell you more!

Expectations

As Chase and I go prepare to tell our story to various church families and individuals, I have often found that in weak moments, I worry that getting support hinges on what I say or don't say, what story I tell or don't tell. With this idea, I may either say the necessary thing or the unnecessary thing, lessening our chances to serve him as we feel we have been called. I know that God lovingly chuckles at this idea. Obviously, this creates an intense and unnecessary pressure in my heart and spirit. Above all, God is the provider and orchestrator, not just of this, but of the entire world. Before I know my own thoughts, God knows them. He knows the number of hairs on my head. Luke 12:7, "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Last weekend, I had a conversation with a college friend about how she was continuing to learn and was being reminded that we are not called to live up to people's expectations, but that we are to look to God. First of all, I have always found that living up to what people expect of us is tiring, and for whatever reason I still try. I've always been compliant, relatively easy going, and at times a people pleaser. That's not always a bad thing, but when I start to worry that raising this support is only up to me, I have lost sight of the calling. Leaning on expectations, I can't rest assured that I will say the right thing in order for someone to support us or feel called to pray for us. Relying on expectations is an absolute gamble. What one person considers an important part of our story may be insignificant to another person and vice versa. 

Psalm 46:10 says, "Cease striving and know that I am God." This is an excellent, welcomed reminder to me as we begin this process! I know that the Creator of all things is working this out. He has this. In the book called "Getting Sent" that TAP has recommended we read to prepare for our fundraising and ministry, it says this, "Because the Holy Spirit has already prepared certain people to respond, our job is not to persuade people, but to discover them." The idea that God is already preparing people to support us in this is an overwhelming and mysterious phenomenon. I pray that God will lead us to people who are personally invested and interested in the story of His work. I thank God for the ways I already see him working and for the ways that I know nothing about now. I know that He will provide all that we need.

“I'm still discovering, right up to this moment, that it is only by living completely in this world that one learns to have faith. I mean living unreservedly in life's duties, problems, successes and failures, experiences and perplexities. In so doing, we throw ourselves completely into the arms of God.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

For Such a Time as This

"If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I believe that we are eternal creatures, created by God, for His good work.  Not that God would not be able to accomplish it without our help, but that if we listen to God and follow His steps, using the gifts and abilities He has bestowed upon us, we may accomplish something amazing.  Something that however great or small is just a sliver of His great plan, His redemptive narrative.  It is by this that we accomplish that piece of the shorter catechism “The chief end of man is to glorify God and/by enjoying Him forever.” Whenever I began to think of this I think of Ester 4:13 and the part in her story where Mordecai is speaking a great truth to Ester.  That God will do what He wills, that it is a blessing to you that you get to be part of His great story.  He basically tells her, "Who knows if all the experiences and hardships in your life have not been leading up to this great moment where you may do something truly remarkable," leaving her with the words,  “For such a time as this”. 

I believe that God has instilled each of us with a set of God given desires and talents that may enable us to perform more adequately in some areas rather than others.  We all have different skill sets and passions and that’s what makes the body of Christ so incredible.  One part cannot function without the other, nor can it do all the functions by itself.  An eye cannot smell, and an ear cannot taste.  Without the Body, we miss out on many things that we may otherwise experience.  One of my favorite words in the Greek is a word Paul uses in his letter to the Romans - homothumadon - meaning of one accord.  Paul uses it to describe the unity of the body of Christ and the picture he presents is very musical, the blending of melodies and harmonies with the uniqueness of multiple voices blended together by the Holy Spirit to sing one song.  So while our root desires, or song, may be very similar, it is interesting how they manifest themselves in different venues and different ways, one might say we have our own voice.  I believe our desire is to “Glorify God and enjoy Him forever”, but how does that play out?  As a science brained person, it is my hypothesis that often our God given desire manifests itself in the ways in which we see God’s work overwhelm us in our daily lives.  It is in our personal experiences and encounters with others that God teaches us how he works, and invites us to join in as part of His story. 

In this I would say that I believe our passion, our desire, our calling, or whatever you may call it exhibits itself in two parts:  First of which, by those God given talents and desires laid on our hearts from the moment God knew us.   Secondly, by our encounters and individuals God has placed upon our lives to shape us into the ones he hopes for us to be.  This is one reason I believe that our ministry must be personal.  Now that can take shape in many ways, but I do not believe we can effectively and wholly minister to something that does not have a personal connection in our lives.   Let me explain with an example from my own life:

I believe that God has instilled in my heart from the very beginning a heart for missions and Africa.   Now whether I was born with that, or if it was “socialized” into me by my parents or somewhere along the line, I do not know.   However, for the sake of argument, I am going to say it was there from the start.  For I do not remember a beginning of it and if you knew my mother, she would have never tried to convince her son to move away to Africa, a snake ridden land.  Contrastingly, I do remember several encounters along the way that strengthened those feelings, if they did not have the place of initiating it,  from missions conferences at my church as a child to friends that were missionaries.  Yet, it was not until my first trip to Kenya, until worshiping with Maasai brothers and sisters in Christ,  living, eating and breathing the experience, that it became real to me.  It was then that the desire that had been instilled in me and slowly growing became a full fledged and contagious passion, that I realized my place in His great story. 

Just like Mordecai in the story of Ester, I firmly believe that all the experiences, the good and the bad, from those things that I thought were useless, to my greatest joys, have all been placed in my life to lead me to this point.  They have led me to this moment to take one step in the role that God has for me, however large or small that part may be.  He has created that desire in my heart, stirred it by experiences, and created a relationship with His people to create a calling that I cannot ignore.  Africa, the Maasai people, have become a piece of me and I am forever tied to them in whatever fashion that God chooses to use me.  

The point of this blog is to first share Audrey's and my heart as we pursue our call to Kenya in the upcoming year, and secondly invite you all to join in this adventure with us.  I would love for everyone to get the chance some day to taste personally, on the ground, what mission work is like whether in our own country or overseas, for I believe that when one experiences it, it makes the need all the more real and impossible to ignore. Although, I also know that not all of us are called to go.  The apostle Paul states clearly in 1 Corinthians 3:6- I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.  Somewhere before us, someone has planted a seed, that we will hopefully be faithful to water, and God will grow and raise up into something amazing.  There are so many parts to this journey, so many parts of the body of Christ, so many voices in the song, and we are only a part.  We need the body, we need you, we need goers, and doers, planters, sowers, senders, builders, listeners, and prayer partners.  As we embark on this journey we need our family.  Not just our immediate family, but our friends, colleagues, small group, church body near and far to support us in a variety of ways.  Whether that be by prayer, letters, or monetarily, we need support from you to do this, for we cannot do it alone.  And I firmly believe that God has placed each of you in a personal relationship with us in our lives and entangled us along the way for His work.  That we are intertwined, for such a time as this. 

Houston

Well, a major hurdle (my comprehensive exam) is out of the way…I hope! Regardless of the outcome, I know that I did the best I could in the time given to me, so we’ll see. I appreciate all of the prayers. I feel so free now! I’m free to start reading a few books that we were given to us by TAP when we interviewed in Houston in August. These are the books: Getting Sent: A Relational Support for Support Raising (by Pete Sommer), When Helping Hurts (by Stephen Corbett and Brian Fikkert), Searching for the Indigenous Church: A Missionary Pilgrimage (by Gene Daniels) and Missions and Money: Affluence as a Western Missionary Problem (by Jonathan Bonk). Here are a few pictures from our trip late August to Houston for our final interview with TAP. Better late than never, right?

 

Cockrell Butterfly Center

Overlooking Houston 

I’m thankful that now I only have my middle school internship and a couple of classes on my plate. Since we finalized our budget in mid-September, Chase and I recently have begun the process of getting in touch with various churches and individuals to tell our story. While we were in Houston, I remember wondering how I could do this nomadic type lifestyle. I feel like at least in the last few years, I have been many places...only for a time. My inflexibility has been exposed in each of these instances where I begin thinking about all the details that go into picking up and moving life elsewhere. I've found that wherever He leads, He always provides. 

When I felt like I was being called to go to Tanzania, I was afraid of going alone, but KNEW that God was calling me. As soon as I said, "I will go" (as scared as I was) two of my great friends from college, Sharon and Michael, along with my second cousin, Abbie, also decided that this is where they were being led. God provided. When I returned home, I was unsure about where to live given that I had already graduated from King. Should I move home? Where would I get a job? I stayed home for about two weeks before a job fell into place in the Bristol Tennessee City Schools. Where would I live? Through a series of connections at First Presbyterian, someone found me a house to live in with three other wonderful room mates.  God provided. After living there from February until end of May, I returned home to get my things to move them to Radford. We had no idea where we would live, but knew that we had to find a place before our wedding and honeymoon in August. With plenty of time to move our things, we found a place in July, moved our things and had our apartment ready for when we returned. God provided! When I look back at this list, I just want to shake my head at my continued disbelief. Looking back, I am reminded of the ways that God has provided for every single need.  

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

Beginnings

So...here we are...the journey officially begins this day. Hot and humid Houston, Texas. It's a joy to tell and retell the stories that got us here: Why TAP (The Antioch Partners)? Why Kenya? Why the Maasai people? It's almost unreal to trace God's handiwork throughout our lives to where he has us in this time. Details seemingly "coincidental": two passions for a land we know some (but honestly little) about, prayers from people across the country and the world, multiple people mentioning and directing and pointing us to TAP. All of this is His work. I often ask myself, "Am I trusting enough to really do this?" and I simply know that denying this is being disobedient, ignoring the call that he has placed on our lives. "What about *insert anything here*?" "How long do you think we can do this?", I ask. And he says, "Be still and rest in my presence." The author and director asks me to be patient, to trust him. I thank God for the people among us in Blacksburg and Radford who have continually lifted us up in prayer, who have encouraged us, and those who have asked about our steps in this journey. Whether they know it or not, they are a crucial piece to this mystery and adventure as we rest in the groundwork of a supportive body to come along side us as we pray and prepare. 

Baby Steps

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

Trust.  It seems like such a simple word but when it comes to one's livelihood the things we once thought we held strong to are often tested.  C.S. Lewis states in his book a grief observed, 
          
"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box.  But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice.  Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it?... And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high until you find that you are playing not for counters or for sixpences but for every penny you have in the world.  Nothing less will shake a man- or at any rate a man like me- out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs.  He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses.  Only torture will bring out the truth.  Only under torture does he discover it himself."

Now Lewis was writing about the loss of his wife, and I am not speaking of anything near that traumatic, nor deep but instead learning to trust as I walk blindly after a call.  Many of you may know that Audrey and I have a heart for missions, East Africa, and the Maasai, and that we have been anxious to see where God has us and how He will use the passion He has instilled in our hearts to accomplish His great plan.  Many of you have been walking and praying with us on this journey.  As of last week, this dream, this yearning, has become a reality when we accepted a partnership with The Antioch Partners to work with the Maasai in Kimana, Kenya.  We are elated and excited to start this journey but as we proceed with excitement we also are learning to trust.  

It is funny because I often fear that trust is one of my better aspects.  Some may characterize me as a risk taker. I often throw caution to the wind and fling myself headlong into whatever I feel is calling me and wherever that leads.  And to some degree I feel that with this journey, it is only when it becomes more immediate that I start to worry that my fears become more realized and my trust wavers.  I have discovered over this process that as long as something lies in the distance it is easy to trust until that moment it is upon you, that you think it should be and it is not yet.  It is in these moments God says not your timing but Mine.  Trust and follow Me.  And I am learning although this process is hard, it is teaching me to trust and spend a little more quality time with my creator.  


My friends and I used to have a saying in college, as all bright young college guys normally do, "one day/one step at a time".  Often this would get us into trouble because no one was thinking far enough ahead to anticipate consequences, but we fully trusted and we leapt.  This brings me to the title of this rambling blog, (a first taste of that which is to come as we pursue our East African journey) Baby Steps.  I was talking to a friend last night. As we had a revelation, she mentioned to me that her pastor once described God as a God of "bait and catch". People may often see this as God giving us a glimpse of something and we run headlong after it, never getting far, only to feel as though God has moved the mark or played some cruel trick on us. However, I do not feel like this is the case.  I do not believe that God does this as some cruel cosmic joke.  Rather he only gives us a piece because it is all we can handle. Not to say that sometimes he does not give us more, but at this point, He is teaching us to walk, much like we would teach a newborn that would try to take off in any one direction. Walk to daddy, pause, let daddy step back in a different direction, waddle to daddy, Daddy catches you, turns you, backs up, and lets you fall into Him once again.  This is not a reckless endeavor for we are in the hands of He who created us and knows our beginning and end, and we are trusting in Him.  

Psalm 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.