Mission with me

HISTORY MAKERS

2011-01-04T11:11:00.002+02:00

Through the years there has been a great number of people who have gone down in history because of the things they set out to accomplish. I say set out because not all of them lived to see the end of the road that they started down. The book of Hebrews chapter 11 states quite a few people that did incredible or impossible things. But even in more resent history there are those individuals that are now known for what they accomplished or at least gave their lives in the process for. They believed something, they envisioned something. Take for example many of the great inventors. When they invented the telephone, TV, cars, computers, light bulb, etc. etc. did they ever think in their wildest dreams that it would be any thing like what we have today? I think yes... What about those that saw, envisioned and dreamed of women in the work force, equal to men? Those who saw in their minds eye a world with out slavery and equality for all men?
All these roads and more that were traveled all started in one place. They started with a vision or a dream that was covered, bathed, and saturated with hope; hope that never failed, hope that the desired out come would surely come in spite of the difficulties, pain, and mishaps.

I want to give the definition of both the words, Vision and Dream.
The word Vision defined By the world English dictionary says :
1. the act, faculty, or manner of perceiving with the eye; sight 2. a. the image on a television screen
b. ( as modifier ): vision control 3. the ability or an instance of great perception, esp of future developments: a man of vision 4. a mystical or religious experience of seeing some supernatural event, person, etc: the vision of St John of the Cross 5. that which is seen, esp in such a mystical experience 6. ( sometimes plural ) a vivid mental image produced by the imagination: he had visions of becoming famous 7. a person or thing of extraordinary beauty 8. the stated aims and objectives of a business or other organization. 9.the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be: prophetic vision; the vision of an entrepreneur.
10.an experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present, often under the influence of a divine or other agency: a heavenly messenger appearing in a vision. 11.something seen or otherwise perceived during such an experience: The vision revealed its message.
12.a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation: visions of wealth and glory.

The word Dream according to the world English dictionary says:
1. a. mental activity, usually in the form of an imagined series of events, occurring during certain phases of sleep b. ( as modifier ): a dream sequence 2. a. a sequence of imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake; daydream; fantasy b. ( as modifier ): a dream world 3. a person or thing seen or occurring in a dream 4. a cherished hope; ambition; aspiration 5. a vain hope 6. a person or thing that is as pleasant, or seemingly unreal, as a dream 7. go like a dream to move, develop, or work very well. 8. to have an image (of) or fantasy (about) in or as if in a dream.

There was once were two friends by the names of Walter and Arthur. One day Walter took Arthur on a long drive outside of town. After driving for a bit, they turned off the main road and drove a while longer on an old rustic dirt road. Finally they came to a stop at a vast piece of land. Which seemed to be in the middle of no where. Arthur looked around at the huge property that had a few little rundown shacks and some cows grazing on it in the distance. He finally asked Walter, “what on earth did you bring me out here for?” Walter looked at him and began to describe the incredible plans he had for developing the area. He wanted to offer Arthur the chance to buy the surrounding land and make a killing in the process. To Arthur this idea seemed ludicrous. He questioned Walter, “who on earth is going to drive 25miles to the middle of nowhere for this absurd project?”
Walter went on to share, “in a few years time the land bordering his would be jammed pack full of Hotels, restaurants, and convention halls to accommodate people who'll be coming to spend their entire vacation at my park. I wanted to give you the first chance in getting the surrounding land, because in the next five years it'll increase in value several hundred times.”
Arthur thought he was completely crazy, he thought to himself, “this poor guy has let this dream get the best of his common sense.” So he mumbled something to Walter about money being tight and that he promise to look into it later. As they got back into the car Walter sighed and warned Arthur, “Later will be to late. You'd better move on it right now.”

That is how Art Linkletter missed out on the opportunity to buy up all the land that surrounded what was to become Disneyland. His friend Walt Disney tried to talk him into sharing the dream, but Art thought he was to crazy.

(this story was taken from the book of a good friend of mine by the name Simon Guillebaud, author of “For what it's worth”)

There was another man, a man who also was full of vision! A man that was not afraid to dream! A man that was also considered by many to be an idealist or crazy for his vision. That man was Martin Luther King, the following paragraphs I share with you is part of Mr. Kings famous I have a dream speech.

“I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
I have a dream today.”

Why is it that Dreams scare us so much? Why do we always consider people with great visions to be extremest, idealist, radical freaks, crazy??? There are many great things that have been accomplished in this world due to so called crazy people.
Sure not all people in history who had radical visions and dreams that they pursued were good, take Adolf Hitler. But there were countless others who went down in history for their achievements of good things and paved the way for development and transformation in their societies, cultures, and nations.
I believe that God is looking for and waiting for people who are not afraid to dream, people like the prophet Issiah in the old testament who when the Lord said “who will go for us? Who shall we send?” Issiah said “ here am I send me”. God wants people who will say send me, use me, I will go, I will do, I will be...... He then takes those people and begins to give them dreams and visions to go and do great things that humanly seems impossible.

There is a boy by the name of William Kamkwamba who is a teenager from Malawi and through his dream that he was not afraid to follow was able to transform his community by making a wind turbine out of junk to generate electricity and later to pump water for irrigating there crops. An according to William he is not yet finished, he desires not only to bring power to the rest of his village but to all Malawians of which only 2% have electricity.

You can read his full story through the following link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8257153.stm

Do you have a dream? What is holding you back?

I was given a dream in November 2003 of four (4) large self sustainable children's villages focused on orphans and widows. The first is to be located in the heart of Africa. These villages will not only raise orphans and help widows but has a focus to build generations of young people who know their God and take their relationship with him serious. They will be the crazy ones, they will do the impossible, and they will transform there nations.
My mind is often taken to that passage of scripture that says. “for the joy set before him, he (Jesus) endured the cross”.
Now for the joy set before me. What is this joy that is before me? 4 Children villages by the name of Heaven Touching Earth, filled with kids who are on fire for God ready like William (the boy from Malawi) to change, transform, and make history in their Nations. I will endure because of this joy, I have set it before me, I see it in my mind, I envision it in my dreams, an it will surly come.

It seems ludicrous, impossible, and down right crazy but that is only for those who cant see!

Love Part 4

2010-10-29T19:20:00.003+02:00

1Corinthians 13:6-7
6.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

For a real understanding of these two verses I want to define the underlined words and talk about them a bit.
Love does not delight in evil, what is it to delight in some thing?
Delight:
To give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to; please highly

In Psalms 37:4 it says to delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
This tells me to (give) great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to the Lord. To please him highly. In return he will give me my hearts desire. This would mean that I must first know or learn that which brings him (God) great pleasure or enjoyment. I believe that once I am truly serving God with great pleasure and walking in the center of his will then comes the real enjoyment and satisfaction of life,
As he begins to give us the desires of our heart.
What we fail to realize is that the time we spend enjoying his presents and serving him with great pleasure. He begins to deposit things in our lives. He awakens and places his desires in us.
So that would mean at the moment of getting our hearts desires, they are really Gods desires that he has placed in us.
Delighting in him!! AHHH... what a beautiful thing!

Evil:
–adjective
1. morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked
2. harmful; injurious: evil laws.
3. characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous: to be fallen on evil days.
4. due to actual or imputed bad conduct or character: an evil reputation.
5.marked by anger, irritability, irascibility, etc.: He is known for his evil disposition.
–noun
6. that which is evil; evil quality, intention, or conduct: to choose the lesser of two evils.
7. the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin.
8. the wicked or immoral part of someone or something: The evil in his nature has destroyed the good.
9. harm; mischief; misfortune: to wish one evil.
10. anything causing injury or harm
11. a harmful aspect, effect, or consequence
–adverb
13. in an evil manner; badly; ill: It went evil with him.
—Idiom
14. the evil one, the devil; Satan.
—Synonyms
sinful, iniquitous, depraved, vicious, corrupt, base, vile, nefarious. 2. pernicious, destructive. 3. wickedness, depravity, iniquity, unrighteousness, corruption, baseness. 4. disaster, calamity, woe, misery, suffering, sorrow.

Real Love does not find satisfaction, enjoyment, or great pleasure in anything morally wrong or bad, harmful or injurious, misfortune or suffering, corruption, etc.etc.

On the contrary it “rejoices with the Truth”.

Truth:
1. The true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.
2. Conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.
3. A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.
4. The state or character of being true.
5. Actuality or actual existence.
6. An obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.
7. Honesty; integrity; truthfulness.
8. Ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience: the basic truths of life.
9. Agreement with a standard or original.
10. Accuracy, as of position or adjustment.

One of my favorites is in found in John 14:6, where Jesus says “I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life”
so this means that Jesus is the true and actual state of anything that matters. Jesus is the verified indisputable fact, proposition, and principle. If he is truth then it is through him and only him where we have actual existence. With out him there is no real honesty, integrity, or truthfulness. Jesus is the fundamental reality.

Love rejoices with the Truth!

It (love) always Protects,

Protects:
1. To shield from injury or harm
2. To secure or preserve against encroachment, infringement, restriction, or violation : maintain the status or integrity of esp. through legal or constitutional guarantees.
3. To defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance, insult, etc.; cover or shield from injury or danger.
4. To provide, or be capable of providing, protection

With this definition I asked my self, does the love I say I have for my spouse, family, and friends always protect? Lets look at this a bit closer. Number one is an easy one any one would want to keep those we love from injury or harm. Number two is where it got me thinking. To secure against encroachment.

Encroachment:
1. To intrude gradually, stealthily, or insidiously upon the rights, property, etc, of another
2. To advance beyond the usual or proper limits.
3. Intrusion, invasion, tresspass, violation.

I know that for me there are many times when I am in a silly mood or playful mood that I advance beyond my children's usual or proper limits. Leaving them feeling angry or upset because of my behavior or actions toward them. On one side I am raising them to set boundaries and limits in their lives. Then on the other side I come along and do something that shows them that I don't care about their limits and that it is ok to violate the limits that I help them set. I am not guarding them from annoyance or insult but instead causing it. I of course try to lighten the offense by saying some thing like “ oh come on I was just playing or, I was only joking around.” I even tell them after I pushed their limits and make them upset, to not be so sensitive. God's word says “Parents do not Provoke your children to anger”.
I can even do the same with my spouse. When I am in a mood for intimacy and thinking of the satisfaction of my own desires (hormones). It is very easy to not consider the state she might be in but out of love and submission she might give her self to me any ways, only leaving her with a sort of feeling of violation. Like being a piece of meat or property.
That is not Protecting but Encroaching an that is NOT LOVE......

Love always Trusts

Trusts:
1.reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
2.confident expectation of something; hope.
3.to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something (usually fol. by in or to ): to trust in another's honesty.
4.to have confidence; hope
5.to have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on.
6.to believe.
Synonyms
7.certainty, belief, faith. Trust, assurance, confidence imply a feeling of security. 8.Trust implies instinctive unquestioning belief in and reliance upon something: to have trust in one's parents. 9.Confidence implies conscious trust because of good reasons, definite evidence, or past experience: to have confidence in the outcome of events. 10. Assurance implies absolute confidence and certainty: to feel an assurance of victory; commitment; commission; credit; entrust

It is a good feeling when you have someone in your life that you know you can trust. You place all your confidence in them you rely on them, there is a since of security with them. It is as if they are holding you at times. You believe in them and they in you.

I don't know about you but I have one of those people in my life; my wife, she is one that holds me together at times, I have 100% confidence in her, her integrity and honesty can be relied on. She has proven over and over again that I can depend on her. Love always trust! Thank God for her in my life, I can always trust her.
I want people to feel the same way about me that I feel about my wife. it is a beautiful feeling when you know that you have someones 100% trust. On the other hand when that trust has been violated you feel crushed. Love has been disturbed, interrupted, violated.

Lord help me to always Love (trust), and be one that can be trusted (Loved)..

Love always Hopes
Hopes:
1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best: to give up hope.
2. a particular instance of this feeling: the hope of winning.
3. grounds for this feeling in a particular instance: There is little or no hope of his recovery.
4. a person or thing in which expectations are centered: The medicine was her last hope.
5. something that is hoped for: Her forgiveness is my constant hope.
–verb (used with object)
6. to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.
7. to believe, desire, or trust: I hope that my work will be satisfactory.
–verb (used without object)
8. to feel that something desired may happen: We hope for an early spring.
9. to place trust

This is very understandable, Love most definitely hopes. I have seen this through the years when I was growing up. I had some friends that came from pretty broken messed up homes. Their fathers were doing drugs and many times coming home drunk. My friends their siblings and their mothers would often be abused physically, verbally, and emotionally. I happened to be spending the night during one of these occasions. It was such a scary, emotional time. I could not understand why my friend and their mom just didn't leave the situation. I have seen it time and time again through the years.
Some where in the beginning there was Love. But on one side it began to get a little warped. Maybe a little abuse started, or unfaithfulness but because the one side still had love (hope), it continued.
Yet time after time, abuse after abuse, adultery after adultery. The one side that has Love (hope) keeps it going, hoping it will turn out for the best.

I have a deep respect for those people who hang in there as long as they can!!!! they have real Love.

Love always perseveres
perseveres:
1.to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.
2. to bolster, sustain, or uphold: unflagging faith that had persevered him.
—Synonyms
1.doggedness, steadfastness, Perseverance, persistence, tenacity, pertinacity imply resolute and unyielding holding on in following a course of action. Perseverance commonly suggests activity maintained in spite of difficulties or steadfast and long-continued application: Endurance and perseverance combined to win in the end. It is regularly used in a favorable sense.

I thank God for perseverance. If it was not for perseverance on both my wifes and my side, this adventurous loving relationship that was put together by God would not have lasted this long.
I can say in all honesty, that there has been incredible difficulties. The fact that we are from two different continents alone is one difficulty we overcame.
I will not even go into the numerous obstacles that have been springing up over the years all covered with heaping loads of discouragement.
Thank you God for Perseverance!!
Love is not easy at times, really not easy, but it always perseveres. May God give all of you that are in those times of perseverance a supernatural strength to hang on.

May we all have the kind of love that always protects, trust, hopes, and perseveres...

Love Part 3

2010-09-03T18:34:00.002+02:00

1corinthians 13:5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love is not rude,
Rude:
1.Discourteous or impolite, esp. in a deliberate way: a rude reply.
2.Without culture, learning, or refinement
3.Rough in manners or behavior; unmannerly; uncouth.
4.Rough, harsh, or ungentle.
5.Roughly wrought, built, or formed; of a crude construction or kind: a rude cottage.
6.Not properly or fully developed; raw; uninvolved: a rude first stage of development.
7.Harsh to the ear: rude sounds.
8.Without artistic elegance; of a primitive simplicity: a rude design.
9.Violent or tempestuous, as the waves.
Synonyms
1.Uncivil, unmannerly, curt, brusque, impertinent, impudent, saucy, pert, fresh.2.Unrefined, uncultured, uncivilized, uncouth, coarse, vulgar, rough. 3.Rustic, artless. 9.Stormy, fierce, tumultuous, turbulent.

I had no idea that the word rude had so many definitions, this is very interesting.
I always thought that to be rude was only in speech or mannerism. It looks that it goes deeper than this. It is also possible to be rude in look or feeling.
It is one thing to meet children with these characteristics but an adult my goodness.
Lets break some of this down.
So if love is not rude, this tells me that Love is having, or not being without culture. What is Culture?
Culture:
1. The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
2. That which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.
3. A particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Greek culture.
4. Development or improvement of the mind by education or training.
5. The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.
6. (Anthropology). The sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.
Wow this says a lot!
If rude is being without learning or refinement then love is to be a learner. The Greek word in the new testament for Disciple, “mathetes”. Comes from the verb manthano, to learn means to be a learner.
Refinement:
1.An improved, higher, or extreme form of something: a refinement of the old system.
2.Fineness or precision of thought, expression, manners, etc; polish or cultivation
3.A device, change, adaptation, etc, designed to improve performance or increase efficiency.
To take something and make it better.
This tells me that the love I have can always be made better, and I can learn how to perfect it when my heart is right.

It is not self seeking,
It does nothing for it self but looks out and puts others before it's self. In any relationship, particularly in marital relationships, if this would become the norm or even be practiced a little. I guaranty the divorce rate would plummet to an all time low!!!! Another word for self seeking is selfish ambition.
In Galatians 5: 19-20 selfish ambition is listed as one of the acts of the sinful nature.
In the book of James 3:16 it says where you have envy, and selfish ambition you will find disorder and every evil practice.
Ouch.....this of course would be considered as the exact opposite of love. Romans 12:10 says to Honor one another above yourselves.
Philippians 2:3-4 Says do nothing out of selfish ambition but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Imagine a marriage where each partner is NOT looking out for there own interest but more for the one of their partner. I know what your thinking, and at first I thought the same thing. That would suck! I would become a door mat and be walked all over.... But just think for a moment, what if we could just try it for a few days maybe one week in our marriages. That each person in the relationship would focus on the likes, wants, desires, and needs of the other before we would even think about ourselves.
Sadly this might require that some of us first learn truly what those likes, wants, desires, and needs are first. Not what we think they are but what they are....
I think if each partner could really pull it off for a week than it could radically transform relationships.

Wow just the thought of putting away our sinful nature (selfish ambition) and having the same attitude as Christ Jesus who did not consider being equal with God some thing to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant, being made into human likeness. He humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! (Philippians2:5-8) An all I can think about at times is if I get to watch my favorite program or movie on TV, never mind that the program my wife likes is on at the same time. Or that I come home and make myself something to drink with no thought of my spouse who my have just finished cleaning the whole house, is cooking dinner, and has watched the kids all day. The list can go on and on, we need only to think about the other........

It is not easily angered,
Angry:
Feeling or expressing annoyance, Resentment: the feeling of displeasure or indignation at some act, remark, person, etc., regarded as causing injury or insult.; Enraged; Animosity: A feeling of strong dislike, ill will, or enmity that tends to display itself in action.

I believe the majority of the above mentioned definitions would cease to exist when Selfish ambition is out of the way.

It keeps no records of wrongs,
This is a hard one! Oh, how often when the temperature is rising and our feelings and actions toward the other begin to change, and not in a good way either. We think to our self's, thoughts that we should never think about any one. The longer we have had a relationship with someone the worse it could be.
Our mouth opens and out pours the insults. It is in these moments that we are certainly thinking about the other person more than our self's but only in the negative.
Because of something they have said or done or perhaps not said or done, no matter big or small, we unload the history channel on them. It is for the primary purpose of shaming them, trying to point out how imperfect they are and most of the time to make them feel or look inferior to ourselves. After all what they have done has caused us some sort of pain or discomfort, and we can find that reaching into the past with our well kept list of there flaws will always insure our winning of the argument. But if not, at least we have made some important blows, making ourselves feel or look better and we are acting in that moment. That is in fact what the record of wrongs is about. “I am good and you are so Bad, just look at you....... Thank you God that you keep no record of my wrongs. Your love is amazing, and your mercies new every morning. Lord please give me this LOVE.....

Have you ever heard the term a little love can go a long way? As I sit and reread these last three blogs, I think I understand. If we had just a fraction more of this Love, it would transform families, communities, even countries.

Lord give me this LOVE....

Love Part 2

2010-08-15T11:07:00.002+02:00

Wow this is a good one!
1Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
Love is Patient.....Patient ya, lets look at that word.
Here are some definitions according to Dictionary.com,
Patient:
Bearing provocation,1. the act of provoking or inciting 2. something that causes indignation, anger, etc 3. words or conduct that incite a person to attack another.
Bearing annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like. Enduring trying circumstances with even temper.
Quietly and steadily persevering or diligent, esp. in detail or exactness.
So in summery it means we put up with a lot with out losing it.

I don't know about you but I think that I am in need of some more Patients!
How many times have I in my words or conduct provoked my spouse? How many times do I annoy or get annoyed by my spouse only resulting in complaining or attacking her out of anger? We need to be honest with ourselves in reading these definitions.
How often do we complain about our spouse, friends, or family members, in front of them or to others? How often out of hardship, annoyance, and or pain do we lose our cool lashing out in anger seriously hurting them emotionally, or maybe even physically. In our thinking or not thinking (aka fighting) the mouth opens on both sides of the room and outcomes the !&^*&!#^$*&!T#.......in some cases it is you hurt me , I hurt you.....In other cases it can in deed be more one sided. In the case of the so called strong silent type of person, in such situations they have a tendency to withdraw pulling every thing inside. Yet the wound is deep, it will not be shown but through time if not healed properly through true reconciliation can be reopened over and over again. This causes a slow roting root of bitterness, making the person after time unable to feel and or express true emotion.
Having Patients is extremely important in any Loving relationship, without it, it is not Love!
LOVE IS PATIENT...

Love is Kind,
Kind: 1. having a friendly or generous nature or attitude 2. helpful to others or to another: a kind deed 3. considerate or humane 4. cordial; courteous (esp in the phrase kind regards ) 5. pleasant; agreeable; mild; 6. informal beneficial or not harmful: a detergent that is kind to the hands.
7. Of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person.
8. Having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence: kind words.
9. Indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often fol. by to ): to be kind to animals.
10. mild; gentle.

Ah, here we go, this one doesn't step on my toes as much. I can relate more to this definition. Thank you Lord for Kindness, a quality I do have a lot of. Some people might look at this and realize they are not mild or in need of being more pleasant, generous, considerate, and agreeable.
After all LOVE IS KIND...

It does not Envy, or in some translations it says Love is not Jealous.

Envy:
A feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc. Envy and jealousy are very close in meaning. Envy denotes a longing to possess something awarded to or achieved by another: to feel envy when a friend inherits a fortune. Jealousy, on the other hand, denotes a feeling of resentment that another has gained something that one more rightfully deserves: to feel jealousy when a coworker receives a promotion. Jealousy also refers to anguish caused by fear of unfaithfulness. To resent, Envy, begrudge, and covet refer to one's attitude toward the possessions or attainments of others. To envy is to feel resentful and unhappy because someone else possesses, or has achieved, what one wishes oneself to possess, or to have achieved: to envy the wealthy, a woman's beauty, an honest man's reputation. To begrudge is to be unwilling that another should have the possessions, honors, or credit that person deserves: to begrudge a man a reward for heroism. To covet is to long jealously to possess what someone else possesses.

Wow this is just about all of us....Makes me wounder, Envy definitely came in during the fall in the Garden. I think it is safe to say that it has grown into a huge tree with roots, woven into and at every level of culture and society. We are always looking at others and wishing, thinking that's not fair, or why can't I... Or saying with the fake smile and disgusted heart “Oh must be nice...” AHHHH...the forever true clique “ The grass is always greener on the other side!” Well isn't it??
We must have what everyone else has. If we don't then there is something wrong with us.

I began to look at my self on this and found that I was pretty ugly! I had envy of others that had big amazing anointed ministries. I had envy of those organizations that seem to have it all together with all their activities and every staff member driving a new Toyota pickup. I was Jealous of all the Missionaries that get to go with their families on holiday once every year or two. I could go on and on! I had to repent and realize that I was doing the opposite because Love does not envy.
Like I said in my first posting “Love part 1” I must make my life's goal Love. If I don't have LOVE I gain nothing!
You what is awesome? After spending some time with the Lord on this I have literally seen all my envy and jealousy leave my life. I can revisit every memory and circumstance of where it was before and see that now in it's place is beautiful, peaceful, Love....
Now as I move forward in life, I see clearly It is a matter of the heart! If there is envy or jealousy there then my choice will reflect that and so will my attitude toward others.

It does not Boast,
Boast:
to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride, esp. about oneself.
to speak of with excessive pride or vanity
Boast, brag imply vocal self-praise or claims to superiority over others. Boast usually refers to a particular ability, possession, etc., that may be one of such kind as to justify a good deal of pride: He boasts of his ability as a singer. Brag, a more colloquial term, usually suggests a more ostentatious and exaggerated boasting but less well-founded: He brags loudly of his marksmanship.

No one likes to be around a person that always talks about themselves. You know those that, for every story or situation has to share something about themselves or have a story that goes with that particular situation. Even if at that moment it is nothing to do with them. It is almost to say that they must input themselves into everything.
I remember that I use to do this, I would look for any opportunity where I could insert a story or something that would share about a situation I was in or encountered. In short I wanted people to look at me, I wanted to be noticed.. It was not that people were not interested in what I had to share or hear my crazy stories. But it can become a bit over kill, many times people who have a problem with boasting also have a problem in seeing timing and using tact on their constant opening of the mouth.
I thank God that I have over come this for the most part. The truth is I love to talk about my awesome, crazy, roll a coaster life. With God there is never a dull moment! But when it turns into boasting, thats just wrong. Love does not boast!

It is not proud,
Proud:
feeling pleasure or satisfaction over something regarded as highly honorable or creditable to oneself
having, proceeding from, or showing a high opinion of one's own dignity, importance, or superiority.
stately, majestic, or magnificent
highly gratifying to the feelings or self-esteem
—Synonyms
1.Contented, self-satisfied. Overbearing, self-important, disdainful, imperious, presumptuous.
Proud, arrogant, haughty imply a consciousness of, or a belief in, one's superiority in some respect. Proud implies sensitiveness, lofty self-respect, or jealous preservation of one's dignity, station, and the like. It may refer to an affectionate admiration of or a justifiable pride concerning someone else.
Arrogant applies to insolent or overbearing behavior, arising from an exaggerated belief in one's importance: arrogant rudeness. Haughty implies lofty reserve and confident, often disdainful assumption of superiority over others.

Another word coming from the same root, having the same meaning is Pride. I was taught that the shortest definition of pride is “I”...
It starts with I, ends with I and usually is filled in the middle with I,I,I,and I.
In a sense it means that it is about my thoughts, my wants, my desires, my feelings, my dislikes...
that tells me that it is my job, my house, my family, my studies, my business, my car, my church.
When it is all about “I” and it is all “my”, It leaves little room for Him (God)!
We have become so incredibly independent in this life that we only bring God in when we see we can fit him in. we have become to darn good at “running” our own life's. It's all about us, and sometimes what “we”or “I” do for him (God).

Love is not Proud but we sure are.
Lord help me to think of myself with sober judgment, placing others above myself.
I want this LOVE!!!!

Love Part 1

2010-08-01T19:10:00.002+02:00

Part 1 of Love

The other day I was with my wife on a date. We were talking about the usual, kids, Ministry, life in Africa, how much we love each other, etc... My wife asked me the same question that she often asks, “Do you know that I love you?” My response was as usual, “yes I do, do you know I Love you?”
She said Yes then asked me, “what do you love about me?” I am sorry, that is as much of the conversation as you are going to get. The rest is between us.
But I will say this, that conversation started my mind on a path that I would like to share with you.

Love, what is Love? There are in fact several padded answers for that one. Some would say, well it depends on who you ask. Love can be interpreted in many ways. What love is for one person could be looked at differently by another. Of course there are scores of books on the subject of “Love”, all with there opinions of what it looks like. Magazines full of articles and self helps to help you find that perfect “Love”... I don't know about any of that. I am far from being a specialist on it. I don't think it is a subject though... or at least I don't look at it as that. There are “love” stories.
But Love, in fact is a verb, meaning it is full of action. That is at least what I learned in school, that verbs are action words. Unfortunately Man as raped it, molested it, and abused it until it now looks nothing like it's original form. It has taken on an entirely different face and shape. No wounder people are so confused about “love”, because what they are getting is the new and NOT improved version.

Here are a few words and phrases that are connected now to our so called “love”; Touchy; feely; but I thought you loved me; if you love me then you would or would not; I just don't love him/her any more; I feel in love; I fell out of love; it's time to look out for me; he/she makes me feel loved again.
The list can go on and on.

I have heard these things and things like them all to often. With this warped misconception of love, it does not surprise me about the high percent of the divorce rate.

I have had this word “Love” running through my head non stop with these questions attached to it.
WHAT IS IT? DO I REALLY HAVE IT?
To answer these questions I am going to go through what I think is the oldest and greatest definition of the word “LOVE” The Bible, 1 Corinthians, 13: 1-13.

Lets begin with verses 1-3

1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

As I shared above this all started with the conversation that I had with my wife but did not end there by no means. This is the beginning of the path. I will now share what I have been getting through this study that the Lord is taking me through. My thoughts as well as my challenges.

Verses 1-3 spoke loud and clear!!! In my words, “It doesn't matter who I am or who I become, what I do or what I obtain. If I don't have LOVE I gain nothing. So what ever I do I better make sure that my life's goal is LOVE!”

Stay tuned next week for part 2

Sozo's God Story

2010-07-16T21:05:00.001+02:00

I would like to share the very paraphrased version of Sozo Ministries Africa's “God Story”

It has been almost five years since the Lord had called us to work in the heart of Africa. It truly has been filled with ups and downs. Anyone that knows us could say that we are either completely insane or truly following a call by God. I tend to lean toward the later.

Four and a half years we spent in intense labor, striving to obtain our Organization's national registration in Rwanda. In the first thought one would think who in their right mind would stay some where for so long when it seems to be obvious that it is not working? Believe me it crossed my mind more than once.

But the truth is, I am not in (my) right mind. I have the mind of Christ, who, for the joy set before him endured death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:1-8)

The Lord has set a Joy before (SMA) Sozo Ministries Africa, a joy of his glory being poured out on the least of these, in the heart of Africa in such a mighty way that a hot fiery revival will break out in the heart and then sweep through the continent making the east Africa revival that took place in the 70's look like nothing.

It is this joy before us that makes us to endure! We have not understood everything that has happened but do understand that our God is Sovereign. He is preparing his heart! We have tripped many times along the way, meaning that we are not perfect and have made our amount of mistakes. Yet God remains Sovereign and on course with his plan.

In October of 2008 God warned me in a dream that we were going to be leaving Rwanda and were to go to Burundi to start (SMA) Sozo Ministries Africa. I knew this was from God but disagreed. I knew nothing about Burundi, only that it was next door and most likely still at war. I fought the Lord for a long time, trying like Moses to change his mind.....As I said above I have made my share of mistakes.

In January 2009, we were told that we had to leave Rwanda, we had no choice in the matter. On my drive home God Showed up in the Car. He said “Travis now what? I gave you 3 months to prepare, now you have 1 week. What are you going to do?” I repented and cried all the way home. I told the Lord there was nothing for me to do but to obey. I will go to Burundi and start SMA as you have said.

It was when I arrived in Burundi that I learned it to is called the heart of Africa, some have even called it the heart of the heart. What joy to know that we were not moved out of the heart but into the center chamber. God remains Sovereign and on track.

One year and six months later in Burundi on June 15^th 2010 we have obtained our much desired and awaited registration. Not with out it's own road blocks and challenges of course. Around January 2010 we were made aware of a investigation that was being launched against all operating organizations in country. This added to the elections that began in may 2010 would make it virtually impossible to obtain registration before January 2011.

In the beginning of June the Lord gave me the Scripture out of Zechariah 4:6-7. (paraphrased) “not by might, not by power, but by my spirit says the Lord. The mountain will become level, God bless it, God bless it” I began to pray this out. “Lord I know that there is nothing man can do to make this registration happen, it must rely only on your spirit to do this. Lord take this mountain and make it level that all will see your glory and shout, may God bless it, may God bless it.” At this time I really felt that we would have the registration before June 20^th. That same week in a meeting at Foreign Affairs I was told “ I am sorry but you will just have to wait and plan your activities for January 2011.

on Sunday June 13^th while in church the Lord told me to read in Daniel chapter 10, the story of the Angle appearing to Daniel. He had been fasting and praying for many days the Angle told him that he was sent out with Daniel's answer on the first day but there was a war going on and he was held by the prince of Persia, after 21 days the Angle Michael known as one of the chief Angle's came to help him.

The Lord spoke to me through this, showing me that our answer of our registration was already sent but that there was in fact a war going on in the Heavens. Something or someone was holding it from happening.

I began to pray on the spot saying “ Lord I know your will, I know that you want this to happen. I know that in the heavens this registration has already taken place and I agree with you. Now will you send your waring Angle's to battle the enemy that is trying to hold this from happening. I ask now that you will free up this messenger that is holding this registration so that he can come and deliver that which he was sent for so long ago.

Two days later on Tuesday June 15th the secretary walked out of the Ministers office holding our signed Agreement. He looked at me and said “I don't know how you did it, but I want to be the first to congratulate you on your registration”.

Not by might, Not by power, But by my Spirit says the Lord!!!!

This is truly a God Story! Thank you to all that have stood by us and this ministry through out these long hard years. I would like to say that we are at the end but the truth is the journey has just began!

Please feel free to share this with as many people as you want, to God be the Glory!

Comfort for a day

2010-06-11T10:57:00.000+02:00

The info I am about to share is very eye opening and down right shocking to be honest. By sharing these things I do not mean to shame anyone or try to bring guilt on any one in any way!!

The following facts and figures I read in a book that was written and given to me by a good friend of mine entitled “For what it's worth”, Author Simon Guillebaud.

In 1998, a UN Human Development report said that the three richest people in the world own the amount of wealth equal to the combined GDP of the worlds poorest 48 nations.

Basic education for the world only cost an extra $6 billion a year, while $8 billion a year is spent on cosmetics in the United States alone.

Installation of water and sanitation for the whole world would cost $9 billion, but $11billion is spent on ice-cream in Europe in one year.

Health care and Nutrition would cost $13 billion but $17 billion is spent each year in the US and in Europe on pet food.

$35 billion is spent on business entertainment in Japan.
$50 billion is spent on cigarettes in Europe.
$105 billion on alcoholic drinks in Europe.
$400 billion on narcotic drugs around the world.
$780 billion on the worlds armed forces.

In 1997, UNDP reports it would cost $80 billion a year to wipe out poverty from the planet until 2007, which is less than one half of one percent of global income and is about the equivalent of the combined net worth of the seven richest men on earth.

I have to be honest, reading these reports was very hard for me. Especially since I am living and working in what is considered to be the third poorest nation in the world.

Toward the end of last month we received an invitation from the Dutch embassy. It was announcing a party that would be held at the Netherlands ambassadors residence celebrating the national holiday “Queens day”. My wife and I got excited, wow I thought, a chance to get out and rub elbows with some of the high class locals and diplomats. Not to mention I knew there would a lot of free typical dutch food and as many drinks as I wanted.
Upon arrival I froze as I glanced around I could not help to feel like a fish out of water. There were around 400 people and as I said before the delicious food and drinks were flowing.
Immediately some one came and asked me what I would like to drink. As the night slowly progressed I found myself looking around and my mind taking me places that I didn't feel like being. I could not stop thinking about how much money was being spent on the free flowing alcohol and the countless trays of goodies that most likely had been flown in for this special event.
I then thought of all the embassies world wide, where I was sure similar functions were also happening at the same time or at least with in my time zone.
I began to feel sick to my stomach as I thought of all the aid and people that could be helped with the money that was being spent in just this one evening.

At this moment I had a choice to make, it was to burst into tears and leave the party or to some how turn myself off or at least my mind form what was happening to me. What I experienced next was what they call in psychology “disassociation”. This happens to many people in life during times of trauma, difficulty, hardship, and or when you find your self in a place / situation where you rather not be.
It is when the mind shuts off and you are there so to speak but also not. It actually is more common than people realize. You could call it a built in couping mechanism.
Have you ever heard the term the lights are on but no one is home?
This is what I experienced, part of me shut off and I then remember going through the rest of the evening having conversations and going through the motions. It was as if I was participating but not thinking of where or what was going on around me.

This reminded me of our trip back to the west (Europe & America) in 2008. I remember very well walking through large shopping malls and supermarkets. I would often be so over whelmed by all the stuff and all the choices, I would find my mind taking me back to Africa. then I would start crying as I thought about the orphans, the widows and the poorest of the poor that I had just spent the last 3.5 years of my life with. All of a sudden I would be pulled back into reality by one of my children making a comment or asking me a question.
All in all it was a difficult time, many times feeling uncomfortable with all the comfort, with all the choices. Don't get me wrong there were times of great joy and fun as well. But in all honesty it was bitter sweet. After a few weeks even my children were asking me when are we going home to Africa. Just that thought makes me want to cry again.

These last few days have got me thinking, what the hec is wrong with me?? There are times that I long for the comforts of the west! But when some of those times come, I find it hard to enjoy them. Why is it that even if I have the money to waste, or as they say burn. I find it hard to spend it on me or my family in the things that are considered comfort or luxurious here?
A while back some good friends of mine sent me and my family for a nice weekend at a five star hotel on a beautiful beach. They booked it and paid for everything, their only question to me was what week end are you going. They told me we are doing it this way because we know that if we just give you the money you will not spend it on your selfs, they were right. What a blessing!

I have have been wondering do all long term missionaries go through this?
Am I going crazy?
Am I ruined for Comfort???

I look back at those facts and figures above and ask the Lord this question. “if we could turn off comfort for one day around the world. What good could we do with all that money?

Persecution & Revival

2010-04-30T11:09:00.003+02:00

I received an email resonantly from a friend asking us to be praying for the christian church in a particular location in India. It went on to say about how over 200 church's had been burnt down and many Christians killed by some radical Buddhist group. The treat that more church's were to follow with more deaths as well was eminent. Something sever is happening to the christian church in that Nation, and the request for prayer was maid.

Persecution; a word that is well known by the christian church, or in any religious setting for that matter. It has been there for as long as anyone can remember. I am not going to go into the why's, lets just say that it is there. We were warned about this from Christ himself when he said.(paraphrased) “you will be persecuted because of my name sake. In the same way they persecuted those before you, you also will be persecuted and even put to death. If they persecuted me they will persecute you.”

I don't know about you but I don't get any comfort from those words.... Those are the kind of words you read and then sit and think about if you want to continue on the path your headed.

As a boy growing up in church I learned these scriptures, read the stories over and over in the bible. Heard them taught by various pastors. But I really didn't understand them! Lets be honest, I had no point of reference. It didn't really fit into my cultural setting. I had the freedom of religion behind me, (thank you bill of rights)... unless being called a Jesus freak, holy roller, and holy man is considered persecution. I was taught that sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. This of course is not entirely true, names can and do hurt. In the culture I am in now I meet so many wounded people. People with names that mean; Not wanted, forgotten, having no one, alone, demon, pain, inconsiderate, and the list goes on and on... I guess it can be a form of persecution.

I grew up not thinking that name calling could be persecution but in my mind it was something totally different. Being beaten almost to death because of confessing Jesus as lord and savior of your life. Thrown in prison and having unthinkable things happen to you due to your faith. Losing your entire family as they right you off as being dead because you say that Jesus is Lord. Having a rope put around your neck and hung from a tree until dead because you believed in Christ as the son of God. Having your head cut off and put on a pole for show because you believed in Jesus as your savior. Many years ago In North Korea they rounded up the Christians they found from the underground church and laid them all on the road so that they could be ran over by a steam roller, starting at their feet and proceeding to the head.

All of these things and more have happened and are still happening today. We rarely hear about them, they have stopped to be reported. We put labels on some them such as holy wars, or terrorism.

This I do know as I look at the Christian church in the various nations and people groups that have been experiencing an seeing such horrifying acts as mentioned above one thing always rings through. You could say that history has continued to repeat it self. It is this, it produces a harvest of righteousness, the church grows, it becomes stronger, and the glory and power of God is seen in ways not known to us in the western church.

As I sat and pondered this I couldn't help but to think about my own Nation and people in North America. I found myself getting a bit sad almost to the point of tears. I thought to myself it's not fair why has the west been so blessed with your presence?
Why are we always experiencing so many revivals? God why is this? We keep being blessed by you pouring out your spirit. Fires of revival our breaking out all over the west while our brothers and sisters every where els our dieing.
The Christian faith in the west as a whole still seems so weak compared to our brothers and sisters abroad. Isn't time that the roles are reversed let revival break out among the developing Nations, among the least of these. Let the western church experience some real persecution for a while.
Oh crap did I just say that??? what am I thinking? Lord only you know, I am so glad I don't have your job!!

As I sit and meditate on those thoughts I am reminded of a conversation I had with this very wise and beautiful young women, my wife. She made a comment that struck me as we were discussing this one day. She said “ I wounder if God keeps blessing the western church with revival because it is during those times that the most resources are given to the persecuted church”. Ummmmm........
Another thought that came to my mind was the persecuted church does not need to be revived because they are already very much awake.

I am reading a book now in titled “The rising Revival” this book has many contributors (co authors) for the making. The main editors were Peter Wagner & Pablo Deiros. In the beginning of the book Peter Wagner gives a bit of history of revivals in the west. The focus is on the fact that with an exception of a few of them, most only lasted for 2 to 3 years. This is very interesting to me because the list of noted revivals with in the west is quite large and the effects have been pretty amazing. But why this constant on and off thing? Why only 2 or 3 years? Some times many years go by before anything happens again. What can be done to sustain it longer? Peter has some interesting thoughts as he writes about and gives examples of the revival that broke out in Argentina and lasted for over 15 years.
He says “I am convinced that many revivals have not lasted because they were focused on blessing those who were already Christians----renewing their faith in God, increasing their intimacy with Jesus, intensifying their worship experiences, healing their bodies, restoring broken family relationships, providing for financial needs, deepening their hunger for God's word, encouraging them with prophetic words and the like. Evangelizing the lost in the community and out in the world is invariably mentioned, but is frequently subject to an underlying assumption: we must first polish up the existing Christians and develop their walk with God first. Then when this is done, we will be properly equipped to move out to evangelize the lost. There is much truth in that assumption, but the fact of the matter is that many revivals have become stuck in implementing the first part and they have never gotten around to aggressively evangelizing the lost.
The Argentine revival was kicked off by an evangelist that never deviated a bit from his primary calling to reach the lost. Because the two main faces of that revival maintained singular focus in the early days of the revival, it kept it from falling victim to the “bless-me syndrome” that has been the down fall of so many others.”

As I look at other revivals that have happened outside the U.S. to compare them I can see what Mr. Wagner is talking about. With the exception of the east African revival back in the 70's which went on for thirty years. The Argentina revival is the only other recorded revival that I have found that has lasted longer than a few years.

The Focus on the lost is one of the biggest differences between theses revivals. We are talking about moves of God that radically blew through Nations changing everything in it's path. Nations that were known for their low percentages of Christians all of a sudden were being called and considered to be Christian nations. The Nation of Uganda particularly at one time had such a high rate of HIV Aids that it was said by experts that if some thing did not happen fast that Uganda would soon be no more.(paraphrased) Well something did happen, a miracle, all of a sudden with no way for man to explain it the HIV Aids rate drastically went down. This was due to the president of the nation in that time calling out to the church and dedicating his nation to the Lord.( ummm... Nation's leaders calling out to God.)

This is the kind of revival that is needed again, a revival fire so hot that it burns everything in it's path, transforming everything from politics to health care, to even the weather. Drought disappearing in the regions where only famine was known, HIV Aids disappearing and life expectancies increasing, Nations know for fraud, deception, and corruption will all of a sudden have a mantel of integrity and humility.
This is the revival that is being conceived on the continent of Africa where I am now residing. We are praying, working, and waiting for the labor pains to start.
Oh for the Joy set before us, Lord help us not to be weary but to fix our eyes on the prize.

Promise Land....

2010-04-13T10:53:00.003+02:00

Recently I revisited the story in the bible of how God had taken his children out of Egypt, led them through the desert and into the promise land. I found it strange that after reading and meditating on it, I couldn't help but to feel that the Lord was using this story to bring me comfort in my own circumstances. The more I thought about it the more lessons and similarities I began to see in my own life.
In 2005 the Lord led me and my family out of where we were. No we were not in captivity yet at times it might of felt that way. What I mean is that there was a promise land set before us and a vision from the Lord of what it looked like. We could not take all that we had but were extremely limited to the rules and regulations of flying. We had never been there before and really had no clue on how to go. But the Promise land was there and I knew it, I could feel it, I would see it in my dreams. So with God given vision and him as our guide we left on our journey.

From that time till now I guess you could say was our desert experience.... I heard a pastor once teach that the way that God took his people was not the shortest route. If you were to look at it on a map you would find that there in fact was an easier and shorter route they could of taken. I don't know if this is true, but it does some how make since to me. I have often asked the Lord “why is this taking so long?”
Along the way we have had some good times and some bad times. I cant help but to wonder if the best times had come due to our mermering and complaining, so out of the Lords mercy and grace he said ok here is some water, here is some mana, here is some meat. In our case it looked more like: “ok here are some miracles, here is some refreshing, here is a small taste of what it will look like.”

August of this year (2010) will mark our journey at 5years. Through this time I must admit there has been times that I have lost sight of the vision. Times of wanting to just give up and throw in the towel. Times of questioning: Is that really you God?, Did I really hear you? Why did you bring us out here to die? (spiritually speaking,...OK maybe physically also.) Times of feeling like a complete failure as a christian, husband, and father.....
It of course did not help our journey and understanding, having the nay Sayers around us. But just like God's people in the desert I believe it was necessary in a since. I don't say I understand it but I do see that God aloud them to be there for a season in the journey. It is unclear just what roll they play in the over all journey. Was it for discouragement? Was it to make us stronger, not to waver in our thinking? Was it that they just cared so much and their lack of understanding was just as great as ours, but they wanted to protect us from possible hurt?

The why & what questions have been the top questions for me in these last five years. Why does it take me 5years to get my ministry registered in a developing nation? What did I do wrong to be removed from a country twice? Why can't more people see my heart? Why did I have to give up 8 of my precious children? What did I do wrong? What law did I break? Why is it that injustice seems to be prevailing? Why can't more people stand against injustice and unrighteousness? Why do people fear something that can not touch them? Why can't people store up their treasures in Heaven?

I could go on and on, I do have answers to most of these questions but I am afraid they would not appease most.
As I sit now, I am on the banks of the Jordan river. The Promise land is on the other side. I see it! All we have to do is cross the river. No need to send spies into the land, it is already ours. We only need to cross and take it. I don't know how long it will take us to cross this river but we will cross and when we do the much awaited promise will be there.

The Lord has continued to remind us through this time that he is the one in control, he is the one leading and he is the one providing. God keeps pointing us to Deuteronomy chapter 8 in the old testament of the bible. The whole chapter is really nice but I will put emphasis on the verses that jumped of the page slapped me.

Deuteronomy8:1-20 Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. 2. Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commands.3b. He did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the Lord. 6. So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him.
7. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with springs that gush forth in the valleys and hills. 10. When you have eaten your fill, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws. 12. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in.13. and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, 14a. that is the time to be careful. Do not become proud at that time and forget the lord your God, 17. He did it so you would never think that it was your own strength and energy that made you wealthy. 18. Always remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to become rich, and he does it to fulfill the covenant he made with your ancestors.

We to have a promise, a promise of a children s village that will raise up a mighty army of God of the least of these. That every one who steps foot on the land will be made whole, that if we do this Gods way and not mans way we will see his power, glory, and presents not only rest but rule and reign in the place. It will be a place where revival will be birthed in hearts of many, burning, and growing then be a launching ground into the Nations of Africa for the purpose of seeing the continent or Africa become a continent of Light and not darkness.

This is what I will say amen to, this what I will serve until the day I die....(Strong words require a stronger belief and a strong belief is accompanied by an obedience to the calling that goes beyond our human understanding.)

The Glasses we wear...

2010-02-19T09:39:00.001+02:00

I have found in dealing with life and living cross culturally, there are two kinds of glasses that people where. Or two ways that people have a tendency to look at things or live so to speak, there are those that compare everything they see and everything they experience to what they know. Meaning that they place everything into their own cultural context, this is more often than not a coping mechanism to make themselves feel more comfortable with all the differences they are seeing and experiencing.
They say to themselves and or those around them things like; we have that where I am from to, we do the same in my culture, People are people no matter where you are, etc..
There is nothing wrong with this per say. When put in a place where nothing is familiar and we are as uncomfortable as it gets, it is natural to try to make oneself somehow feel more at home by likening what is seen or what is being experienced to something that is well known to us. . When or if this does not occur can cause someone to go into what is called culture shock. There are various levels of culture shock that one can go through that I will not go into.
The truth is; People are people not matter where you go. That is the same as saying no matter where you go, there you are… You can always find some underlining things no matter what culture you are in, this is because of the fact that we are all made by the same wonderful creator. It is also true to say that, that same wonderful creator is a very creative creator. Meaning there is not two people on this earth that are exactly the same.
I will call this pair of glasses the “I” glasses. I believe at one point in time all people who live and or work cross culturally wear these glasses, it is how we fit into places and how we help others to fit into our world (life). We must relate everything or most of everything to what works for us or fits into our understanding. To put it plainly, when we don’t understand something or it is to different from what we know or have experienced our first reaction is to either reject it completely or reason it into our own cultural understanding. This is sad but the truth and can easily be seen through the way we live our lives, from practical to the spiritual.
It is unfortunate that the above scenario is the most common pair of glasses we as people wear.
This is not just about how we see things, no it is more than that. It is our perspective on life, the way we relate to others and live around them, what we except into our lives as normal or what we shun.
I remember when I was in my 20’s there was this one day I found myself staring at this huge mural (painting ) on a wall. I remember being so captivated and engaged in it. I was in awe of the detail and the size of it. It was a painting of the earth! It showed everything, every continent, every country, every little island, everything! I looked at where I was at the time and where I had been in my life. I was speechless….
All my life, I had spent between 3to4 States on the west coast of the United States. As I stood there staring in awe of how big the world was and how little of it that I had seen or experienced. I couldn’t speak… All I kept thinking was “WOW” So many people, so many countries, so many cultures, and none of them are like me. They celebrate different holidays than I do, they eat differently than I do, they think differently than I do, they speak differently than I do… Everything I know, and everything I think I know is different and I don’t know any of them…
I learned early in my walk with the Lord that the word or the term we use to be a “disciple” means in the original Greek text of the bible “to be a learner”. Now we of course need to apply this to our spiritual life but why shouldn’t it go further than that… “To be a learner” in life, of life, through life! I know, heaven forbid that we would have to admit that we don’t really know something.
The last 16 years of my life have been spent observing, talking, living, asking questions, and learning how others live and experience life in their countries and cultures. It is by far the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Our God is so amazing!!! When I look at the map of our world today I realize now that I have had the joy of living and working in more countries than states I have visited in the U.S.
The other pair of glasses that I speak of has to do with what I just talked about in the above paragraphs. I will call them the “learner” glasses. These glasses are not always easy to wear sometimes they can be uncomfortable and at other times downright painful to have on. It requires us to take off our “I” glasses and when we do that we feel vulnerable, blind, and confused. Why would we consider doing such a thing you ask? When we do this we are putting ourselves aside and putting others above ourselves.
This is of course a very biblical principle, placing others above oneself. If everyone would just do this a little bit, the world could be a better place.
Having the learner glasses on means asking lots of questions, Questions about others; like what makes them tick? What makes them happy, sad, mad, etc. where did they come from (geographically, or just about their upbringing). What about their family, do they have siblings? Do they have both their parents, only one parent, or no parents? Were they exposed to religion at a young age, if so what, and what effect did it leave on them? What kind of traumatic events have they experienced in their lives? War, death’s & or decease, divorce, abuse;(physical, verbal, emotional). The list of questions can go on and on… this is how we learn, this is how we know people. In this moment it is all about them and not about you. I frequently ask my wife questions like, what do (you) like about the way I communicate. How can I communicate better to (you)? Do (you) like how I touch (you)? What can I do to make (you) feel more turned on? Do (you) like it when I, _______??
You see it is about what she wants and what she feels that is important to me! The largest part I play is the listening and learning then my actions will reflect how much I learned.
I have found that when I go into a relationship, another country or culture with my learner glasses on, what I gain personally can never be taught to me in a school or book. It is about the questions I ask and the attitude I have in the situation that will determine how much I can gain.

With the learner glasses on it is also important to ask questions to yourself as well! Questions like; what do I believe about______?? Why?? How has it affected my life? When _________(this) happened to me, why did I react the way I did? When _________(event) took place in my life, how did it affect my life and what did it make me believe about myself?
You see if we will just put on the learner glasses and ask the right questions, we can gain so much knowledge about God, others, ourselves, even our enemy.
I have actually experienced that the longer I wear these glasses the more comfortable they become. The more adventurous and enjoyable life also becomes. When I try to put back on the “I” glasses, they don’t fit right and I feel very uncomfortable in them. Life is really not as fun when all I see is “I”.
We all carry both glasses around with us but can choose which ones we wear. So how about it, what glasses are you most comfortable in??

Friendship Redefined...

2009-12-18T09:12:00.002+02:00

You know the cliché “A friend that sticks closer than a brother”? We in the west have a certain mindset when the term friend is mentioned. Go ahead, allow yourself to go there. Think about your friends, think about the different depths of relationship that you have with those whom you call your friends. Those who know you more than your own family, the ones that have mutual interests, those that are there for emotional support, those that are there for social activity, those at work, and those who are just there to call friends.
You might find yourself having multiple different circles of friends, some of those circles might mix or maybe there is only one circle, this more likely not. In our friendships we find that there are different levels of emotional attachment. Is there not? None the less we put a great deal of emotional effort in our relationships. This is to say that when we lose a close friend or friend in general, it can be a very emotional and sometimes traumatic experience for us. When we are miss treated by a close friend the same can occur.
Our friendships are built and defined by our culture and or the way we have been brought up in our families. I have never thought until recently about the fact that people outside of my culture even outside my Continent might view relationship and building friendship different than I.
With the vast amount of time I have spent now out of my own culture (America) I begin to see that the above mentioned thought is in fact true. For example in America some people I would call or classify as friends, in my wife’s Culture (European) they would be considered as acquaintances. I have come to realize that what is norm to call friend to me is not the same for her.
It got me thinking about all the other many cultures I have been living in and around. What is a true friend to them? I was reminded of when I was in Costa Rica in 1995 doing ministry through YWAM (Youth With A Mission) I had locals approach me with photos of people whom they had meet 2 to 3 years prior to me being there. They were asking me if I knew them because they were also American and were doing ministry there through the same organization. They referred to the people in the photos as their good friends, some best friends. But come to find out even though these people had made some sort of obvious in pack in the locals life. They had not seen or heard from them for 2 or three years and most likely never will again. Yet they were called and considered as friends/good friends/best friends….
Are there people that I call friends that perhaps don’t consider me as a friend or vice-versa? This is highly probable.
I have recently been learning a great deal about friendship in my now host culture Burundi Africa.
Many of the cultures in the nations of Africa have similarities. Building relationship/friendships is one of those things. Of course you must be careful not to stereo type. None the less you will find many aspects that travel across the borders.
I started reading a book by David Maranz entitled “African Friends and Money Matters”. I consider this a must read for any one that is living and working or even considering to come to live or work in Africa. For those of us that have spent a good stretch of time on this continent (Africa) it will make you laugh, node your head and you may even have a lot of Ohhhh’s and Ahhhh’s in there as I know I have.
Reading this book has made the culture I am in come alive in ways that I cannot explain. I am so grateful to also have some great local friends that I always go to when I want true understanding and to bounce things off of. We have a great many laughs as we fumble around together trying to understand each other’s cultures.
Now back to friendships in Africa. In the following paragraphs I will be quoting and referring back to Maranz book a lot. As it has mostly all been confirmed through my experiences of living here.
“In African friendships there is a dimension of interpersonal behavior that Africans emphasize when describing relationships of equality or inequality, namely, obligations to give material goods, food, gifts, financial help, property, and babies. Relationships are frequently characterized by Africans primarily in terms of the type of material transaction involved: Who gives what to whom and under what conditions.”
I have had people I know who have wanted to give me their babies and they were very serious…
“In contrast with the western attitude (genuine or hypocritical) that the emotional component in interpersonal relations is more important than any transfer of material goods involved (the latter being thought of as something incidental), Africans are frankly and directly concerned with the material transfer itself as indicative of the quality of the relationship.”
“Friendships in Africa is much more than friendly relationships between two or more people. It involves concepts of solidarity, hospitality, sharing of resources, obligatory frequent interaction, and living as community is, practically as a large family.”
I guess you can say that to have a network of friend’s means to have a network of resources.
“Friendship and mutual aid go together. The more friends, the more security, A friendship devoid of financial or other material considerations is a friendship devoid of a fundamental ingredient: Mutual dependence. A disinterested friendship is something without sense. It is only natural to expect material benefit from friendships. To a westerner this comes close to buying friendship, or of seeking and having friends for what one can get out of them.”
When I have talked about this with my African friends they have disagreed very strongly to any suggestion that their way of friendship involves buying friends! How can we explain this then???
I have learned that in many African ethnic groups, within their languages there are different words used for describing the word “friend”.

Burundi,language Kirundi; Friend: Umugenzi, general friend, one that has less than a close relationship. Umugango, A friend that is like a brother, looked at and treated like family.
In the language Kiswahili, used much in east Africa they use the word Rafiki, meaning general friend. If you want to say more than a friend you would say Rafiki Mupenzi sana, one that is so close and loved like a family member.

“In Senegal the Wolof group has two words for friend, xarit, meaning general friend; and Wollere, two persons that have a long history of friendship, mutual help, exchanges of hospitality, and solidarity tested through difficult situations. A tie stronger than a simple friendship, a tie that requires each party to be ready at any moment to come to the defense of the other, even at the price of painful sacrifice. It is founded on reciprocal esteem.”

“Africans build friendships in somewhat different ways. Many westerners have the impression that because African friendship normally includes material considerations, it must follow that such friendships are devoid of significant emotional satisfactions. I don’t think this is true, when talking to them it is obvious that they take a great deal of satisfaction from friendships”.

I am positive that Africans have deep, close, friendships. To doubt this would be crazy.
“I have had many westerners ask me, “How can Africans get satisfaction from friendships when they know that money is a major component in them?” “How do people get satisfaction from having/visiting friends when they know that money is involved?” Westerners consider these kinds of relationships not as friendships but as self seeking manipulation. Real friendship (to the westerner) must have a balance between self and other, whereas in Africa, they believe, the emphasis is on what the self can get from the other.”
There is really much to say about this subject of relationship building in Africa. Honestly there is not enough space to fit all the good lessons.

I have learned that it is not impossible to have good close friends between the westerner and the African. But it requires a great deal of work, as the cultural differences are so great! I have learned as you observe the Africans you find that many of their friendships are with socioeconomic equals. Where the majority of the time this factor makes it an added difficulty between the African and westerner’s relationship. As more often than not the two are on very different socioeconomic levels.
Relationships are funny things, if I have learned one thing in all the cultures I have had the privilege of being in and around in my life it is this; we may all be human but we sure are different!
The singing group DC Talk has a song called “colored people” wherein it says “By God’s design we are a skin kaleidoscope”. This can’t be truer, we are colored people in more ways than one.
Open up your eyes, you may be surrounded by people of different cultures. Let’s not assume they are just like you. Who are they really??

A Different Thanksgiving...

2009-12-01T10:05:00.002+02:00

You know with the American holiday thanksgiving approaching, all I could think about was all the marvelous food that I would be missing out on. My mind then began to drift back to my childhood with all the Thanksgivings we spent at my grandparents. Oh it was always about the amazing food, I would stuff myself silly and pay for it the next day or two. It didn’t change to much as I got older and was on my own. Thanksgiving was always a time of stuffing myself until the point of popping but I also really enjoyed being together with my family. As this did not happen very often due to me being overseas so much doing missions. My celebrating thanksgiving got less and less, most of the time forgetting it completely. Out of sight, out of mind I guess you could say.

This year because of Face book it was brought back to my memory due to all the friendly chatter around it. I did enjoy readying all the comments, allowing my mouth to salivate thinking about all the yummy food. I must admit that I started to get a little sad, thinking, I wish I could go visit family.

My Thanksgiving took a different route though.
As you know the Lord has brought us to Burundi to start HTE (Heaven Touching Earth) “An Orphan children's village”. We also hope to be here when God begins to pour his spirit out on this nation and the so long promised and waited African Revival will start to become a reality. We spend a great deal of time encouraging the locals to not lose hope but to begin by praying it in.

We are very much aware that just like our time in Rwanda our battle here is not against flesh and blood. God has got some amazing things in store for this place. But as Satan knows what will happen when this out pouring of the Spirit takes place. He works more than over time to see that the Heart of Africa stays weak. This means that our times of thanksgiving are sometimes short lived. As soon as God begins to do something the enemy tries to snuff out any excitement by following the God thing with several bad things.
As you may have read in our last newsletter, this last month has been a very busy time for us. God has really showed up and some awesome things have been happening.

Now on the day before thanksgiving I got a phone call from the Minister of foreign affairs office. This is the office that all international organizations have to go through to get an agreement with the government to start working in the nation. I was asked to come in to see them. To make a very long story short, I show up and they share with me that we have been denied permission to start our organization here. So they are going to draft up a letter of rejection then we are expected to leave.
This immediately did not sit well in my spirit. I said one of those quick little prayers like “God this is not your will and it is not my problem. I am here on your terms not my own. Please fix this!”
Now what I have not told you is that in the last couple of weeks, more than once. We received the same message from God, yet from different people, from different nations. It went something like this “Don’t worry, God is in control and he is going to bring many different people into your path that are going to be there at just the right time to act as stepping stones to get you to the next spot that you need to be.”
Well this was one of those times, a local guy that we have been building relationship with all of a sudden was there and the next thing I know he is talking to the director of foreign affairs and the people in the office. The director agreed to let us have another chance. As for our new found friend he looked at me and told me that he is going to oversee this until we get our agreement with the government. All I can say is Hallelujah.

On Thanksgiving Day, no let me back up a bit more. Without an agreement for our ministry with the Gov. we can only get three month tourist visas, a visa is $240 per person. This is meaning that I have to pay every three months $1200 for me and the non Africans of my family to stay here. Divine and Yaida because they are Rwandan get to stay for free. We put in a few weeks ago for our new visas, I was back every other day to check on the progress of them being finished. I would not offer to pay any under the table money (bribe) this is why I was told almost every day for weeks, sorry try again tomorrow.
When one of my friends found out that we had still not gotten our visas he was there talking to them and on Thanksgiving day all of a sudden a few week process was finished in one day, imagine that….

So my Thanksgiving was spent with me taking my family out for Pizza as we praised and thanked God for his Sovereignty. He really is in control of things!

The way I look at it, every time Satan puts his finger in Gods path of our life here. We are going to chop it off. He’s bound to run out of fingers at one point.

I Saved That One...

2009-11-25T10:35:00.000+02:00

An OVC, (Orphan or vulnerable child) is child that has only one parent or no parents, one that is abandoned with no links to family! A child in extreme poverty, that is malnourished, and or with HIV Aides. A child that is 18 years or younger forced to live on the street.
This is an Orphan or vulnerable child defined by the culture I am now living in. They are everywhere! I see them every day and it is not easy! I used to see them from only pictures or on the TV screen or over the internet.
You know what I am talking about, all the children that look dirt poor with bloated tummies and flies in their eyes, rags draped across their bodies as cloths. These images and countless others are used to stimulate our sympathy and compassion. We see the pictures, video footage, etc. and begin to realize that we really don’t have it all that bad. Then it is brought to our attention that for so little money we can change the life of these little ones.
Many people then start supporting a child monthly, never really understanding to the fullest of what they are doing for this one little life.
Yet the number of people that do nothing is off the charts! I agree that it can be over whelming. The problem is way too big and what can one person possibly do? I use to think like this, I would then follow it up with a list of excuses like how can I be sure that my money is really helping or going to this child. This and other excuses like it were used to make me feel better for not doing anything.
I once heard a story that went like this. There was a man that decided to take a walk on the beach when he saw another man running franticly up and down the beach picking things up and throwing them in the water. As he got closer he saw that the things the man was picking up and throwing were star fish. As he observed he saw that star fish were in fact everywhere, hundreds if not thousands of them. He asked the man “what you are doing”? Without even slowing down the man yelled HELP ME! I am trying to save them, if they don’t get back into the water they will all die. The other man was taken back by this answer, how absurd, as he continued to watch the man throw one after another star fish into the water he said “this is crazy, you know you will never save them all” The other man stopped dead in his tracks, starfish in hand, looking into the other mans eyes he threw the starfish back in the water and said “I saved that one!”
Here we have two men one that is overwhelmed at what he see’s and thinks what possible difference can I make? The problem is way too huge. The other man who is determined to make a difference no matter how big or small it might be.
A while back I ran across a song from Beethoven’s last symphony done by a group called young Messiah. As I listened to it I cried and cried, it touched me very much. I want to share the words of the song with you.
Who is this child that I’ve never seen before? Who is this child that I’ve not seen till this day?
Who dares to fall asleep outside my door, if we should wait a while I’m sure she’ll go away.
To be involved with this would surely not be wise. For in the final words she means nothing to me.
I learn the trick is that we just avoid her eyes and the question what she means too….
What is this life? There will be other lives!
Soon to arrive, surely some will survive, she is but one and there are many more. She’s the same as any other.
Who is this child, what does she mean to me?
I close my eyes and still her face I see. She is but one, her kind is everywhere.
Can’t you see there’s no way I should care?
I need a moment now; I have to clear my mind.
Is there a limit law, just to being kind?
There is no way in life that each child can be saved.
Should I be looking with regret at every grave?
There are no guarantees in life, she should be warned. I’m not responsible for this child being born, I’m not responsible in any kind of way. For every child that life can gather.
What is this life? There will be other lives.
Soon to arrive, surly some will survive. She is but one and there are many more. Could this one life really matter?
Who is this child? What does she mean to me? I close my eyes and still her face I see. She is but one, her kind is everywhere.
Can’t you see there’s no way I should care?
Can you see it in the life; can you feel that it’s out there? It’s the harking of a life and it’s hanging in the air, though I try to close my eyes and pretend that I don’t know.
In my heart I just can’t let it go!
There has to be another way for me, a way that leads from this insanity. A way that leads from my destruction, as I say, can you see it in the life, can you feel that it’s out there? It’s the harking of a life and it’s hanging in the air, though I try to close my eyes and pretend that I don’t know.
In my heart I just can’t let it go.

Now here I am, I see these children every day they are no longer just photo’s or images on my computer and TV screen. I live with them, they are my neighbors. It does something to you when you look into their eyes and they wrap their arms around your legs or waist because they are starving for affection. They are filthy, many stink, but oh my goodness are they precious, It is impossible to close my eyes and pretend I don’t know when I am tripping over them.
Can you feel it that it’s out there? It’s a harking of a life and its hanging in the air.
In my heart I can’t let it go! Can you??? It seems crazy and over whelming at times but I want to be able to say,
“I SAVED THAT ONE!!!”

What....I'm not a Christian??

2009-11-11T10:15:00.001+02:00

Last week I was at the market place in my usual hang out spot. Every Tuesday I go there for practicing my language skills, meeting people, and ministering /praying for people if possible. Although most people I meet have the desire to practice their English and I usually end up speaking more in my mother tong than in the local language. I normally let the conversation be lead by those around me which is very interesting to see where the subject’s always end up. I am there just to hang out, build relationships, and love on the street kids. Yet every Tuesday for the last few months it never fails, the conversation always drifts to the subject of “what does it mean to be a Christian, and what does that look like?” Most of the questions purposed to me are around this topic. I say questions because the conversation usually goes like this. I am surrounded by 20to30 locals from various denominations also including non Christians (or as they say in Africa pagans). They continue to fire away questions at me about religion, God, church, and what it means or looks like to be righteous (aka Christian).
In many if not all African counties, knowledge/ information is viewed as valuable. (Example) when driving in Africa and you get lost or are looking for a certain location. If you stop to ask for directions from a local, many times they will want to jump in the car with you to show you instead of just telling. It is looked at as I have valuable knowledge or information that you don’t have, therefore I should possibly get something for it in the end. This principal works on many levels, hence the people are very thirsty for knowledge/information/education.
The other day my good local friend told me that everyone around the market is talking about me. I asked him what he meant. He is a 25 year old guy that I met on one of my first visits to the market and now has been going with me every week. We have developed a great friendship. He said “I am there every day as I am passing from school and many people come to me, asking who you are and what you are doing in Burundi. They want to know why this Muzungu (white man) is coming every week just to sit at the market. They tell me that you must be an amazing man and love so much the Burundi people.”
When he told me this I was shocked, I never thought that this action would affect so many people. He began to share with me how so many people were touched with me coming and just being around them. That you don’t see bazungu (white people) doing such things. They are always in there cars or walking from here to there with their agenda’s very little or no interaction with the people. He said “Travis you just hang out, you come just to be”…
So last week I was at my usual spot, I was talking with many people on the usual subject. It was getting late and about time for me to be going when this woman broke through the crowd and with an angry expression on her face asked me, where is your bible? I tried greeting her as this is customary in the culture. She again asked me where is your bible. Followed by, are you a Christian? I said “yes I am”. She yelled “No, that is not true! You are not Christian. Where is your bible?” I told her that I have it in my home. She fired back, “how can you leave your sword at home? You are not a Christian, you are a pagan! Look at you… you have ear rings; you don’t carry your sword with you. I turned to the even larger group of people that I now had around me due to her unusual outburst and rude comments and made the comment that I was feeling a little bit judged at that moment and thought it was time for me to go. She then blurted out again “you are not a Christian, you are an antichrist!” At this I turned to her and told her that I was sorry she felt that way. Then I turned back to the crowd and told them good bye, I was going home now. Then sarcastically I said “I have to go home and repent because I just found out that I am not a Christian and this has deeply affected me, so I must go think about this and repent for not being a Christian.” Many people laughed and said their good bye others confirmed that they would see me later.
While I was driving home I was thinking about what had just happened and was very sad. It made me realize that it is incidents like this that keep people away from the church and God. I saw how we so called Christians are so darn good at ripping apart, chewing up and spitting out even our own. It is no wonder that Non Christians want to stay non Christian with public displays like this and countless others no doubt. It has made me ask a lot of questions myself. What the hec is wrong with the body of Christ?
Some picture of Christ we represent. It is so sad to see this happen. The more I thought about this the more it has disturbed me. That we brothers and sisters of Christ can bet so darn ugly to one another. What kind of bride was he coming back for again?? Then I had a strange thought come in my head and I had to laugh. It was “In every family you have a few nut’s!” All of a sudden I felt such a love and compassion come over me when I thought about this woman that was hireling the judgments and insults toward me. I got this picture of a little sister standing in front of her big brother and yelling at him over silly things. Now I can just laugh…
Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ, daddy says “Love one another, and play nice”

For the love of Balance

2009-09-02T13:41:00.001+02:00

I remember the days when I was in grade school, yes I can remember those days, I am not that old…
As I let my mind wonder to that time I could see the play ground of the school. It was filled with children busy playing, trying to get the most of the moment before having to go back to study. One thing unparticular caught my eye. It was children playing on a seesaw or some call it a teeter totter. It is like a big log or pipe with places to sit on each side. In the middle is what we call the fulcra point. The side that is the heaviest sets on ground, leaving of course the other side sticking high in the air. The challenge for the children and what made it fun was to see if they could get each side to be equal. Both sides having the same weight, the funny thing is what do small children know about weight? Kids would be jumping on and off of either side trying to get the thing to balance. It would go from 2to1, 3to 4, 4to4, 4to2…
When they would be successful they would all cheer, everyone would get off and they would start over again all of them taking turns at who was on what side and who would be the first to sit down.
Ounce in a while you would find one of the children that was either a bit older or obviously had great organizational and leadership skills. They would be standing on the side telling who to get on and who to get off. It was their job to help those involved to find a quicker and easier balance.
In my life I have seen a parallel to this story. I, like the children above have been scrambling around trying to find a balance. My challenge of Balance is between family and ministry.
The vision is clear, the plan is set, the passion and desire are raging… the needs are beyond comprehension, the hunger or should I say the starvation is easy to see both in the physical and even more so in the spiritual! If I wanted I could be speaking in a different church every week. Ministry is knocking on the gate of my compound when I get home. Everyone I meet has a story they all seem to need me…If I am not careful I can find myself on the ministry side, sitting on the ground of the ministry/family seesaw, it is all too easy to become content with what I am seeing…..everyone seems to need me everyone wants me, ministry is good and things are really happening. How do you turn it off? How can you make it work 9to5? Ministry is ringing nonstop on my cell phone. But on the other side sticking high up in the air is my family. Exposed, alone and out in the open to be preyed upon. What do I do? If I jump up and drop everything on the ministry side, my family will come crashing down from that high place where they were exposed and I risk deeply wounding them or even losing them.
Let’s turn it around; Say I have a chance to be part of an awesome ministry! God gives me incredible vision; he shares with me his plans, starts giving me strategies of how I can go about getting there. It is huge, it is scary, yet the Lord shows me over and over again that it is obviously obtainable. It is about a nationwide revival sweeping through my land (Burundi/Rwanda) and in the end effecting whole continent’s.
Where am I? I am sitting on the ground on the family side… I enjoy very much being a Dad! I love my Children more than life and it brings me great joy watching them grow up. My Wife is the greatest gift that God could ever give me besides his son. She is not only the love of my life but my best friend. I often think about how I ever lived before she was part of me. I can honestly see how over the years that Christ is really making us one, just as he says that he and the father are one. I never knew it was possible to love someone so much and only have it grow through time. Yet as I look on the other side I see this incredible ministry protruding high in the sky. It is out in the open easy for people to see it. Many learn about it and want to be part of this amazing vision but have no idea how to get up there to it. I am looking and nothing is happening, ministry is not and cannot be done because it is sitting up to high on the balance for anyone reach. I have the fear, to bring it down means I have to give up some on my family side. So I sit and nothing gets accomplished on the ministry side.
Where is the balance between Family and Ministry??? Where are the Kids (coaches) to stand on the side to help direct what to put on and what to take off in order to find that quicker balance, to make the both equal?

I have watched a great many men and women of God whom have fallen hard on both sides of this balance. One is devoting their all to the ministry with their family falling to pieces and on the other side there are many men and women that have the calling and the possibility to have the most powerful Godly impacting ministries and even may have tried to get started but have never been able to let go enough of the family side. So in time the ministry dissolves into only memories of what could have been. It is sad to think that in this instance many people would quote the scriptures out of the bible that would talk about if any one does not leave his father and mother for my sake, or anyone who puts their hand to the plow and turns back is not fit for the kingdom, or let the dead Barry their own… I have heard these terms thrown around and used a great deal to justify some ones horrifying actions as they abandon their family to run off for the sake of doing ministry, partaking in ministry events, conferences, schools, trainings, etc. These things are not bad in themselves yet are often abused and it is the family that pays the price while daddy or mommy are gone yet another week or month all in the name of working for the Lord. Sad to say but the above terms have even been used for grounds of divorce. This of course all shows an extreme lack of understanding of God his word and the context of which it is to be used and interpreted.
You see I have been on both sides of this balance but only for short times. Yet long enough to see and know that I had the balance way off. As I said above I have watched countless others with huge marvelous powerful ministries, people with an amazing anointing on their life and ministry somehow fall off the ministry/family seesaw and lose both their ministry and their family.
To be quit frank this scares me! I have asked the lord over and over to use me. I have prayed for his anointing to saturate my life and ministry. I have had numerous people with a special anointing and awesome ministry pray for me, as I wanted a double portion of what they had. I learned that it all flows out of intimacy with god. Many of these great men and women spend literally hours in the presents of the lord.
Recently I had a very hard rebuke that came to me through someone close to me who moves very much in the prophetic. This someone was my wife, bless her heart. She told me that my family had become my idol, and out of my fear of losing them, they became my excuse not to move forward in doing ministry or spend the time I need with the God in his presents. She was right!
Yet my struggle still remains, where is the balance between Ministry and family? I want to see God move so badly! I want to see him pour his spirit out on this nation! I want to see revival break out in the heart of Africa! I want to see the dead rise, the lame walk, the blind see!!!
But my first and for most command from God is to have godly offspring, I want my 4 girls to know him and become amazing women of God. I want my marriage to be the perfect mirror image of Christ and the church, the marriage of the lamb. I guess you say that I want to have my cake and eat it to…
I believe that it is possible to have a healthy vibrant marriage and awesome godly family. An at the same time have the anointing of the living God flow through me to see what most call the radical supernatural become the norm. The lord knows how hungry I am to see this happen! He also knows that I have 4 of the most beautiful girls that want time with their daddy, and a wife that desires to have quality time with her husband.
I do not want to see what happened to others before me happen to me. There must be another way…. I don’t want my family to have to pay the price to see the glory of the lord move forward and revival break out.
For the love of balance, there has to be a way….

Please pray for us as my wife and I continue to work out what this looks like, to see God move powerfully through both our family and our ministry.

wait for it....wait for it....

2009-07-31T22:55:00.001+02:00

By dictionary.com they describe the word (vision) as follows:

1.	The act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight.

2.	The act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be: prophetic vision; the vision of an entrepreneur.

3.	An experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present, often under the influence of a divine or other agency.

4.	Something seen or otherwise perceived during such an experience.

5.	A vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation.

6.	Something seen; an object of sight.

Vision what a beautiful thing! I really understand why it says in Proverbs 29:18, where there is no Revelation, (vision), divine guidance. The people cast of restraint, perish, run wild. (Quoting KJV, New KJV, and New living)

The crazy thing about a vision, dream, foresight, or whatever you want to call it, when given by the Lord, there are many times when he doesn’t seem to give the whole puzzle if you will, allowing you just to move with him piece by piece as he gives it to you. This of course is called living by faith. Having to just trust in him and what he says to do, when he says to do it and how he says to do it. I have pondered why it is that God does not always give the full picture right away. Of course one of the main things I can come up with is the building of our faith, learning to trust him in the leading of our lives. God also loves to test our hearts to see if we will in fact obey him in his leading. Obedience is a very important facture to him, more important than any of our sacrifices being made.

In my case I have found that the Lord has been spending a great deal of time testing me….A while ago when I was questioning the Lord on things that I was going through and the things that were going on around me and our ministry. He answered me through Deuteronomy 8: (2) Remember how the Lord your God lead you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commands.

A testing or shaping and molding to prepare for what he really has in mind for the future of those he knows will obey.

The whole chapter really spoke to me at that time but verse two jumped out and slapped my face! I have past that testing and the Lord has seen my heart, my character has been proven! It was a beautiful moment! The Lord then decided to let me in on a whole other level of his vision, I say his vision because it was never really mine in the first place he was just feeding it to me in bite size pieces so that it was easy to digest. During the digestion process I could enjoy it and therefore take ownership of it. God’s plan the whole time!

So now God decides to show me the big picture! On April 4^th 2008 God gives me a dream; you can read the whole story and watch the dream so to speak by clicking the link I have. It is on my Dec.19, 2008 posting entitled (Dreams/visions/tears…let there be God). This was a very overwhelming experience; in my looking back I did not handle it very well. My response was much like Peters in Matt 17 when up on the mountain with Jesus and watching him being transfigured before his eyes. Then sees Moses and Elijah show up and start talking to Jesus, Peter without really understanding the meaning of what is going on or waiting to find out is next, in his excitement blurts out “Lord it is good for us to be here”! (open mouth, insert foot) My take on how the story goes that he is then rebuked but none the less had a very serious encounter with God the father…

I like Peter did not have a full understanding of what God was showing me, nor did I spend time after seeking him on what was to follow next, or what to do with the info I received. No, in my excitement I ran and started blurting out with my big mouth to everyone what I saw and my interpretation of it. Not realizing at the time that God wanted to share more with me. At that time my vision was still a bit limited and I only saw what God wanted me to see. I am learning to be patient and allow the Lord to work things out in his time.

In the past I have written on what God is doing and wanting to do here in Africa, Rwanda, Burundi to be specific, known very well as the heart of Africa.

The Lord spoke to me through Habakkuk 2 (new living) then the Lord said to me, ”Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else. (v3) But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surly, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surly take place. It will not delay.”

It will not delay!! It will show up exactly when the Lord intends for it to….

The truth is, there is something happening! There is a real stirring in many of the Africa Nations. There is going to be a Revival that is going to sweep through Africa! An out pouring of the glory of God has only been seen on small scales until now. The Lord is preparing his people all through this continent! When it hits, world watch out! Africa is not longer going to be known as the Dark Continent, but as a Continent of Light! The beauty of it all is I am not standing here on my soap box shouting these things. In the last 5 to 8 years there has been countless people that God has raised up from all over the nations to come here and proclaim, prophecy, and say the exact same things. God is getting ready are we?

I am more than privileged and honored that the Lord of host would ask me and my family to come and help prepare his heart for what he has planned for his people. The heart of Africa, the abandoned, the lost, the forgotten… Not any More!!! For the world will see the glory of the Lord shine from his African Heart!

Slowly, steadily, surly, it will be fulfilled!

Burundi & Brazil...

2009-07-22T21:43:00.005+02:00

Last Sunday I had an opportunity that came my way that I could not refuse!
Some of the players from the former Football (Soccer) team of Brazil were here in Burundi to play against the national team. You know the former world cup champions...
They were traveling around different African nations playing some games, handing out foot balls, and raising some awareness on some issues. At least this was my understanding of what was happening. Now I understood why it was when we had taken are girls to the pool on Saturday that it was so busy and everybody was freaking out about these guys...

Let me, let you in on a little secret, I am not like most guys. Don't get me wrong I do like sports. But I am not the kind of guy that knows all the names of every team and who is playing on each team and where they played before they were on that team...etc... You wont find me doing what ever it takes to make sure that I get to see every super bowl or every world cup...

With that said, I do like the game though, I am just not what you would call a die hard. How was I suppose to know who I was saying hi to on that hot Saturday at the pool, or who Jasmin and Yaida were waving at as we walked past them on the beach. I did not know these were the guys that I would be watching play foot ball the next day against the Burundi National team.

Now that I look back at it, it's kind of funny. I got some nice photo's of the game. I guess this goes to show, you just never know who you might meet or who is that stranger you sat next to in the plane. The man or woman that smiles at you in the store or on the street.

All this made me think of something even deeper than that important person who we may have met or got to talk to. The celebrity that maybe shook our hand, etc...

I began to think, I wonder how many times that I have had an encounter with one of the Lords angels or messengers and didn't realize really who was helping me or directing me at that moment. One music artist says it best in one of his songs when he sings "maybe we are entertaining angels unaware"...

I know, you might think, Gosh Travis that is a far stretch from meeting some professional football players, how the hec did you get that one??
But that is how my mind works. One of my mentors once told me that to be a disciple, you should be able to go in to any conversation or situation and come out of it gaining something learning something. You see the word disciple means (learner)! So I guess to be a learner is to be a disciple, one that is always learning and always growing is one who is a disciple.
The question is what are you learning and what are you growing in??? I hope the answer is the ways of the Lord!

Anyways, enjoy the few good photo's that I got of the Brazil & Burundi game. It ended at Brazil 1 and Burundi 0, It was impressive to see that the Burundian's had control of the ball the majority of the time...This almost looks like a Christmas tree outside one of the stadium gates, I counted at least seven guys.

Jesus in a three year old...

2009-07-19T22:26:00.002+02:00

The other day I saw Jesus, and he was only three years old!
Summer break has hit us, the kids are now having way more time on their hands than Mom & Dad would hope for. This means finding things to keep them from being on each other’s nerves, not an easy task in a place where the pool and beach are the only past times…
We have or I should say that Astrid has been very hard at work in the office, aka (our room) getting everything lined out for our registration and upcoming ministry events. Bless her heart; she is so good at admin and planning!
This means that I am on daughter duty… It is my job to try to keep the girls occupied long enough so that Astrid can focus on the work at hand. It is not so hard, Nani & Zoey are old enough that they come up with all sorts of things to play and keep themselves busy, only once in a while do I have to intervene and pull them out of boredom. Jasmin & Yaida are at that stage where they love to run around and play but also love to do stuff they should not be doing. This means that I am keeping a little closer eye on them. They have in turn become daddies little traveling buddies. Because I am the one to do most of the running around in town and take care of the majority of the shopping, Jasmin & Yaida are my side kicks, oh man do they love it! The car cannot start without them running out to join in the adventure, or at least that is what I believe it is to them…
As we live in Burundi, which is considered to be the third poorest Nation in the world, you can only imagine what we are surrounded by from day to day.
As me and my two traveling buddies are busing around town, I can help but to snicker and laugh a bit as I am picking up on the conversations that are taking place in the back seat between my two three year olds. I begin to ask myself what does this place look like through the eyes of a three year old? What does the poor, maimed, crippled, and blind, look like through their eyes?
I hear things like, “Oh my gosh yaya, (Yaida) look! This poor boy has no legs! He’s sitting in the dirt!” or “Jassy (Jasmin) Look this lady’s arm is weird! Every where they turn it is “look at this, oh my gosh that!” Yet with every statement there is compassion in their voice… Then the questions come… Daddy what happened to them? Why is he look like that? Why does she walk like that? I try my best to explain in a way that a three year old would somehow understand. All of a sudden the questions stop but the statements continue, always drawing one another’s attention to the next big sight. This happens day after day. The girls started asking me for money so that when they come to such poor people they can help them.
Jasmin has been growing in her compassion for the poor and the needy, every time we step out of the car and there is a crippled or someone with withered hand or deformity, she is there… One thumb in her mouth and with the other hand she is greeting them and touching their Ouchy… Yaida is usely right behind or beside her.
One day I had to go to the main market place…. The only way to explain this place is crazy city!!! If you don’t have a problem with Closter phobia then when you’re done you will… almost every beggar in the city is there, pick pockets galore, etc. etc. I usely send one of our local workers so that I don’t need to bother with the insanity. But I really needed to go myself for some reason that now escapes me, anyhow Jasmin and Yaida are with me and I am telling them how crazy it is and that they must hold on to Daddies hand the whole time. As we start in through the small, skinny, overcrowded isles I am having the girls hands and walking as fast as I can (I am focused on where I need to get to...) I feel that I am almost dragging the poor girls so I look down and I see little Jasmin in her own little world, walking as fast as she can to keep up with her fast pace daddy and trying to touch and see all the poor crippled people that are all around us. I tell her to stop touching everybody and just follow me. Ok daddy is her reply. The next thing I know I look over and I don’t have two kids any more but three…. Walking next to Jasmin as fast as he can go is this cute little boy about three or four years old. He doesn’t have any feet, only two little stubs that stop at the knee. He doesn’t have any hands earthier , his arms stop about at his wrist. Yet this little guy was keeping up with us, walking along side Jasmin and jassie had a hold of his little stumpy arm. I almost started crying right there in that crazy market.
A day or two later we are out and about in town again and I park somewhere outside a shop to wait for something. Of course as soon as the car stops the people start coming. (If you stop, they will come…) I see a young boy leading this older blind Muzee (old man), they approach the car asking for money and I try to ignore them. But what do you know jasmin’s window comes down and immediately she is telling Yaida about the poor man who has no eyeballs. The man approaches close enough that Jasmin reaches out to touch where his eyes should be. I stop her and tell her to sit down! Her reply is daddy this poor boy has no eyeballs, what happened? The Lord then spoke to me and said pray for him! I said “ Jassie do you want to pray for the man,to pray that Jesus will heal his eyes?” She was quite a bit with thumb in her mouth then said “yaya (Yaida) you pray for him…” Yaya response very quickly no thank you. Then Jasmin puts it back on me, You pray daddy! I refused that offer and after felt horrible. Did I grieve the spirit of God? Did the Lord want to do a miracle there? I guess I will never know!

All I can say is lately I have been seeing Jesus in a three year old!!
My prayer recently Is lord help me to be more like my three year old!

Survey Say's..... God!!!!

2009-05-31T20:49:00.002+02:00

Wow.... You know my last entry about my story coming back from Rwanda to Burundi??

It has been very interesting at peoples responses when I tell that story, I already knew that the Lord had to have helped me but little did I know how God it was...

In just the last week or two I have had more than three different people tell me either their own story or ones that they have heard about having to stay the night on the side of the road or having to turn around and going to find a hotel or guest house somewhere. I have a real understanding now that it is really not easy to get through that road during curtain hours of the day....Also of the dangers that have been known to happen along the same road.

Thank you God for your Angel's that helped guide me through that almost impossible task. With you Lord all things are possible!!

To pay Fanta or not to pay Fanta...

2009-05-06T23:05:00.002+02:00

I know this one is a long read, but please take time! I hope you enjoy it!

I would like to share with you about my trip back from Rwanda to Burundi a couple of weeks ago. But first I have to go back before that, about the time we first entered Rwanda in 2005. Let me first set the precedence so that you will have a better understanding when I tell you the story of my trip from Rwanda to Burundi.

Title’s here in Africa are of huge importance, by your title the populous will respect you reject you and or judge you. By your title they will set the standard for how you are looked to live your life. From the cloths you where to the car you drive to the house you live in.

Here the favorite titles that I hear so often are pastor and man of God…..Both of these I am not too quick to call myself. But this is the chosen title that the locals prefer. Now by this one is judged very seriously and held to a high standard. It is not really a special title, it is what they call all missionaries who are working with or alongside the church. Every so often you will hear the title Apostle or evangelist. Really any way to put you in a box, then they will know how to look at you.

As I sit and talk with the other men of God (missionaries) one of the common pieces of conversation is about the bureaucracy and corruption that is slapping you in the face day in and day out while trying to do the Lords work. At times it seems that you can’t get anything done. As the discussion unfolds there is talk about standing for righteousness, truth, and justice. Never telling lies or paying bribes, for that is the way of the Lord.

This how we Men of God start out, or for the most part. Let me give you an analogy, picture a big stone or piece of marble. As the artist chips away at the mass it slowly gets smaller and smaller all the while taking form and shape to become something that is so beautiful a piece of work that will cause every one that see’s it to marvel. (And God Said let us make man in our likeness.)

Now take this beautifully carved image that has taken so long to make. Something that is such a piece of beauty reflecting even the artist (masters) very likeness. Now it is put in a place where it is being hit and chipped on once again. Yet the chipping is not like before, it is not being done little by little there is no grace in the movements or carving for that matter. No standing back for moments of reflection or planning. No; the one who has the tools now, is one that seems to have no vision or goal to what he wants the beautiful piece of work to become. As time goes by the hits become harder and more frequent. It is as if someone is standing over the piece of work with a very large Hammer swinging wildly hitting it repeatedly. Now what was once something of marvel, something that was altogether lovely reflecting the very nature and likeness of its maker, begins to lose its form.

I like many before me have and do stand, in the midst of the calling that God has put on my life, I at all times want to uphold righteousness, truth, and justice. Never to lie to get what I want, never to pay a bribe so that I can see things move forward at the pace I desire.

I have been greatly disappointed in the last four years of living in Africa. As I start to hear things coming out of some men of God’s (Pastors, Missionaries) mouths like,” it is necessary to give a fanta or chi every once and a while”, (fanta & chi refer to giving money or paying a bribe)of course this is done in the name of building relationship, so that is ok… Or “this is the African way”,“If you want to get anything done here then…..” or “it is Africa there is bound to be some corruption”.

In the beginning many start strong but the system begins to chip away at you first slowly then harder and harder. Then the morals and beliefs begin to get weakened. Before you know it a year has gone by then two it gets harder and harder to fight. You get weaker and weaker, you just want to see progress, something has got to move forward or it is going to kill you. At what time does it become ok to buy a fanta or give chi? Finally you give in, you tell that little lie or give that little money and bam things move forward you see progress. Your paper work moves up to the next step, your able to get that package out of customs without paying all the taxes, you get through the military or police check point without being harassed. It is truly the African way, before you know it you find yourself just part of the system. It doesn’t take long; you don’t even realize you’re doing it daily now. Amazing that all it takes is a little untruth here and a little fanta there and your right where you want to be in the time you want to be there.

What has happened to that beautiful piece of art work that once reflected the artist, does it still have the same form? Does it truly reflect the likeness of the maker? Can it be looked at in marvel as it once was or has It lost something?

Please hear me out; I am not stereo typing missionaries or pastors on the mission field! I am simply saying that I have seen and heard these things more than I wish to. Not to mention it has been a serious battle and road that I have been walking myself.

Now; the trip from Rwanda to Burundi…..

I will start from the moment that I arrived at the border. Everything was going so good, the police registered the car to come back in the country, they stamped my passport and I had no problem at customs. To my surprise they didn’t even want to look at my stuff and I’m telling you the car was packed. I had our washing machine, stove/cooker and at least 15 boxes filled with cloths, toys, books, kitchen items, gardening tools, etc. then sitting in the front seat with me was my dog Komera.

I started the car, the police man walked to the gate and started to open it. As I pulled forward another police man walked out of the building said something and the gate was lowered again. They motioned for me to pull back and park. After approaching the car they asked if I had the passport for my Dog. I shook it off, laughing, Ha, passport that’s funny…. Then I realized they were serious! Confused I asked them for clarification. They wanted to see the dogs immunization card to be sure that it was up to date on it’s shots. I explained to them that I knew the dog had shots as a puppy but I had no record to prove it. It was very simple to them, no papers no crossing. It was aggravating yet in a way I was impressed. I tried everything from begging to asking for forgiveness. At one point I even asked them if I could talk with their chief of police. The officer agreed and told me that he would call him for me and explain the situation maybe the chief would have mercy. Unfortunately the officer had no phone credit in his phone to make the phone call and asked me for money so he could help me talk to the chief. I thought ok I guess that is ok, perhaps the chief will be more understanding. The officer then told me that $10(ten) dollars would be enough. I instantly knew what he was getting at and played stupid, telling him that $10 of phone credit was far too much to make a phone a call and gave him about $2 to buy a phone card.

He bought the card and talked with the chief who also rejected me, telling me to go back to Rwanda. I finally after talking with them for three hours got them to agree that if I could get a doctor form Bujumbura to come out and give the dog a check up and some shots. They would then release us to move on.

I called every one that I knew in the Bujumbura to ask for help. After waiting another two hours a Vet. (doctor) arrived. By now it is after 4:00 in the afternoon. The Vet. goes and talks to the police then signals for me to bring the dog behind the building. With the police watching and I of course holding the dog, he takes his temperature, checks his teeth and says “ok no problem”. At this the police tell me sawa (it’s ok, good). Now I am told to rush along because the road into the capital (Bujumbura) will be closing at 6:00. It is already after 4:30 and the drive is at least 2 to 2.5 hours without a over loaded heavy car.

The doctor and the people with him tell me to follow them so that I will not have any trouble at the check points on the road as it is getting close to road closer time. This worked wonderfully for the first 20 or so km, we flew pass the first of the check points. After reaching the first major town they stopped and told me that we could not continue because it was getting late. They were planning on spending the night and getting a fresh start in the morning. They tried to convince me to join them but after being gone from home for three days and waiting for five hours at the border in the hot sun the only thing I wanted was to get to my family. I kindly declined and told them that I must continue and God will make a way… Now it is well after five and I think I still have about 100km to go. I quickly phoned everybody and told them to start praying for God to do a miracle. What I didn’t know was I had 4 to 5 military/ police check points to still go through.

This is where it gets hard! I am flying in my loaded car as fast as I can without driving like an idiot asking the angel’s of the lord to hold on to the stuff.

I come to the first road block and sure enough they tell me to turn around that the road is closed. I argued with them at first telling them it was not six o’clock. That didn’t work, I then started pleading with them telling them that my kids and wife were waiting for me and I must make it through. They of course wanted to see what it was worth to me, so he simply raised up his fingertips rubbing them together as to say (money….) and told me “sorry the road is closed”. I lifted up an emergency prayer to the lord at this time saying “ok Lord, now what??? I have a pocket full of money and it would not take much to get these guys to open the road. But it is wrong!!! I would rather sleep on the side of the road! Please God, I don’t want to pay a bribe….”

After that emergency prayer I looked at the soldier and just said “please”!! To my surprise he turned and motioned to the others to open the road block and I was off again… Praising God all the way!! But lost ten minutes of my time…

Then bam I came around a corner almost running right through a road block. The officers not being amused at all with me almost crashing into their stuff told me again that the road was closed and to turn around. I started being very apologetic and tried joking with them a bit to get them to lighten up thank God it was working. I told him that I had still ten minuets before the road would close and if he would open for me I promise to go very vuba vuba (really fast!!) He laughed and told me “you will never make it”. I told him I know because you guys are always stopping me. I said “me I want to go, go, go, but now all I get is go stop, go stop, go stop..” I thought at this maybe I said to much..oh Travis you ruined it now! He looked at me and said “give me a fanta (money)!” All I thought was God…..Please…. what do I do???? Oh man…. Again he ask me for fanta, I looked at him and said “please, I promise, I will go vuba vuba (really fast)”. He laughed and motioned to them to open the road block and away I went. God you are so good!!

Now number three road block, the two military officers cut right to the chase of course assuming that the only reason I was there at their road block was because I gave some fanta. They were not hesitant a bit to ask, after of course giving me the lecture that the road was closed and that I need to turn around. I knew what was coming so I thought and prayed quickly. Then he said those beautiful words do you have fanta? You see fanta is meaning money but what it really is, is a soda pop drink. There are different types orange, lemon, passion, pineapple. So playing dumb I told him that I had none of the above mentioned fanta. He then rubbed his fingertips together saying fanta, fanta… Again I played dumb telling him that I had no fanta. Then I decided to take it a step further, I asked him why he was asking for fanta when it is a cold night and he should ask for chi (also meaning money but is really tea with milk). The officers both laughed so hard and the one said “Oh yes” still laughing “chi, give us chi.”

At this I responded “I am sorry I have no fanta and I don’t have any chi either, all I have to offer is water, would you like water?” They seemed to get a little agitated at this and I thought Travis you idiot you took them too far. Now they’re mad and you will never get through. The one officer finally tired of playing games, called it what it is. Amafaranga (money) give us amafaranga!! I could not play dumb any longer and it would not be smart at this point I thought. God I said, these guys are serious!! And this stinking money is burning a hole in my pocket! It is wrong!!! God what can I do?? Do I have a choice?

I looked at the officer and said, “oh you mean money! I am sorry I can’t give you money, but please my wife and my four kids are waiting for me and I must make it home to them”. I think this is where I held my breath for a while…. He turned and told the other officer to open the road block, and away I went…

I drove hard and fast and just when I was thinking I must have made it through all the road blocks, I saw a car stopped ahead of me. I thought oh no not again is this ever going to stop??? After a few minutes of talking to the car in front of me they opened the road block just enough to let him pass then closed it again. I knew that I was not to far away from the city at this point. By now my faith was built up and I was determined not to give any money no matter what. The officer came to the window and told me “ the road is closed, you stay here!” He just stood there and looked at me. I tried to plead with him and say something but he interrupted saying again the road closed, you stay here!! Again he stood at my window just staring at me… So I said “ok I sleep right here, thank you”. At this I turned off the headlights of the car, put the window up and stopped the engine. He then walked off, so I put my head back and closed my eyes (to pray of course). When I did this I heard some of the other people at the road block shouting and yell something obviously to this officer. But I kept my eyes closed, I was praying so hard!! God you have got me this far, don’t stop now!! I cannot stay here and I will not pay a bribe!!!

Oh I forgot to mention that this road block was in the middle of a village center, so there were a couple hundred people standing all around the crazy white guy’s car. I know this because I was squinting with my eyes so I could see out of them yet have it appear that I had them closed. Don’t ask me why I did this because I don’t know….

About five minutes later there was a tap on my window and there stood another officer who spoke better English than the first. Again he told me that the road was closed and they could not let me pass. I told him that the other officer had already given me that message so I knew that I had to sleep there.

I then pleaded with him, telling him that I know I am very close and all I want to do is get to my wife and children so please just let me go. He turned and motioned to them to open the road, then told me to go but take it easy. I thanked him and was off.

I arrived in the city about 7:30 in the evening, finally into the arms of my wife and four beautiful daughters who were all very happy to see me and our Dog komera.

Believe me or not it was all done without paying a fanta!

God’s word stands true, Do you??? (He will make a way where there seems to be no way!)

Thank you Lord!!!!

Pioneer...

2009-04-26T23:14:00.000+02:00

The last few months I have spent a great deal of time thinking and pondering at where I am at, the life and the ministry that the Lord has asked me to be part of. A long time ago I said those dangerous words and I was very serious! “Here am I Lord send me!!!” I didn’t care where and didn’t care what… I just wanted to be used greatly for the kingdom, to be part of his master plan.

Then it happened, My heart broke, my ears began to hear more than I wanted them to, my mind was filled with dreams and visions, my mouth would open and I would be shocked at what was coming out as I spoke.

Long ago, a simple prayer “here I am Lord send me” mixed with an over whelming desire to have an intimate relationship with my lord and creator. As one missionary I know calls it “A laid down lover of Christ”.

As the Lord began to pour himself out on my wife and I we started looking for a place (organization) to see how and where we could fit all that the Lord was pouring into us. We became very frustrated as we could not find any one with the heart and vision that was being given to us. With that said the Lord made it clear that what he was giving to us was not to fit anywhere else! But it would be a new wine!

He said I am making you Pioneer’s who will take my heart to my people and do what I tell you to do when and how I tell you to do it. You will say what I want you to say when, how, where, and to whom I want you to say it to.

I am sorry but who in the world wants that kind of ministry? I thank God that I was so in love with him and so ignorant at that time! What did I say?? “Here am I Lord, send me”! I did add though, that if I was going that he better go before me and he better be behind me.

So Wow, a pioneer sounds nice, but what is it and what does it look like really?? By definition a pioneer is: one who leads the way, to open up, break new ground, initiate, establish, prepare, blaze a trail, be the first, light the way, set an example, break through, set up, start, begin, launch. These are all words that if you would have asked me four years ago I would have told you none of them described me. Yet for the last four years this is exactly what I have been trying to do. Taking what God has given me and go trail blazing, breaking new ground, being the first, lighting the way…

This is so not easy, all my life I belonged to something that already existed. Someone had already invested their life to get it going. Then I and others would come along and join what was already working just adding our talents and skills to keep it going. Most organizations, church’s, and businesses are like that. You have people who set it up and establish it then others get to come and help maintain it. Really reaping the harvest and blessing of someone else’s hard work, sweat, and tears. (at least it can feel like that some times.)

I have been learning the last four years that pioneering is not easy, many people love to watch but will most often not get involved. But the moment that there appears to be some organization, structure, and programs, they come by the hoards. Is it safe to say then that there seem s to be more maintainers than pioneers in this world??

I have learned that pioneering can be a long, frustrating, and lonely road. One that many don’t choose to go down! But there must in the end be an incredible amount of joy and satisfaction gained by watching what you have spent so much time and energy trail blazing. To see those who grab a hold of it and take off with it running making it work just the way the Lord had you prepare and launch it off.

This is one of the reasons why I must not stop! I cannot stop and will not stop until I see what the Lord has said happen. The other reason of course is the knowledge that I am in the center of what God has for me and my family no matter what happens, that in itself makes it easy to keep going.

So If you are a pioneer and love to be a starter/ trail blazer/ ground breaker/ etc. etc.

If you feel you have a heart for Africa and want to see the Lords kingdom established in a mighty way then please feel free to contact me for more info.

Last Sunday with our Lord

2009-03-17T23:16:00.006+02:00

Last Sunday we were invited to come and speak in a church about 25min north of Bujumbura. We had no idea what to expect! We were pleasantly surprised with a church filled with 75% under eight teen years old. Oh man was it fun!!!

Got my best (only) cloths on and are ready for church...... I don't know sometimes they can be so loud!

All kids from the community trying to decide if they should come to the church or not.

Worship Begins/ Lead by the kids mind you... how cool!

After speaking we began to pray for every one.

He thought it was about time to start with music again.

All in all it was an awesome day as we got to see God pour out him self on these kids!
it was my understanding that there were some people missing from the church that day.
None the less God was pleased with his church last Sunday!
I will attend a church like that any day! Gives a whole new meaning to child like!

Why Burundi

2009-03-17T22:21:00.003+02:00

Rwanda and Burundi Once know as one Nation, one people…. This was changed during the time of colonialism. There was a split and the people divided! Forming now two nations, two governments and somehow two people

Yet in the Spirit they are still looked at as one! Both nations are known as the heart of Africa.

They are also known as sister nations; I would go as far as calling them twins! When you look at them at first it is so easy to tell that they are related. The more time you spend with them you begin to realize that yes they are very much related but just like real sisters they are also quite different.

Rwanda appears very much to be the older sister. More developed, can express it’s self much more, is in the center of attention, (like most older sibling’s) want to be in charge, (as reaching adolescence)knows what’s best and does not like to be told what to do by any one, etc. etc. the list can go on and on.

You know in the times of the bible and I believe even in some cultures today, the first born usually gets what is known as the birth right. Most often this means that the first born has the right to the largest and or best part of the father’s estate. This can cover land, livestock, money, etc., when the birth right is handed over. It normally comes with the fathers blessing.

I believe that Rwanda is the first born of the sister nations therefore was given a birth right and blessing by the father in Heaven to be a carrier of his presents and to display the very power of God, as the heart of his African body they are to pump his glory and power through the nations of Africa. Call it a spiritual heritage if you will!! In history you will find that this very thing started to take place on several occasions but as fast as it started it was also somehow stopped. The heart of Africa has seen Meer glimpse’ of what God has planned for his body!

In my observation and time spent with the people of the two sister nations I can give this as an analogy.

In the bible Luke 10:38-42 tells a short story about two sisters Mary and Martha. When Jesus and his disciples came to a village, a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister Mary sat at the Lords feet, listening to what he taught. Martha was worrying about all the details for the meal preparations. She went to Jesus and said “ Lord isn’t unfair” (another translation says)”Lord doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work?”

Two sisters, two attitudes …. One is what you would call a busy bee… focused on nothing but the tasks at hand. Always working, always busy, always concerned with what (it) looks like, always pointing the finger at what the other is doing or not doing… The other attitude is quite different! It Says she Sat at the Lords feet, listening to what he taught. No details, no work, no concerns, it was an attitude of this is the Master and I must be with him at all cost. I have something to gain from just being at his feet! Notice the response of Jesus to Martha. “Martha you are so upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about, Mary has discovered it- and I won’t take it away from her.” Jesus did not tell her that all her work was in vain or that she was wrong to work so hard. It was a matter of priorities. What is the focus on? What comes first?

Rwanda is very much like Martha… They have a very large goal and much work to do! The focus on the development of the nation is for sure the key priority. When there you can really see that everything is busy, busy, busy, work, work, work, buildings going up right and left, changes occurring around every corner, they have been doing an amazing job and at the pace they are moving I am sure they will reach their 2020 vision goal and if not then they will just barely. It is impossible to go there and not be impressed! First thing from everybody’s mouths is “Wow how clean!, how secure!, So beautiful!” This is partially true. In Rwanda you learn the saying that nothing is what it seems….This is the truth! As Martha they are very busy, concerned very much with what (IT…)looks like, and always pointing at the other, focused on what the other is doing or not doing. This comes with a very high cost and it is the people paying it.

The people are so precious! But they are living in a lie and extreme pain!! Trauma cases raise almost every year (when they should be decreasing..) when you’re identity is taken away from you and your not free to talk about who you are. “Oh Martha why are you so worried about all these things?”

“Mary has discovered it- and I will not take it away from her.” So far my observation and feeling about Burundi is that of Mary, Martha’s sister. Not worried about details. The people are not high strung at all but very low key and easy going. I see that attitude that was in Mary, just wanting to sit at the Masters feet and listen. There seems to be such a hunger for God and a desire to hear what he has to say. Of course with such a contrast as this I can not say that Mary is found with out any troubles at all. I am sure as we continue to keep our eyes on the Lord and pray we will begin to be shown more and more of God's plans for these beautiful people.

I believe that just as Rwanda and Burundi has the same past, torn by years of war and genocide. They also have the same future, calling, or heritage if you will. Both sister Nations are known as the heart of Africa! They have a very big job to do, if they are going to see the power and glory of the Lord Pumped through the vein’s of the African body, the body of course being the continent of Africa…..

Just as it is in the case of a real heart, if all the chambers of the heart are not working properly then it puts a stress on the parts that are. The result of this is having a weak heart and if the heart is weak then the body will be weak as well! So it is with the heart of Africa (Burundi & Rwanda), God desires them to be strong and healthy. Living in humility and displaying extreme righteousness! As they humble themselves, repent and fall on their knees to pray, God says he will hear from heaven come and heal their land. This is just the beginning!!!

You see for many years now, I would venture to say more than a decade. God has been speaking to his heart about his desire to bring them in to a promise land, a land flowing with milk and honey….(sound familiar???) That he is going to pour his spirit out in a mighty way and that great revival will sweep through his heart and not stop there but grow in momentum as it gets pumped through nation after African nation. We will even see and feel the effects of it in the west!!(How can we not) But it will start right in the heart! It is not hard to see why the enemy wants to kill the heart through, Genocide, etc ….. it was happening long before anyone was even aware! Is it really over now??? Or is it just changing names and faces?? We couldn’t or wouldn’t define it when it was slapping us in the faces. So now it is even easier to ignore what is happening! What am I talking about? Oh nothing, everything is great! There is finally peace and things have never been better…..The world had no idea what was going on then and I wonder if they even know any more now.

Satan will do anything to see that This Continent is known as nothing less than the Dark Continent!

God is changing this!!! Keep your ear to the ground; things are happening all over this African body of Christ!

Revival is coming to Africa and it will no longer be known as the Dark Continent!!! There are revival fires starting all over, and Africa will be SAVED!!!!

Thank you Lord for putting me in the Heart!

God, dreams, and more God...

2009-02-12T22:55:00.001+02:00

Ahhhhh!!!!! The last few months has all been a blur……

It started back In Nov. when I woke up from a dream that God gave me. I say “a dream God gave me” because If you know anything about me, you know that I don’t ever have dreams and when I do they have all have been from God.

In the dream I was approached by the Rwandan gov. and told that we had to be out of the country again. When told this I went home and shared it with all the other staff, children and family. We assembled in the living room of the house and all began to cry out to God. The strange thing was that our prayers were all focused on the fire and glory of God coming down. We were crying out for an anointing to fall upon us. Then literally a fire came from the sky and began touching us all!

When it came time for us to leave Rwanda we went to Burundi and began to start Sozo Ministries Africa there. We saw such favor of God!!! Miracles were flowing, dead rising, deaf hearing, blind seeing, etc….

The Ministry was growing like wild fire! We contacted the staff in Rwanda to tell them the awesome things that were occurring. To our surprise they shared with us that the same was happening there….

We found out that they had also really grown in number, when we left there were nine kids. Shortly after it went to 20, then 50, before they knew it they found themselves with 200 kids and miracles happing daily.

When we shared this with the people of God in Burundi many of them rose up and said let us go help what God is doing in Rwanda.

After this I woke up, it was about three or four in the morning. I began to weep because I knew what this meant. Forget the outpouring of God; I was upset that we were going to have to leave Rwanda!

After talking to Stella about it we had decided to try to do what Moses did. Astrid on the other hand was somehow rejoicing , feeling it was about time for a change. I wanted to cry out to God and ask him to change his mind, to make another way. I prayed and prayed…shortly after we received word from the minister’s office that the letter for our registration process was ready to pick up.(this was the letter we have been trying to get for the last three years) You can imagine our excitement I’m sure!! I thought to myself “WOW I really did it I changed God’s mind”….

When I arrived at the Minister’s office, to make a long story short… I did not get the letter! To make matters worse I had got in a verbal fight with the assistant of the Minister. I had to leave Kigali once again with no letter or even any for sight of future registration. As I took the two hour drive back home crying and praying the dream I had came back to my memory. I decided it was time to start sharing it with others.

As I began sharing the dream with others it seemed to them that it was highly unlikely to happen. After all we had already been removed from the country ounce and then told in the last hour we could come back. Our friends advised me not to just go off a dream but to seek confirmation first.

This made perfect sense to me, So I began to ask God to confirm if this dream was really from him. I started to read about all the times in the bible that people had dreams and the effects. It was really not so reassuring, as many of the people in the bible upon having a dream would wake up and respond almost immediately to what God had shown or said. Tell me what makes us today any different than the people back then? Does God no longer speak using dreams? Do we not trust that God would speak that way? Or is it us??? Do we really know so little about God and his character or perhaps trust so little in our ability in hearing him if he is to speak to us. Let’s face it we are most of the time looking for the audible voice or flash of lighting. We trust so little in our ability to clearly hear his voice that sometimes I think that God must laugh or get frustrated with us because he might answer right after we pray but then we spend another couple of weeks or longer asking him for confirmation in what he has already said. Out of fear of screwing up and being wrong, I am not saying that having confirmation is wrong.

Or maybe I am! How about, instead of wasting so much of our own time, let’s have such a relationship with God that when ever, and however, he chooses to speak to us we will listen then obey the first time. I can only imagine the amount of time saved and things we can accomplish when this is done.

In my case I began not to ask if the things in the dream would happen but how much time did I have before it would happen… ounce again God answered very quickly! On Jan.8^th I was called by the immigration and asked to come in for a meeting. In the meeting it happened just as in my dream! I guess this was the confirmation….Ha Ha… A little late…. Were given seven days to wrap everything up and be out.

On the drive back home I received an exhortation from the Lord. He said “Travis you know me! You know my voice! You have had little problem in the past hearing from me. You did not want to accept my plan for you and your family. Now you see you are paying the price! What could have been done in almost three months you now have only seven days to do! Will you still obey?”

I spent the rest of my drive repenting and telling God that I am his servant and I must obey. Of course as we began to unfold the news to everyone it was very hard to believe. We were of course asked about what was next, you can only guess our answer…. Burundi ….On Jan.12^th we sat down with all the kids and staff to pray as I had seen in the dream. It was a pretty awesome time and I could sense that there was something that started stirring in the heavens although it just did not reach the breaking point. It is something that we are going to have to continue to press in on. Also that same day we received a lot of concerning emails from the American Embassy and some friends talking about a travel advisory between Rwanda and Burundi. They were highly advising not to travel between the two countries due to some unrest that was still occurring from the time of the cease fire and peace agreement made between the last militias group and Gov. People would tell me that I should go into Uganda or Tanzania because it was of course safer and easier. I was not concerned about what was safer or easier but with what the Lord had said. On the same day of receiving those disturbing emails we had also got another one that night from someone we had not heard from in a long time. They said they were praying for us and God told them that Isaiah 41:9-17 (paraphrased, “I am with you, don’t be afraid! I am personally on your case! I will do away with those who are against you. I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and with many sharp teeth.”)

So what do we have to worry about…. Right….I thank God for his leading, now if I can just learn to be a bit quicker in my response to his leading!

So here we are now in Burundi! We left Rwanda on the 15^th of Jan. with only what would fit on top and inside the car, leaving everything behind for the staff and kids at the Gilead house, Pioneering God’s work yet in another nation. Some may ask why Burundi. Others might even wonder where the hell it is, it sounds more like an ethnic dish than a nation.

Just stay tuned as in the future I will be writing more on why Burundi and the awesome planes that God has for this little place, located right next door to their sister (Rwanda)!!

Dreams/Visions/ Tears....Let there be God!!!

2008-12-19T21:53:00.000+02:00

Clicking on the following link will take you to a video clip that a good friend of mine put together after hearing a dream that I shared with him. It brings tears to my eyes every time I see it!

Before watching it let me share with you the story behind it.
Dream of Rwanda!

I will have to go back a little ways in order for you to get the whole picture.
In 2002-03 God called us to go for him to Rwanda as we spent the next few years preparing our selves, God really began pouring his heart and vision for his people here into us. We spent many a nights crying our eyes as we would spend time in his presents having him downloading his heart in to our heart.
(Be careful asking for God's heart, if he knows you are serious and he decides to give it to you.... All I can say is...Holy crap!!!What was I thinking??? Gods heart is 100times my size and it was literally crushing me!!!)
I was on the floor balling uncontrollably and physically in pain. I found myself in the next moment begging God to stop!!! He told me "But Travis you said you wanted to feel what I feel for my people in Rwanda, you said you wanted my heart for them"! I told God I was so sorry but I can not handle his whole heart, for the very wight of it was going to kill me. I asked in return if he would settle to give me a piece I could carry. I latter made the same mistake telling God I wanted to see what he saw over Rwanda, I wanted to see with his eyes... It was way to much Info for me at that time. Again I had to beg the lord to stop showing me.
In 2005 we stepped into Rwanda and it was here that we joined the war that is going on over Rwanda.
Not a war of flesh and blood but a war in the spiritual realm, a battle of principalities and ruling spirits.
We have been on the front lines from then until now! The Principalities of this place do not want us here!! For they they know that we represent the very plans of the most high God.
They almost succeeded in our removal from this place back in April of this year when lies and rumors were being spread wildly about us until finally the Gov. asked us to leave. It was through much prayer and I believe God him self came down on our behalf. When One hour before we had to be at the airport we received word that it was a big misunderstanding and that we did not have to go. I do not have to tell you about the rejoicing that went on around the world after that.
We did fly out away, not because we had to but because we decided to take that time and have a little holiday. The first in three years!! This was on April 3rd, the birthday of my lovely wife. On April 4th at around two or three in the morning I was woken up by this dream. All I could do was cry when the Lord told me "Travis I want to show you what you are really fighting for, I want you to see the big picture!" He went on to tell me that we were not alone and that he had his servants those were his laid down lovers, positioned all over the continent fighting for the same vision!

Please take your time and watch the following clip. I will then share more. Dream of Rwanda!

Rwanda The land of a Thousand hills! Rwanda "THE HEART OF AFRICA"!!!

With out having to use to many words at the risk of this going on for hours...
Rwanda is known as the heart of Africa! A heart pumps blood through out the body giving it life... With out the heart pumping the necessary blood that the body needs the body will get feeble, week, and sick. You could say that the heart brings life to the body! As soon as the heart is not working properly or stops, you see the effects instantly in the body.
Rwanda Is holding keys, Keys to unlock the biggest African revival in history!
Keys that will change the way that the world looks at Africa! Africa Known to the world as the dark continent...known for the wars, famine, death, Genocide's, etc...
This will change!!!! God says this is his continent and he wants to see his Glory and his kingdom to be established and it will be known once again to the world, but known as a continent of light! A place that will shine and become a beckon to the world as the glory and the power of God is shown burning through the nations of Africa. Burning like a wild fire!!! Blazing, burning, shining brighter than the sun... Showing the world what happens when God is given control of a Nation!

Arise Oh heart and sync your beating with the beating of the heart of your God. The Father in Heaven is calling you to take your place in the body.
You have been weak and feeble long enough! You have been made to be sick so that you can not do your job.
What are you pumping through the body??? Do not let the poison of pride, fear, deceit, and destruction enter the blood stream!
On the contrary let the heart beat with humility falling on it's knees and praying, then God says "I will hear from heaven and come and will heal your land"!

God is longing for the chance to make his heart strong and healthy, vibrant and full of life. So that he might pump his very self through the blood vessels of his body.
wake up oh heart of Africa! Take the keys the Lord has given to you and unlock the chambers to the heart so he can use you to pump his life giving blood to his body!

A WARNING MUST BE GIVEN, SAY'S THE LORD!!!
If you do not take your place, I will strip you of your keys and give them to another...For I will have my way!

No Lord, any thing but that!!! Part 2

2008-12-14T22:08:00.002+02:00

It appears that the story is to be continued.... Why???

When arriving there it was just as I had suspected. We filled the necessary paper work and then came the question. what do you want with these boys? I could tell that the police officer wanted to see justice served. In spite of that I told them that I had gotten a very large amount of my things back and that the boys were being very helpful.I told them that I for saw that they were going to have many problems with the people that they sold my stuff to and felt that, that in itself was a very good punishment.
With all that said I told them that I would not press charges and that they could let the boys go. I also had asked if I could see Baptist because I still had some questions for him.
I found out that he was no longer there but transferred to another place about 30min away. But I of course really wanted to talk to him I asked them to please take me to him. after arriving there I was able to see Baptist but not really take to him much. I did how ever tell him that I forgave him and that I did not hold anything against him. Letting him know that I had told the police that he was free to go. He was very happy of course, then time was up... I was able to add that I wanted to talk with him when he was out! It is not easy to talk when having people hanging over your shoulder.
When I was on my way back to Kigali I was informed that Baptist would be moved to one of the near by prison's the following day. I was a bit confused but it some how confirmed my thinking. No matter what I said it was not going to change what was happening to Baptist. They did not want him to go free! He would go to prison and for how long?? I have no idea... one of the officers mentioned that it should be about a month.
I don't know Gods plan for this and what will happen in the future to Baptist.
What I do know is that my heart has changed and I have and am ready to do that what God has told me to do. I think often of Baptist and what he must be going through in this moment. I was told that his wife is carrying his baby right now.I pray often for the both of them!

This is why I say it is to be Continued.... Only God now knows the out come!

No Lord, any thing but that

2008-11-28T12:34:00.006+02:00

You probably remember that before we left Rwanda back in April one of our staff Baptist had broken in to our office and house in Kigali, while we were up north visiting the orphan children we were caring for. They made off with about $15,000 of our personal and office equipment. You name it and it was gone!

As it was sad to lose so much, the worst part was that it was done by some one that I was pouring my life into. He had been with us for the entire three years of our stay here. He was my disciple so to speak! I could not believe he was capable of such a thing! None the less it was the bitter truth! I left Rwanda with a broken heart.

When returning to Rwanda three months later it seemed a lost cause to continue to pursue. I had kind of given up, but prayed every day that God would convict him of his sin and that he would not be able to sleep until he had repented and turned back to God.

Another three months passed. One evening I got a phone call, they had caught Baptist and the guy who helped him. To make a very long story short, I was planning on going to the jail the next day to meet with him. So many emotions rushed through me at the same time! I honestly didn’t know what I would do when I saw him. Would I rap my arms around him tell him I love him and forgive him? Or would I attack him, beating him senseless until the police pulled me off? To be honest the later felt stronger.

As I drove toward Kigali I was praying so much for god to help me to handle the issues in a Godly way.

Much to my surprise when arriving and seeing him I felt instantly compassion toward him and had to pretend to be angry. Baptist began to share with me the whole story and how it happened, also over the last few months how he had 0% peace and could not sleep at night and had reached the point that he could not live with himself and felt that he wanted to make it right. He told me that he had already met with and turned himself in to a mutual friend of ours, telling him the whole story and making the plans in contacting me to make things right.

Before leaving the jail I told Baptist that I forgave him but that there were consequences to the actions he has done. He began to get tears in his eyes and told me that he knew and to please help him.

I turned and left going straight to my friend to check on the story that Baptist had told me to see if indeed it was true or not. To my surprise my friend also told me the same story word for word that Baptist had said. Telling me that it happened just a few days before he was caught and put in jail and indeed he was helping him to get ready to contact me and try to get a bunch of our stuff that had been sold. This excited me to see how God had truly answered my prayer!! He really had repented and wanted to make things right!

The police had gotten a list from Baptist and the guy that helped him. Now they knew the where a bout’s of most of our stuff. I received another phone call and was told that I had to come back to Kigali so that I could start the process of getting our things back. Whatever that meant!

On the two hour drive down to Kigali I spent some more time praying to ask God for wisdom, knowing that I will probably be asked by the police what I want to be done with Baptist and the other Guy. Meaning am I going to press charges sending them to prison or let them go free, Since I was getting the majority of my stuff back….

In my mind it was so clear! I was very happy that I was getting so many of our things back but consequences are consequences! They made bad choices and now have to learn and live with the consequences from their choices. Let them go to prison I thought they deserve it!!

THEN THE LORD SPOKE!!!! He said “Travis you have to forgive them”! He showed me my heart and that I really had not, I wanted revenge. He said again “Travis you have to forgive them”! I began to cry….”Ok Lord I said, please help me! I will forgive!! I do forgive them”…

Then God said “I want you to set them free”! “God” I said! Again came Set them free!! I cried more…Then I thought ok I will set them free because they are going to have so many problems with the people who they sold my stuff to. They will all want their money back, and if they were in prison they would not have to face those problems. Alright I will set them free God! I really wanted them to have to pay a price of some kind.

God then told me that I have to give Baptist a job back…. Instantly I was enraged!!! Yelling at God…. Forgiving I can do, setting them free…Fine, BUT I will not give Baptist a Job!!! NO…NO… I want nothing to do with him! Let him go live his life and I will live mine. Again God said “Travis I want you to give him back a job”! I could see that I was not going to win this argument. I agreed, ok I will give him back (a) job.. Immediately I thought of the jobs I could give him…ummm…Toilet cleaner, cutting grass all day long, or maybe working in the garden all day, any how he will work his butt off I thought.

God said “NO TRAVIS, you will give him a respectful job and one of honor! You will give him a job in the ministry!! All I could do was cry the rest of the way to Kigali. The Lords presents really entered the car and he began ministering to me for the rest of the trip.

How in the world I was able to reach Kigali safely while driving, balling my eyes out and being ministered to by the Lord in the Car is beyond me. But It worked and that is all I have to say about that.

Wife, friend, sister, cousin....

2008-08-24T22:28:00.002+02:00

I would like to share with you a funny but scary experience that happened to me just the other day. But first let me share with you a little about some African Culture's for those who don't know. In many African nations it is normal for men to have more than one wife. Some times numbering more than six or so...
In a lot of the Africa nations women are looked at as what we would call the baby factories or more politely the laborers.
In Rwanda this is not so... As we call having more than one spouse Polygamy, it is actually considered illegal here as well as the States. Of course that does not stop some, right.....

In Rwanda the spouse, childeren, and family in general do not take on the last name of the Father as in the States, they are named with there own given names. How family lines our known and kept in tact are beyond me. Yet every one seems to know who belongs to who... It is awesome and amazing!!
On the other hand I have learned that it is quit normal for a man two have three or four cousin's, sisters, or friends... this is how they are introduced (AKA) wife, lover, mistress, how ever you want to call it.
Just the other day I was in an office and meet a nice attractive young girl. As I waited we started talking. She was asking me about my family and my living in Rwanda. I told her that I was married and had four childeren, that we considered Rwanda our home... She seemed excited to hear this. I told her that one day I wished to have Rwandan residency and not to have to worry about visa's...
She turned and told me that what I needed was a Rwandan wife! Shocked at her response, I told her jokingly that I had a wife and didn't think I need any more, besides I said don't you know that it is illegal in Rwanda.
Yes she replied, it is... But you need to have a Rwandan wife pointing at her self. You see she said"on this side (motioning to her left)you have your wife and on this side (motioning to her right) you have a Rwandan" again insinuating her self.
I noticed that this time she did not use the word wife but just Rwandan.... I tried to play it off by showing her in a joking way what I knew about the way some men do here. So I told her, oh so you will be my sister, cousin, or friend..... Her eyes got big, and she seemed very surprised that I knew such a thing.... yet by her response I realized, holy Crap this women is serious.
She said "you know if you want the Rwandan ID (citizenship) and you ask for your self, they will refuse you... But if you have Rwandan (again insinuating to her self) after two or three years I call and ask for you and they can not refuse me!!!"

It was here that I decided to end the conversation! I acted surprised, which was not hard to do as I was pretty shocked at where the conversation was going. I told her thank you but that I was very happy with where my life was at and said I have to go now.
With that said I went straight home and shared with Astrid what had just taken place. She could not believe it, we had some real laughs as we went together and also shared with our house staff that strange experience. In return they shared with us some other similar interesting stories of things that happen here in their culture.

I tell you I love life here!!! Never a dull moment!!!
I guess I should not say that it was funny or that I laughed because actually it is very sad and a bit scary!! Laughing is a typical response in a lot of African cultures, when something is uncomfortable or they are not quite sure how to respond to something it is easier to laugh.
I guess we are catching on after all...
God help us.... But only in the right things.....

For the loss of Contact!!!!

2008-08-23T13:10:00.002+02:00

As many of you know on March thirty first one of our staff robbed us and took just about every thing. He has disappeared and the police have yet to find him. Please be praying with us that he will be caught.
With in all of the missing items one of those things was our lap top that had all of our contacts gathered over the years. Any CD's with the backed up info was also taken.

This is a very great loss to us!!! It means that unless I have gotten an email from you in the last three to four months I have no way of contacting you. So it is not that I don't think about you or that I have written you off. I simply just don't have any of my friends email any more.

If you read this and have not heard from me in a while, I beg you to get back in touch with me. If you know any one that knows me please send me their email so that I can reestablish contact with them as well.
Thank you so much for your prayers, friendship, and support of what God is doing in Rwanda!
God bless you and I hope to hear from you soon!

Money problems.... Or Not....

2008-08-22T22:44:00.002+02:00

When I went into this mission, God told me “don’t worry, I am going before you and it will be I who will sustain you”. Of course this sounds great and one doesn’t think much of it until things really start happening. The first three years in Rwanda was just that…. We never really lived in what you would call plenty but every time we would need something it would be there. School fees, rent, ministry materials such as computers, projectors, etc.. , money to fix the car when broken there (which would happen quite frequently)… It would just always be there… Even our book keeper one time asked us “how are you guys living there? Because I see everything that is coming in from the States and to be frank, I don’t see how you do it”…. Thank God she is a woman of great faith and believes God just as much as we do!!! With this we know that our book keeping is covered in prayer…

I have began to ask myself when is this going to let up. Don’t get me wrong I am not complaining… Because God provides and we are never in need!! But it would be nice for once to really have the money. I mean actually have it sitting there in the bank waiting to be used.

When we had to so abruptly leave Rwanda with only 48hours notice the money showed up….

We spent some weeks in Europe then by faith made plans to go to the United States, of course every time we tried to plan ahead it would never work but always ended up getting the money on the last day or last hour. Then we would have to take these last minute flights that in my eyes were outrageously expensive! This would happen many times throughout our three month furlough. I had a very big problem with this as I saw it as a huge waste of money! After all it could be going to the building of Heaven Touching Earth (HTE) our children’s village. All in all with the traveling between Europe and the States we spent over $26,000. The funny thing is that the money was not there when we wanted to use it but when we would step out based on what the Lord was speaking the money always showed up.

This all has a purpose, of course! God is trying very hard to get something through our heads.

You see when one is living and working among some of the Nation’s poorest orphans an vulnerable children yet also seeing firsthand the millions of dollars coming in with the awesome, rapid development of this place. I guess it is easy to get eyes off of God and put them on Man for help!
I see now that God really doesn’t care how much he has to spend to reach the lost or to reach me for that matter. After all he did say in the beginning that he will go before us and it will he who will sustain us…

Thank you God!!!

Break time stories... Then & Now

2008-07-26T11:46:00.002+02:00

When living in a place where you have little or no choice on things as food or items that bring comfort or convenience to your life. You learn to just live simple! After a while you almost forget what your missing...
While visiting the west again boy were we bombarded with choice ! We would walk in to stores and start crying, or we would have a list of items in our head to get in and get out again but then walking into the store we would find our mind just go blank and would just walk around in a daze and finally leave with nothing.
When eating in restaurants we found it easier if the menu had pictures and we would just tell them to bring what we saw in the picture. I know it sounds ridiculous but you try living three years with no choice in what you eat. When you ask for chicken you get chicken if they even have it, unlike, would you like baked, fried, deep fried, boneless, skinless, honey glazed, barbecued, etc. etc..
Your body is no longer used to all the added things in the food, artificial colors etc.. We found that hear in Rwanda we eat very organic. The first few days in the States our girls loaded up on one of their favorite cold cereals called fruit loops. One of the mornings when we were cleaning up some toys that were on ground some from our girls and some from our host families little dog. There was this little bright green, I mean florescent green thing on the ground. thinking it was one of the dogs toys we went to pick it up and realized that in fact it was one of our little girls that had an accident. Only a few moments later our daughter Nani comes running down stairs saying "Mom, Dad, this is so wicked cool!!! My Poop was bright blue with other colors to..."

It has been a little tough on the girls being back when they were so getting use to choosing from 100 different cereals, muffins of all sorts, bagels, etc.
Breakfast was and is a big meal for them. Now they get to choose between Cheri o's, cornflakes, fruit and fiber, or cocoa crispies, and thats it.... But with a box costing any where between $6 to 10 dollars they dont get much of this either.
It wont be long before we settle back into the simplicity of life and once again adopt the phrase TIA (this is Africa)... A few days ago I was sitting in a office to pay for my internet bill and found myself laughing so hard as I was on my way some two hours later.

On the way home I run into much traffic due to a car broken down in the middle of the road. This greatly holds up traffic but no one seems to care but me for a moment. I first thought was that of any of you.... If you would just move the stupid car to the side every one can pass with out holding up traffic!! But When in Africa one must think like an African, It is broken and there for it does not work so it is stupid to try to move something that doesn't work. In a short moment I find myself laughing again and thinking to myself it is so good to be home!!!

Deepest Apologies...

2008-07-26T10:22:00.004+02:00

I realized while We were on our break in both Europe and the States that it was not going to be possible for us to see and spend time with all our friends. We simply did not have enough time between fund raising and visiting.
In total we were out for about three months and all over the place. It was a whirl wind of emotion I must say!! Of course we loved being out after not having a break for almost three years but oddly enough even after three short weeks we found our selfs longing and wanting to be get back to Rwanda again. I guess this is proof that it is home!! We would frequently contact our staff here on the ground to be updated on the progress and wellbeing of the children we were caring for. This of course kept also our minds and hearts here.

I would like to send our deepest apologies to those we did not get to see or spend much time with!!

Quick Review

2008-07-24T20:50:00.002+02:00

We have come to the end of our break and now are back in Rwanda just as God promised…

I don’t even know where to start. It has been so long since I have written anything and I realize that there is probably a lot of people who don’t know what has been happening.

Let me start from the beginning:

March31,2008

We were up North of the country to see the Kids, are car broke down again and while trying to fix it we received a phone call from one of our staff telling us that many of our things in our house had just been stolen. We abandoned the trip to see the kids and after fixing the car headed straight home to see what we would find. It was late when we arrived home and what we found was very shocking!One of our house staff had gone and taken everything he could from our house; Computers, cameras, power point projector, ipod, etc. etc. anything electronic plus much more. If that is not enough, I had stopped by our office to check on it in rout to file the police report. Everything was gone!!!! Electronics, tables, desks, chairs, curtains, toilet paper, you name it, it was gone…. All in all we figured it to be about $13,000 to 15,000 to be taken.

The next morning while taking more of an exact count of everything that was gone, I received a phone call and was told to come for a meeting where I was told we had to go out of the Country in 48hours.
I went and broke the news to Astrid and immediately we started to make phone calls to everyone we knew to ask them to pray. After this point I don’t remember many details because everything moved so fast. What I remember is never seeing my family for the next three days due to having meetings with any one I could who I thought might be able to help us. Astrid was at home packing up everything we had left. Our friends both local and from the international community, really gathered around us to support us and pray. The night before we had to be out we decided through the advice of a very good local friend to have a night of just worshiping God and lifting him up high. Once again putting the focus off of what Satan was trying to do and putting it on the very one who had brought us to Rwanda in the first place.

April 3,2008 ( the morning of departure)

The Girls went off to school. I went for more meetings and to deal with our daughter Yaida’s visa for the Netherlands. Our flight is leaving at 8 in the evening meaning we need to be at the airport around 5. At 4:30 I am told that there had been a big misunderstanding and that we did not have to go but could stay.

Praise God!!!!! Unfortunately we had tickets that could not be refunded. I asked if it was ok that we still go out for a holiday and come back to start fresh again. I was told “Of course, no problem!”

WOW!!!!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!! He has done the impossible!! Thank you for all your prayers for us, our God has heard and has answered!!! We are back and more excited than ever to see God move in a mighty way through this nation.
There is going to be a revival coming to Rwanda and an out pouring of God’s presents on his people here like no one can imagine. Please continue to pray for us and pray for this great Nation, it’s leaders and all that God has planned.

All things New...

2008-03-27T15:57:00.002+02:00

About three days ago we were able to get Jean Paul out of the Hospital. The Doctors said that he is strong enough to go out but they had great concern to where he was going to go. They informed us that he was not quit strong enough to go back to the village yet but needed to gain some more weight and still be monitored for a couple of weeks.

There was not much choice for us but to keep paying the hospital and bringing all his meals or to take him home with us so we could watch over him. So we chose to bring him home. He was very excited to know that he was going to be out of that place and even more excited to find out that he would be staying with Mama & Papa Nani.
I was made very aware that this poor boy knew nothing of city life but only that of the village. When we got him from the hospital it was about nine o’clock in the evening and very dark, as we took the twenty min ride back to our house the only expression to explain what I saw was that of a deer staring in to the head lights of a car. Jean Paul’s eyes were so big as he looked around at the lights of the city and those off in the distance. He asked in amazement “are those all lights??” It dawned on me that the only light he was used to at night was that of a candle, lantern or flash light.
Before arriving at the house I made sure that it was explained to Jean Paul that the house was very big and very Muzungu (white person). But it was not Mama & Papa Nani’s house. We were renting and living in someone else’s home. I told him that we were just like him and the other kid’s, we did not have our own home. That is why we want to get the land so we can build homes for all of us to live together.
When we got to the house I guess you could say he was shocked and speechless…. We sat him down and went through some rules of the house. The cute little guy could only node his head and stare at every thing.We got him some thing to eat and I sat with him observing as he looked at all the decorations and photo’s on the walls. He looked at the tile floors and the detailed wood work on the ceiling with the fancy lighting.
I know he is really observing us to as he now sees us in our own surroundings eating strange foods, the children running around dragging all these toys every where. He sat yesterday watching Jasmin & Yaida play in a big inflatable swimming pool we have. I thank God for our Rwandan staff who can explain these strange things that he is seeing. Last night he sat down and watched Nani & Zoey as they played with lego after dinner, slowly we watched as he began to also interact and try to build some things.
All in all he is recovering very well and getting a little stronger each day but I wish I could hear and understand what must be going on in that little head of his as all things in his life are so new now.

Thank God for saving him from Satan’s grasp!!!

ORPHAN BUISNESS...

2008-03-25T12:03:00.003+02:00

The following is a real life story of a eleven year old boy by the name of Jean Paul.

Hi my name is Jean Paul I am a eleven year old Rwandan boy. I live in a village very near one of the Volcanoes. I have seven brothers and sisters and we live with our mother and father.
One day I was walking on the road near our house and was approached by this nice old Nun. She asked me to help her to carry some things to her place. When we arrived there I saw many other children on the compound. I understood that they were orphans and that the old woman was caring for them. I was asked if I could help out around the place, doing little jobs like fetching water, gathering grass for the animals, etc..
I happily accepted, thinking that if I would work it could help out my very poor family as they could not always feed and care for us. My older brother also got a Job there helping to feed the animals and cultivating the land around.

Little did I know that this was going to change my life for ever!!!

Over a period a time I would see Bazungus (white people) always coming and going. They really loved to visit the place. They would very often bring bags of food like beans, rice, potato’s, and assorted veggies…I don’t know what would happen to the food because the children nor I ever got to eat any of it…
Even on some occasions people would put money into the old woman’s hand. The old woman gave a place for both my bother and I to sleep. I learned later that she had gone and talked to my parents about her caring for me and wanted me to stay there with the other children. My parents accepted as they could not care for me any ways… Life on that place was very hard!!! They would only give us sweet potato’s once per day and if we were lucky twice. When the white people would show up we would all of sudden get special treatment.
On very special occasions we would receive alcohol to drink and some kind of herb to consume which I believe was marijuana…
The children and I were trained in what to say when asked certain questions by the people visiting. If we were to say any thing different we were then later beaten and punished. We were told to tell people we were orphans and had no family at all. Also that there was no one helping us or the old woman in caring for us!We were always supposed to let people know that we ate three times per day and we all went to school. None of which was true.

I had become one of them!! An orphan, a liar… Not by choice!! My family could not care for me nor wanted to in my eyes! I was taken to join the ranks… Trained, abused, and beaten until I submitted to the (way)… I was now part of the orphan business!!!

The old woman would always tell the whites all these crazy stories of how she picked the children from the dead bodies from the genocide victims, running with them, hiding and then finally settling here. She would talk about how she would find us abandoned under bushes or that others from the community would find us and bring us to her. She would tell them how she never receives any help from the Government or the church. The white people would always leave there contact info with her and her big girls (those secondary age kids she used to help her care for us.) The big girls knew how to speak some English so they would always help in communicating with the whites.

I learned that they to were telling the same stories that we were told to tell and had been doing it for a long time. One day one of the big girls left to go see her family in Kibuye (the east of the country). When she returned she had her little sister with her. It did not take long until her little sister also was one of us!!

When any of us got sick, more often than not the old woman would use traditional medicine on us.
When we got very scared some times at night the old woman would come around burning some thing in our room and saying some strange things. She would many times invite one of the community witch doctors to come around to say things to us and scare us.
Every time some one would come and begin to ask strange or pressing questions the old woman would chase them from the compound.

When Mama and Papa Nani (Astrid & Travis/ SoZo Ministries Africa) started to come around we (the children) saw that they were not like every one else… they seem to really care. We slowly started to share more of the truth with them. We saw that they were fighting for us, they were trying to give us a voice. Some thing we have never had. Finally some one we could trust!! Some one who really loves us!! After a while they put one of there staff up here to help us, her name was Stella. She is also Rwandan but not like any one I know. Just like Mama and Papa Nani she really loves us, she fights for us and has now been trying to care for us in this very difficult place.

Mama & Papa Nani have now brought our case to the Rwandan Government which now know the truth about our situation and our trying to stop this orphan business…

About a1 ½ months ago the Gov. came here to visit us with Mama & papa Nani they had a 7to8 hour long meeting with the old woman. After every one left many of us were beaten very badly with sticks and told that it was because of us that the truth was known.

Shortly after that I got very sick!! Days went by and I continued to get worse and worse. Stella took me to the clinic but they could not help me. Finally my family showed up, but it was obvious they couldn’t do any thing for me nor did I want any part of them. They transferred me to the hospital in town. There my bother and sister came to watch me because Stella had to stay with all the other kids. they were given money to help me but my sister bought her self food with it and my bother used it for prostitutes.
I had to have two surgeries on my stomach. They found maggots and little black things in my lower intestine. After the operations I was sent to recovery but due to no money there was no medicine for me and I had not eaten in 6 days.

Some point in time Mama & Papa Nani found me and said that I needed to be transferred to Kigali. They told my brother and sister that if I stayed there I would probably die. So they worked on transferring me.When arriving in Kigali the doctors confirmed that I would have most likely died in a few days. My sister came also to Kigali to watch and care for me while my brother went back home.
The doctors confirmed that the problem was most likely related to witch craft!!!
My sister never did anything to really help me and after a few days had come down with Malaria so mama & Papa Nani got her some medicine and sent her back home to rest and recover.

I have been in the Kigali hospital now for 11days and each day I’m getting a bit stronger. I can finally get up to use the toilet my self and walk for some short distances. Mama & Papa Nani have given me some one else to care for me they also bring me all my food.

I thank God for saving my life, I know that Satan was trying to kill me but the Lord has got other plans for my life… I think quit often about my friends up there in the village with Stella and pray that one day the orphan business will be put to a stop and that Justice will be served!!!

This is one Story out of hundreds if not thousands or millions in the world!!!

There are people out there that prey on the weak and needy! People with cold hearts and corrupt minds!!People who are in it for only fast cash and personal gain…It’s big, it’s nasty, it’s wrong!!! To exploit the least of these…

BEWARE OF THE ORPHAN BUISNESS!!!

Things that you can do to be careful and cautious so that this type of corruption is severely limited…

Never just dump money!
Only give after doing lots of home work on what and who you’re giving to!
Always check on your donation! Follow up is essential!! Accountability!!
Ask lots of questions!!
Is what your giving to creditable??
It sounds bad, but don’t trust so easily!!!

1ti 6:10 = For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Jean Paul is getting better each day and we hope to have him out of the hospital soon! As well as getting Stella and the other children out of that place and into a safe location.

Scary but Normal...

2008-02-29T14:24:00.001+02:00

Satanic opposition, yes indeed this is what has been happing since the Lord has called us here to walk out his plans for his beautiful people in Rwanda. Some one once told me that you know you must be on track when Satan is doing every thing he can to stop you. Well Praise God!!!

I can’t help myself I must name a few, in order for you to get the full picture…

1. Two and half years with out neither visas nor having our organization registered. (still on going…)
2. A season of extreme financial trouble!!! (by season, I mean months)

3. A season of extreme sickness (every one in our family)!!!

4. Constant vehicle trouble, almost literally with every trip to see our kids in Rwaza, either on the way or on the back the vehicle would break down. (Going on 6months now… Is that normal???)
Did I mention that we go up at least once per week... You can do the math...

5. Not to long ago a very good friend of ours contacted us and told us that she was praying for us and wanted to warn us about another attack she believed that we would soon be seeing… She told us Satan has been trying every thing he can to get to us and thus far has not had any success. From finances to attacking our family with sickness and now the next would be an attack on our marriage, little did she know we had already entered it!
Her message could have not come at a better time!! Astrid and I saw this as a perfect opportunity to stop Satan from what ever he has trying to do to us… We sat down that night and talked and talked cried and cried, then rejoiced together as we had just finished with another season of attack and did not fall…

6. A while back I wrote about the shaking hands with the witch…. Hold that thought…. The last three weeks we have been taking a mission team from YWAM Hawaii (Youth with A Mission) with us to Rwaza to see our kids. They have been putting on a VBS (Vacation Bible School) for the kids every Saturday for a month.
You will never guess who shows up on the third week…. Yes the Witch!!!
I saw her coming up the walk way to the building where the team and the children are having the program.Quickly I told all the team so they were aware of what was happening. One of the girls with YWAM Rwanda and I went out to greet her and block the door of the entrance. She was very bouncy and smiley, laughing and blabbering some thing. She took my hand and staring into my eyes began blabbering…. The Rwandan girl turned to me and said “what is she saying she is not speaking Kinyarwandan or any language I know”? I told her that the old woman was chanting and trying to cast spells, it was very obvious.
I turned and looked the old witch in the eyes saying “Mukecheru (old woman) I rebuke you in the name of the Lord Jesus!!!”
Immediately she jerked her hand away shouting Oya (NO)…. We told her that we and the children were busy at the moment so she could not come in but would have to leave. Smiling and blabbering away she turned and walked away.

What was it that God’s word says about Consider it pure joy brothers when you go through hardship/ opposition, for God is treating you as sons. It is not pleasant at the time but painful, yet for those who endure, it will produce a harvest of righteousness in their lives.

All this said, God must know what he is doing!!!

Its scary... But hey it’s normal right…..

Table and D.U.I

2008-02-12T10:56:00.000+02:00

For those that have not heard over the new year God blessed us with a wonderful, much needed office space. We are very excited, as now we can keep work, work and home, home….. It’s a small three bedroom house, in a prime location, close to public transport and even with in walking distance from our house. Praise God!!
Much of the month of Jan. we spent cleaning, painting and setting it up. I must say it is really looking good and we feel good about it.
One of the last pieces of office furniture we really needed was a very large table. We are turning the master room into a conference room. I went down to the local (Fundi) carpenter and explained what we needed then negotiated for a good price. All said and done we would be getting our 3m X 1.5m (6ft X 5ft) table in about two weeks time for $200.

It came time to pick it up, so I went down checked it out to make sure it was exactly what I ordered. It looked great! They had to make it in two pieces due to its size and being able to get it into the back room.
I watched as they loaded it into the back of the truck then we headed out. They were going to follow me to the office. About half way to the office I noticed in my rear view mirror the guy was all over the road. I thought to my self, man this guy is either a sucky driver or he is drunk. I began to pray, God please let us make it to the office.The next thing I know the truck is pulled over by a police man on a motor bike. Low and behold the driver was wasted and was in the process of being arrested for D.U.I (driving under the influence). The truck is now going to impounded with everything in it..
I went to the police man praying that he would understand English as I tried to explain to him that the table in the truck was mine and that I had no idea that the driver was drunk. After talking to him for a while I was able to convince him to not confiscate the table but only the truck.
With some help of the locals around enjoying the show being put on by the old drunk Muzee (old man) we removed the table from the truck.Speaking with one of the guys there he told me not to worry, he would phone some one and get another truck to come to take the table the rest of the way.

So there I sat on the side of the main road with my huge table, legs dangling down as the public skeptical for the next 45+min. What could I do?? Get angry? Cry?? I just laughed… thinking, wondering, what is going through every bodies mind… After all it is not every day that you see a Muzungu (white person) just hanging out with furniture on the side of the road in Rwanda.

It is Better to Give than Receive....

2007-12-30T01:28:00.000+02:00

Ah Christmas holidays were approaching and we had high hopes that we just might be able to spend them with our friends and family in Europe and the States. Unfortunately it did not work out that way!! So with the holidays coming so rapidly, a little bummed, we decided we will have to make it work again here. It seemed that none of us were really in the Christmas mood though, at least I know I was not…

We decided that on top of having a little something as a family. We would do something really big for some other people who are part of our lives. We wanted to bless others by giving them something they never really had. A real Christmas!! Baptist one of our workers

Isabelle one of our workers

Tachienne one of our workers

Thank you Cornerstone Church

Stella who is on Staff with SoZo Ministries Africa as a volunteer and whom I might add is our right arm in the care for the Children in Rwaza is an Orphan her self. She has really become part of our family and we deeply wanted to bless her beyond measure. Her birthday just so happens to also be on Christmas day. Praise God, double whammy!!
It was awesome to see her so excited! In the morning we had a family Christmas celebration and in the night we threw her a birthday party with some of her friends.

The day after Christmas we loaded up the family and with the help of an awesome YWAM team from Hawaii we went up to Ruhengeri where we had rented this hall to have a big Christmas party for our kids in Rwaza. After dropping the team and the family off to prepare the room the taxi driver and I went up the mountain to pick the kids. I think the photos can tell the rest of the story!!Children arriving and playing games

Everyone gets a gift..Oh the the Smiles....You would see her smile if she had not lost all those teethEveryone get new cloths!!Friendships are made...Our friend Erin explains how the gifts came from her church in California
We told them about Christ and about the Holy Spirit. They all wanted to receive Jesus as their Savior and also asked for the Holy spirit to come to be imparted to them.What followed was some great food..It was a very long day and many of the little ones were knocked out by the end..

It was a great day, we took the kids back up the mountain and said our good byes. On the way up they were all singing a made up song that goes something like this. "come and see, come and see, and I will show you the good things that are happening on Rwaza hill".
All of the joy and laughter brought tears to my eyes. This is what these kids deserve!!

As if it cant get any better, while we are packing up and getting ready to go, this white guy approaches Stella and is asking her many questions about who we are and what we are doing.
Quickly and briefly she shares, he then starts asking how he could give a donation to us. Stella then directed him to me. He appeared to me as a nice middle age white European and introduced himself as Marco. He proceeded to tell me that he was just in Rwanda for a week as a tourist and would like to give a donation to our ministry for what we our doing for these children.
After disappearing for a short moment he comes back and puts in my hand a large amount of Euro's. Very shocked I thanked him and we both went our separate ways.

Thank you Marco for your very generous gift to our ministry and most of all to the precious children of Rwanda. Who every you are may God bless you and keep you, may he show him self to you in a mighty way.

I want to thank all of you in the many parts of the world that have really made this Christmas a very, very special time for so many people here in Rwanda. It has been unforgettable for my family and I and we don't know how to thank you enough!!
Special thanks to: Cornerstone Church in California, Klass & Ria, Evelien & Dirk, Julia, Aaron & Kendra.
Also to those that I know that have sent things this way to bless us and others. they have not arrived yet but thank you in advance. It is fun to think that our Christmas will be continuing on through the next few weeks. God Bless you!!!!

I have truly seen this holiday season that is more blessed to give than to receive!!!!

Shaking hands with the witch

2007-12-15T21:16:00.000+02:00

AH, it was time to go see our kids in Rwaza again, an event that we always look up to.
The only thing Nani & Zoey don't like about it is that it takes us two hours to get there.

Bonana (3 years old) This little girl can join my family any time... She is so silly and climbs like a monkey all over me.

Doggy pile on Papa Nani

Silly circle with every one screaming in Kin-Rwandan (smile, smile, Oh Goodness)
Nani & Zoey playing marbles with some of the kids

Little did I know how different this trip was going to be! After being there for a while all of a sudden This very old woman with wrinkles all over her face comes walking in. She acted as if she owned the place. Walking up to me and grabbing my hand as if to greet me, she rambled on in on in Kin-Rwandan giggling and laughing the whole time. She did the same to Astrid and Stella.
Then ran off giggling, singing, and dancing with all the kids. Her presents was very unpleasant, something about her was eerie.
What was even stranger was I knew I had seen her some where before and more than once.
who was this strange woman? When she arrived the first thought that flashed in my head was, oh, a witch.... Odd I know, but then after talking with Astrid and Stella they had the exact same thought.
It was getting late and time for us to head back to Kigali. We prayed and broke off any curses that may have been tried to be put on us.
While driving home I could not get that womans face out of my mind. It was haunting me, where the hec did I see her before. Then It dawned on me, a week prior to this visit when going to bed I was woken up abruptly with a image of this very old wrinkly African womans face. she had evil eyes and this eerie smile and laugh. this had happened on two different nights. I realized that is who this woman is.... Oh Boy!!!
It was raining very hard as we were trying to make it back to Kigali. Rounding a corner all of a sudden we saw a huge mud slide in the middle of the road. We had no choice in slowing down or trying to stop so BAM we kept going.... Thank God we made it through with no real damage to the car. But boy did it get muddy. About five minutes after that lighting hit directly in front of the car with a huge crash. Again no damage done, except I had to change my shorts when getting home.
Praise God we made it home safely! Later that night we got a phone call from Stella, she told us she was talking with the kids. Asking them if they knew the old woman, they said yes they knew her and confirmed that she was a witch and lived near by in the community.

I am beginning to get a real picture of what or should I say who we are dealing with in the battle for these children. But I don't think he realizes who he is dealing with!!!!
FOR GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN ME THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD....

Thank you Lord for who you are in my life, and thank you for your hand upon my family and the ministry you have given us.....

Day to Day Miracles

2007-11-27T22:47:00.000+02:00

Have you ever been driving down the road and BAM this strange thought pops in your mind?
Like what would happen if all of a sudden one of my wheels falls off? Or what if I am driving real fast and just like that, my steering locks up on me?

These thoughts or ones like them, I am certain have crossed your mind. But we should always thank God for the small miracles. Miracles that we may not even consider as miracles, like getting from point A to point B unharmed, waking up yet another morning with air in our lungs to breath. I am learning to thank God for the day to day routine things in life. I am realizing that with out him holding the world together, the routine things, the simple things that we don’t ever think about would become sheer chaos.

On Monday morning after droping the girls at school, it was time to head out to Rwazza to visit the children again. This time though I had some other things on the agenda as well. I was hoping to also meet with the mayor of the area to share with him about SoZo Ministries Africa and our findings of the exploitation going on in his area involving these children. I had plans to also seek out the head parish priest to discuss some things as well.
The drive up is around two hours. I know it very well, I drive it at least once per week.
If you don’t know already, Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills. This means that every where you drive is up and down mountain sides curving this way and that. At times it can feel much like a roller coaster. The views are breath taking!!

About 5min before reaching the turn off where we go up to see the kids, I noticed that the steering on the car was acting funny. It was getting very loose and there was a lot of play in the steering. Finally I arrived at the junction and started to turn, the car went straight… I came very close to taking out this guy on a bike.
I was able to correct it and get the car to go where I wanted, thinking my Lord what is going on.

After driving another 5min up the mountain side the cars steering completely went out! I had no choice but to stop. I locked up the car and walked back to the main road (the only place to get phone reception). I was able to reach Stella (our program supervisor that stays with the children), to tell her that I was close but would not be able to bring the car up the mountain.

About 45min later she and some of the kids were there to meet me.
To make a long story short…. We were able to get the broken part fixed and five hours later head up the mountain to take Stella and the kids back home.

I know now when I think about it that I have really experienced a miracle and the supernatural protection from God. This could have happened any where along the journey at any given time. With all those sharp turns and ravines I could be sitting at the bottom of one of them if my steering had gone out any where else than where it did.

What a sobering thought! It makes me to give my girls extra hugs and kisses when I see them to let them know that Daddy loves them and never stops thinking about them. It makes me hold my wife extra tight and never want to let her go.

Thank you God for your protection!!! Thank you God for the day to day Miracles you perform that we do not give you the credit for!!! You truly are an awesome God!!!!

Be Real!!!

2007-11-14T20:06:00.000+02:00

We all know the Story, it is told around the world.

Jesus Christ is Crucified!!

I can’t imagine one of the longest days of his life on earth. Jesus had gone through so much, he is on the cross nearing his death. He feels the pain, the abandonment of all that were with him. He knows he has to finish it! He already asked two or three times if it were possible to have the cup pass from him. None the less not my will he says but thy will be done. But this does not take away the pain or the suffering that he is now enduring. He knows all to well the price and the pain he must now be put through. All this to reconcile man to the father! So that God may be glorified. At one point it is so much that he cries out “ My God, My God why have you forsaken me?”
There you go, true feelings being poured out! Some say at this moment in time Jesus was quoting Psalms 22 (OK maybe). Others say that at that moment in time when Jesus was taking on all the sin of the world his father in heaven being pure and perfect light could not look upon sin so for a brief moment had turned his head. Jesus knowing this, cries out! (well…..)
Or (going out on a limb here) could he just be pouring out his true feelings???

Lets face the truth, we have all been there!! In a time of desperation, pain, abandonment, suffering, frustration, anger, etc. etc. At one time we have made comments like this.
God where are you!!!
God what the hell are doing!!
God I can’t feel you!
God I don’t see you!
I’m sure the list goes on and on!!

Jesus was 100% God but he was also 100% man, when studying his life we can see both. If any one deserves to make such a statement surely it would be him.
In many of today’s Christian circles we are not allowed to voice such true feelings of what the HELL… Instead we need to know all the right refrigerator verses so that when the going gets ruff we can remind our selves and others of the truth and how we need to believe and react to such situations.

I can just imagine after Jesus making such a statement, his followers that were standing by at the foot of the cross coming to him saying. No No Jesus, you shouldn’t say such things. You know that your father is omnipresent, he will never leave you nor forsake you. Don’t worry, when you are weak he is strong! With God all things are possible! For you know the plans he has for you, plans to prosper you not to harm you.

I think that Jesus knew all of these things very well just as many of us do. We know he is always there, we know that he will provide for all our needs according to his riches and glory. But knowing such things does not always take the feelings away! We must be honest and truthful in how we feel in what we are experiencing. I am not saying that we should not know and quote Gods word, what I am saying is there is time and place for it. Let’s be real! Let’s allow others to be real! Some times it enough to know that you are not the only one with such experiences or feelings. Your not going crazy, your not sinning, your just trying to be real. There is encouragement in that.

Lets not hide behind Christianity, we are real people! We can't hide our feelings, sin, struggles, or short comings from the Lord why try to hide them from each other.

Don't believe for a minute that because your Christian you can't have those thoughts. Or how dare you feel that way! Why on earth would you say such a thing!
We are all striving to be like Christ, that means that we are not yet. So we are striving, and while striving we can not be hypocritical but simply show people that we are real and really seeking to be like him "Christ" who was perfect in every way.

Why was it that King David was called a man after God’s own heart? The guy said it like it was. He was extremely transparent extremely real all the time. I encourage you to read through the Psalms. David knew how to be real with God! His cries for intimacy with the Lord are awesome.

Thank you Jesus for another lesson learned by your walk on this earth!

2007-10-26T13:32:00.000+02:00

When it rains it pours, boy I tell you I don’t know where to start. How about the need for a new car!!
Two weeks ago we had to pour another $450 in to our car to make it work. It was then that my mechanic, that is a strong Christian “praise God” tells me… “Travis my friend it is time to start praying for a new car, if you continue to take this on those village roads. I don’t know how long it will last..” I told him I would start praying and asked him to join me.
But how can I not drive to see our children in Rwaza, yes I feel they are our children! They are burned on our hearts!!! Sorry kids perhaps we will see you next week. For those of you that have seen the children you know what I mean. For those of you that want to know more about these awesome children, please visit my wife’s Blog.
www.http:travisandastrid.blogspot.com

Today was the day that we were going to go up and start weighing, measuring, and taking much info on each child. This way progress can easily be followed and we can know how to move forward.
When reaching only 30km or 20miles out of Kigali the car breaks again!! So we turned around and by God’s grace made it back to town with no major damage. Now it looks like we are spending another $110 on the car. I guess we can look at the bright side that it happened close to town and not in the village high up on the mountain in the middle of no where. You know what is sad? When this is happening every couple of weeks the bright side does seem so bright anymore.

Please be praying with us that the Lord will provide a new vehicle..

THE LEARNING...

2007-10-09T21:13:00.000+02:00

“One thing you should know and one thing you will find out, it is that I live to follow God. My greatest desire in life is to hear his voice and obey. So what does that look like? Come and join mission with me as I try to answer that question.”

You will find this quote on the right side of my Blog, explaining a little bit about my profile.

So what does it look like??? That is a question that the Lord seems to be unfolding in the day to day, nonstop, up in your face life here… It was over five years ago that the Lord began to really put a burning and longing desire to see, have and do the same ministry that he had when he walked on the Earth. A ministry of Wholeness!! Seeing people set free from any and everything that is holding them back from true completeness in God. That would even include death!
I asked the Lord over and over for that anointing to be on the ministry he was giving us. Little did I know what I was asking for, “To walk in Christ shoes!” Do you have any idea just how big those shoes are, and what it Intel’s to have such a walk? Lets say that I am learning a lot.
You know that the word disciple in the bible, it means “to be a learner”… Glory to God, it seems that is all I have been doing lately.
Being here a little after a year I had fell into a dark hole. Depression, and fits of anger rapped it’s hands around me, I could see myself and did not like what I was seeing. Astrid at one time asked me “what is happening to you, I don’t know you?” I couldn’t explain it and couldn’t snap out of it. I had written my resignation letter to God and told him I quit and find some thing else for me to do. Every time I prayed God was quite. It only seemed to keep getting worse. One evening I sat down with my bible and said God this is really it!!! If you don’t tell me some thing now, I am gone!! The Holy spirit spoke very clear then… He said turn to Hebrews chapter12:4. Let me paraphrase for you what it said to me. “Travis shut your mouth and stop wining, you have not resisted to the point of the shedding of your own blood. My Son did, did you not want to walk in his shoes?”

At this word from the Lord, not only was I instantly humbled but began to laugh at the Lords sense of humor. I felt this huge heavy cloud lift off of me and have been free from it since. My eyes have been opened and I can now see when even the slightest thing tries to creep in. Thank you God for that humbling lesson! What a fight though, Holy crap… It’s not for no reason that God’s word says to take every thought captive!!

It has now been over two years here with out leaving for a break. I have found that the conversation about furlough and the need for a break has been ever increasing. I am so tired of the daily battle, trying to get our registration, the going around and around in circles and the hitting of walls. Getting so close only to find out there is another mountain behind the one we just climbed. I find the words drying up, worn out, and exhausted in my vocabulary. I am shorter with Astrid and the kids lately.

I keep thinking to my self, oh if we can just get a break!! So here I am, so focusing on wanting and needing a break and the Lord shows up with another lesson. Praise God this is what I signed up for right???
Oh to be a Learner….

The Lord asks me “Travis, can you minister when you are in pain? Can you minister when no one understands why your doing what your doing? Can you continue to be poured out when you feel dry and thirsty, when there seems to be nothing left? Can you minister in sickness and in death? Can you minister when all you feel like doing is packing up and going home? Can you Minister?” “MY SON DID!!”

Once again I was put in my place! Do I desire a break from the front lines? Do I want to take a rest for a couple of months? You bet I do!! But what I want and what I desire more than any of that, some thing far more valuable than taking a breather from the battle is this.

TO LIVE A LIFE FOLLOWING MY GOD, HEARING HIS VOICE AND OBEYING HIS EVERY COMMAND.

Thank you so much lord for your leading! Thank you for the way that you are teaching me! Thank you for you discipline!
Help me oh Lord to live a life worthy of the calling you have given me.

Your son, Travis

Amen

Fathers perspective

2007-09-17T21:42:00.000+02:00

I believe that every Father and Mother does or should desire the very best for there children, even to some what dream for them. We all wish great things for our children. We want them to have a better education than our selves, perhaps even a better life than we have lived or are living.

This Blog is about a parents wish, particularly from a Fathers perspective.

I like all fathers deeply desire to see my children succeed! I have been blessed with four beautiful girls and I adore each one of them. It scares me to think about them growing up! Going from little girls to young women, Oh please don’t make me think about it…
My house of girls is such a joy, I must say!!! Much better than a house of all boys (what my mom was blessed with). My goodness what me and my brothers put my parents through.. How did they survive?

Allow me to share a little about one of my daughters, she came to us when she was only three weeks old.

Yes I am talking about my little Yaida. Astrid and I always wanted and had the desire to some day adopt a child but never thought it would be possible. Well we were wrong, where there is a will God makes a way!!
Some one once told me before I came to Rwanda. Travis don’t be surprised if you and Astrid are not the ones to see every thing that God is doing, it just might be for your children to see.
At first I did not understand this statement, I thought it might be a way of saying don’t get your hope’s up.
But since We have gotten little Yaida, there have been so many strange things happening some of witch I can really not understand.
You see Astrid wanted to breast feed her the same as our new biological daughter Jasmin. This is what we thought would be common sense as we know that breast milk is always best for the baby. What happened next really shocked us. People’s response to us having Yaida was really odd. Every where we went we would have people asking us why we had one black and one white baby. After telling them that we had adopted her and are raising them like twins, many women would burst into tears. They would say over and over again “God bless you!! Oh my God, bless you!!” when women would see Astrid breast feeding Yaida they would stare in shock, some would come and ask why. We told them that she (Yaida) is just like any other baby and needs the breast milk. They would break down and cry saying over and over God bless you!!

One evening we had some of our local Rwandan friends over visiting. I was sitting back with Yaida laying on my chest, as I cuddled with her one of the guys with his eyes tearing up said to me. “Travis you have no idea what it means for me to see you holding Yaida and giving her the same love that you give to all your other children…” I didn’t know what to say, I could see he was really touched. I told him that all children need to be loved and that I consider her the same as any of my daughters, to the point that I would die for her.

I really wanted to understand why every one was making a big deal out of us having Yaida. It is not like we are the only ones that adopt children. There are even two other couples here in Kigali that have Adopted kids as well and one of the kids is also Rwandan. I proceeded to ask our friends this question, hopping to find an answer.
They told us, it is one thing to care for and or adopt an orphan child. But you adopt a baby! People look at you and they see you have a baby already so why would you want another? Then they watch as you care for the baby the same as the other baby giving the same breast milk, the same love. The only people who adopt babies are those who don’t have the possibility to have one of there own. Don’t you see what you are doing is unheard of in this culture. Even if some one takes in an orphan, that orphan will never be looked at as the same or have the same benefits as other children. What you are doing is a Miracle!!

(No photo's please!)

As Yaida has been growing and is now a year and a half the responses have not stopped. We heard through a good friend of ours who is working with another organization that she was meeting with a Rwandan Woman and her husband to talk and do some counseling or some thing. Some how Astrid and I were brought up in the conversation, the woman not knowing that are friend knows us begins to tell her that Astrid is changing the face of motherhood in this Nation. Obviously she was very touched some how by knowing of us and Yaida’s story. When we were told this by our friend, I didn’t know what to think, even now I feel like crying! Every where we go we run into people that say, oh you are that couple who has the two babies one black and one white.
My friend was right, I don’t think I will ever see all that God is doing through our life here in Rwanda!
My little Yaida is such a joy and if I could I would take hundreds of more children to love on and call my own….Who knows perhaps I just might!!

From a fathers perspective I can say that little Yaida is the best missionary in all of Rwanda. May she continue to change the hearts of her people!!!

Daddy loves you Yaida!!!!

I HAVE A DREAM... Part 2

2007-09-04T22:01:00.000+02:00

I am sorry, let me correct my self. The dream I had was on Nov.26, 2004 not 2003.

It started off at this big piece of land that had palm trees on it. I could see this really huge building and also a bunch of small houses every where. There were lots of little black children running around.
The land was located at the water front. I saw Astrid and I, standing around us were two or three black women and one black man.
In front of the huge building laid a large tree on the ground and on it sat a bunch of black children and also some white as well. They had apparently just arrived at the place and we were going through the process to decide who we could keep and who we would have to send away. They had walked for about 10km to get to us. The black man that was with us began to explain to me that we could only accept 8 to 9 children. On the other hand Astrid and the black women with us strongly disagreed saying, it would not be fair and that we should not have to choose…Astrid then told me that I could not turn any away that we have to keep them all.

It seemed like the right thing to do so I told every one they could stay. At this the black man became very forceful and kept insisting we can only accept 8to9. at one point I actually had to fight him forcing him to leave.
I remember that in one part of the dream I saw this black woman and with her were two military guys.They kept going into bad situations and taking or ripping the little children away from the situations they were in then would bring them all to us.

Now this is where the dream had stopped for now. I had woken up around two in the morning.
While I was lying there I began to pray over that dream asking the Lord that if this is him, then please let it come and may nothing hold it back. I remembered back to a vision I had once had about a city filled with children. It was called Miebobo city, or street kid city. I asked the Lord if this was the place he just showed me in the dream. Is this the city filled with the least of these? I asked the Lord if he could change the name of the place because “street kid city” just sounds so negative. There has to be some thing better than that.
At this I drifted back to sleep and was taken to where I could see a sun set over lake Kivu (the lake that runs between Rwanda and DRC). I kept hearing over and over again the words “Where Heaven Touches Earth”.Then I woke up and immediately praised God, knowing that this was to be the name of that land in the dream.

Since that time the Lord has taken me back to Heaven Touching Earth on more than one occasion.

One time I happened to be inside that huge building that was on the land. It was filled with children and people, all were worshiping God intensely many on there faces weeping. Then I saw Jesus, he was walking among them. He started touching them, and I could see bondages, sicknesses, and trauma just falling off of them.

Right now this place is a dream, it is a vision that has been started by God him self.

But one day, one day soon Heaven Touching Earth will be a reality and I’m not talking about one location but the Lord has shown me that he is going to place them in four locations around the country. Places that will facilitate his presence to come down. Places where Heaven will touch earth and all who are there will be made whole!!!!

Rwanda prepare your self!! The Glory of the Lord is coming! He is going to bind up the broken hearted, bring recovery of sight to the blind, bring freedom to the captives. He is coming, and all who call on him will be made whole. Oh Rwanda don’t get weary, though it teary wait for it. For it will surly come!!!!

You know what’s scary? What is really scary? To many this is a huge thing but believe me this is just the beginning of the Lords plans. I am forever humbled to think that he is even allowing me to participate in such a thing. Then he tells me that if I want, I can have front row seats… Part of me wants to pack my bags and run. The other part sits and cries out to God. Why me???? What do I have??? What the hell do you see in little old me??

The Lord tells me, “Because you dare to dream with me! The pages of your life are blank and you don’t try to fill them in your self but allow me to write what I want. Now you must trust in me, that what I write, I will make come to pass.”

You know the truth is that Most of the time, I don’t know how to go forward. Yet some how some way the Lord is getting me from step to step, and I stand amazed in his Presence my Jesus the Nazarene.

So at this I bid you a good night, it is late for me now and I am going to get some sleep.
In Kin Rwandan you would say “iroti mana” or “Dream God”