I was looking through my journal last night. The journal my sister Mandy gave me right before I left the country for the very first time, bound for Africa by myself. It seemed appropriate to share the first entry here.
1/06/2002 3:30pm MST
Am in the airport in Denver (DIA)…am a little filled with apprehension about the 16.5 hours of flying ahead of me, and the changeover in London, but the ache in my heart to explore and learn more about this world, God’s world, is too great. The author of small stories would have me believe that things are safer here in the US. He would have me put off adventure and embrace safety and the mundane.
I will not succumb.
Instead I throw off the small meaningless story and embrace the unknown adventure that awaits me as I look to fulfill the role chosen for me in the larger story.
I choose the way of romance and danger!
And with that I left my country forever. Though I’ve physically traveled back and forth many times, my heart never fully returned. It been amazing to see the truth that simple, prayer has borne out in my …
2004 was a year of unrest in Kano, Nigeria. The largely Muslim city-kingdom was infested with Islamic and Christian fighters bent on killing each other (lawlessness continues in Kano today. If you have the stomach for it, read about Kano’s problem with the ritualistic sacrifice of children). It was in this unwelcoming environment that I found myself stuck.
No money. No plane ticket. No friends or guides.
How did I get here?
It all started with a mistake in Amsterdam. Tired from jet-lag and poor sleep and an all-night flight from the US, I left my notebook on the plane. Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem, but I also don’t normally keep my tickets in my notebook either.
Realizing this too late, I found myself already on my connecting flight to Nigeria with no return ticket home.
Two months earlier, when my travel agent was booking the flight, it looked like there was no way to get me out of the country in time to meet my family for vacation in Missouri. And then we saw a KLM flight from Kano. “Let’s take it,” I said without any knowledge of the recent …
24 days.
I leave the United States today for a 24 day jaunt through Asia. Alex and I will be holding 6 Leading Steward’s Courses over the next 3.5 weeks.
Singapore.
Malaysia.
Indonesia.
Three cities in China. Stay tuned for more updates on how we are raising up leaders to turn consumers into contributors in their nations.
Right now I’m in Colorado Springs, short flight to Denver, longer flight to Portland, much longer flight to Tokyo, medium flight to Singapore.
Here we go.
I first met Samuil Petrovski, the Serbian, in a hotel in Jerusalem. I immediately liked him. He had this contagious, effervescent smile and way of carrying himself that was both encouraging to your heart and a call to action all at the same time.
After introducing me to one of his Palestinian friends (The Balkan states have a lot in common with the Jews and the Palestinians), we went around on a tour of Bethlehem. The group of nine of us carried representatives from 8 countries with the one connection being Samuil. When we parted we both made promises of one day visiting each others countries. I had the chance to fulfill that promise on this trip.
In both Belgrade (the capital) and Novi Sad, Andy, Alex and I hosted meetings with many of the key evangelical leaders of the nation.
Samuil and I were both pretty excited to see what the Lord will do here.
[caption id="attachment_45" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="Samuil Petrovski and family"][/caption]
..came in contact with Crown over ten years ago through Larry Burkett’s book, Your Finances in Changing Times. Some secondary publisher translated it into Bulgarian in the late 1990’s. With it began his journey toward financial freedom. When he discovered that Crown was officially coming to his nation, he made sure to attend the catalytic event as well as this Leading Stewards Course.
He is just one example of how God is preparing people ahead of time to champion the cause of stewardship. Join me in praying for Bisser as he works through the course over the next ten weeks. Pray that he is able to make an impact in his nation as he seeks to teach others.
[caption id="attachment_27" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="Bisser and Me"][/caption]
