LOVE* is the movement... This is my story as it unfolds. -Tara Bruce - The World Race 2008

Challenged and Alive.

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Challenged and Alive.

josh.tara on June 26th, 2009

Overwhelmed with thoughts as I ponder what revelation and insight I should share with all of you. Josh and I just completed the World Race in May and after a whirlwind of visiting family and friends, we are now in Spain. Since we arrived we have been more than assured that this is exactly where we are supposed to be right now. My mind is brimming with new understanding and I am completely inspired. We are a living and vibrant church as we live in a deep level of community; feeding each other with encouragement and truth. And, I am constantly being challenged by the leadership and their unconventional wisdom, as old thoughts are shattered and new paradigms emerge.

We had a homework assignment last week where we were asked, "What mountain are you willing to die on?" They shared with us that If you don't know what you would die for than you don't truly live. Now every moment it is completely quiet I find myself pondering that question. I have come up with a rough draft to this answer, but it is exactly that, rough. And, in all honesty I don't have the answer really figured out. Here is what I have come up with so far.

What Mountains am I Prepared to Die on?

God spoke to me many times over the last couple of years that have all led me to this one conclusion. That God's dream is my dream and the mountain I am willing to die on is the mountain of God's dream becoming a reality. I am willing to give up myself wholeheartedly to release thousands of others; awakened and alive into Kingdom living, ruling and reigning with Kingdom authority and power into the entire world. I know that I am called to equip and lead this generation to speak life into all the barren and chaotic places and breath forth the life within. We are the generation that will transform this earth from a place of brokenness and darkness to a place of Grace and God colors. I can see the hope rising from the ashes and God's dream moving forward as an army of united, lovesick worshipers take back dominion over all the earth. I will die to see us win this thing. (Because, guess what WE DO WIN THIS THING. It is just whether we are going to be a part of that generation that decides to break the curse of history and actually go for it!)

Needless to say, being at G42 Leadership school is both challenging and making come even more alive. We ask tough questions and learn from one another. I am being stretched and I am growing immensely. Currently we are learning about the Church and Equipping. It has been great to go back to the roots and truth of scripture and challenge my American paradigm of church once more. I know that when we leave here Josh and I will be equipped, (not having everything figured out) but ready to begin and create as we fall forward in obedience to God's call.

Thoughts to ponder: Ask yourself the same question, "What mountain am I willing to die on?" Or, what are you going to truly live for?

Some pics of Mijas, Spain.

Please follow Josh and I while we are in Spain at G42 Leadership school. Here is a link to the website where we will be posting blogs.

Pregnant.

Sat, 9 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Josh and I are going to be parents. In the same breath God gave and God took away, but as Josh and I know that God is always good and loving, we knew that it was his will. So we chose to rejoice as we sat in the doctors office and heard the news. We got to hear the heartbeat and it had to be the most beautiful sound especially after 12 days of waiting and hoping to hear life. The doctor showed us and explained that I still have a twin pregnancy, but that even though there are two sacs, there is only one embryo, meaning that we will be having one baby a few weeks before Christmas this year. We are 2 months pregnant today! So I guess tomorrow I get to celebrate Mothers Day for the first time. (PS. MOM I love you and Happy Mothers Day - hopefully I will be able to do a comparable job to you. You have been an amazing Mother!)

Our first ultra sound. (this was at 7 weeks and 3 days)

*****THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS, KIND WORDS, AND LOVING SUPPORT!*****

Sibiu Roadtrip

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago we went on a day trip to Sibiu, a city that was named the Cultural Center of Europe in 2007. Yeah, I know I did not expect that in Romania either. The city had clocktowers, cathedrals, arch ways, colorfully painted walls, exquisite doors and cafes. Then we drove to Hunendoara to see Corvin's Castle, a castle from the 1400's. Even though we got lost along the way and were chased by dogs and our car had to come to brieg hault because a horse jumped into the middle of the road, we eventually made it to the fairytale castle. I also took some random shots of the towns along the way.

The city of Sibiu from the top of the clock tower.

Sibiu town square. I love all the cafes and the fountain in the center. You can't see it now, but the pigeons bath in it by lifting up their wings one at a time.

Gorgeous paint chipped walls with cobble stone streets.

I just love the walls painted with such bright and fun colors.

Car door and regular door in one.

Every door and street in Sibiu is colorful

The street lanterns and all the shutters are so typical of Europe.

These are ity bity doors. I am not sure what these doors are used for.

I know sorry, more doors. But, it was door heaven in Sibiu.

This one I took out the window while we were driving through a smaller town on our way to Corvin Castle.

Well, the traffic wasn't too bad except for the occasional buggy, road contruction and horse that jumped in our way.

Traditional Gypsy dress. All the gypsies in town where these lace hemmed bright colored flower skirts. Red seems to be a very popular color as well.

Contrast this woman walking in red in the same city. There is a huge difference in Romanian and Gypsy culture. I have come to love the Gypsies and their incredible sense of community and hospitality. And, I love the Romanians as well. There just totally different.

Driving and Red Trees. All the trees are painted white on the bottom. We have been told conflicting opinions about this. 1. It is because of the bugs. 2. It is because it is Easter, which is when they get repainted. 3. Reflection for the cars, because there are no street lights.

I call these the feather trees, because they look like upside down feathers.

Corvin Castle. I got this informations from a website... Read if you are intersted in the history. If not, just look at the photos. HUNEDOARA is a town situated in South-Western Transylvania, in Cerna Valley in The Poiana Rusci Mountains within the Transylvanian Alps. It is a town with beautiful monuments and a rich past, but also an modern industrial town with a large metal processing factory. It is the most important center in the "Tara Hategului" (Hateg country) also known as the Iron Gates of Transylvania, a region with rich and unique history and traditions. Iron ores have been extracted in the area since the Iron Age and later in the Thracian and Roman times. One inscription discovered in the region by the name of "Corpus Inscriptiorum Latinorum" mentiones a local inhabitant as "natas ibi, ubi ferum nascitur", born "where the iron was born". Mentioned since the 12^th century as a hub for leather tanning and wool processing, the town of Hunedoara became an important iron extracting and processing centers in Transylvania. In the 14^th and 15^th centuries the iron foundries and works were famous for their swords and spears. The first tall industrial furnace for iron extracting was built in 1750 in Toplita, and a later one in Govajdia in 1806. There is also a system of narrow-gauge railway built in the 19^th and 20^th centuries that still runs today through the breath-taking landscape of "Tara Padurenilor" (Woodlanders' country). The town is also known since the 14^th century as the residence of the Corvin family. King Ioannus Corvinus of Hunedoara (Iancu Corvin de Hunedoara) built here in the 14^th century the beautiful gothic style Corvin Castle which still stands today dominating the surrounding town reminding of the powerful rulers that reigned over these lands.

We arrived at the castle late because we were stopped in traffic due to the road being paved. We were determined however to make it to the castle and with Shanda and Josh in charge of navigating we eventually got there after some crazy off roading in our white delu's (small cars). The gaurd was not going to allow us in, but Shanda looked so sad and he ended up waiting for everyone else to leave and then giving us a tour, opening up locked doors and everything. It was just magnificient and looked right out of a fairytale.

One more door photo. But this one is from inside the castle and is an original door from the 1400's. The pic is a little blurry, but I liked it anyway.

Street evangelism

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN BY MY TEAMMATE SHANDA DODD. I really enjoyed our time of street evangelism and worship and got to have an in depth conversation with a man who was totally searching. He kept walking around in circles and watching us from different places and at the end I tracked him down with Stefi, one of our translators. And, you don't see me in any of the pictures because I was taking most of them. Ok, read on to hear Shanda's thoughts of the day.

Even after months of it, I'm still not fond of street evangelism. I'm generally under the opinion that it does more harm than good. People walk by, stare, and think what are these crazy Christians doing? Most people don't take the time to ask what's actually going on, they make a snap judgment and continue on their way. So, as we headed out for a night of street evangelism, I wasn't the most excited person. I know God can move whenever and wherever he wants, regardless of the setting or the people involved, yet I wasn't expecting much from our few hours on the street. But, as usual, because He's simple amazing, God surprised me.

It started out like I expected. We set up downtown in front of the theater and began singing worships songs. Our plan was to praise our Lord and Saviour and then see where He guided us. At first people just walked by, giving us strange looks but not curious enough to approach us. One man even threw a rock at us from across the plaza. I wasn't surprised. But as we continued on, a few people took seats, some right next to us, others as far away as possible within ear shot. And then things began to change...

Daniella spotted us from across the plaza and walked straight up to us asking "What are you doing?" We explained that we were worshiping God. She didn't ask many questions but simply joined in clapping, dancing, and even trying to sing along. We found that she's an eighteen year old Hungarian, Gypsy who's had a very hard life. But in that moment she seemed to let her worries go and relaxed in God's presence.

Gary sat down with some friends and listened to our music. When we finished his friends walked away, but he stayed back. Josh and Feri approached him and began talking. They were able to encourage him to reconnect with his family and challenge him to come back to God.

Moni and Andrada sat halfway across the plaza whispering to each other. When Feri noticed that they were singing along he beckoned them over. They excitedly sat down and continued to clap and sing with us. After we finished, I approached them and found out that they were Christians and both attended a church in town. I have never met young girls so on fire for Christ. They're passion and excitement bubbled over as they expressed their surprise at hearing Christian songs sung in their town square. It was such an encouragement to hear them talk about God transforming their lives and hoping that their fathers would also come to know Jesus.

Julia slowly approached us and sat down nearby. She didn't ask many questions, but just wanted to listen and enjoy the music. She has a religious background but isn't walking with the Lord right now. Kara and Tara were able to talk to, encourage, and pray for her.

While some of us were talking to those who'd chosen to sit nearby, the rest of our group walked around handing out tracks and inviting people to a Friday night coffee house. Some good conversations were had and people were challenged to reevaluate their thoughts on God.

I began that evening with very little joy or excitement and not really sure what to expect. I thought maybe we'd have one of two good conversations, but I was wrong. God showed up in a big way, moving in the hearts of the people both young and old. We were encouraged and in return were able to encourage those around us. Overall it was a wonderful experience and one I'm actually looking forward to repeating again in a few days. Please pray for our next night out on the streets of Targu Mures. Pray for open minds and hearts as well as willing spirits on out side. Pray that our preconceived ideas of street evangelism won't get in the way of God working in miraculous and surprising ways.

Waiting to See if we are Parents.

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The last few days I have been in a state of waiting and praying, in what has seemed like the longest couple of days of my life. You see about 10 days ago Josh and I found out that we were PREGNANT. It was Easter Sunday and we woke up early and took a pregnancy test and immediately there were two lines. We were overjoyed and at the same time flooded with a mix of emotions so we decided to walk into town and sit on one of the park benches in the square. We watched as dad's pushed their little ones in strollers, and moms chased after their children and families walked the streets arm in arm. Josh and I just looked at each other and smiled as tears filled our eyes. We both laid our hands on my belly and prayed for our little one.

Over the next week we kept the secret to ourselves, spending countless hours praying for our baby. During this time God began giving us a new revelation of his love for us. Josh and I were already so radically in love with this little unformed baby that was no bigger than a pea. Our thoughts were constantly filled with hope and love for our baby. We read Psalm 139 and were flooded with emotion as it spoke to us in a deeper way this time, because as God was giving us a supernatural love for our baby, he was reminding us that no matter how much love we think we are pouring out to this little gift that he loves our baby even more, and he loves us more. It gave me a new perspective on the depths of God's love for us, because honestly I can't fathom anyone loving this unborn being more than Josh and I. I was once again reminded that God's love is beyond human understanding and his love is deeper, wider, longer and higher than I can ever imagine and vaster than the sky.

THEN IT HAPPENED.... I started bleeding and I thought I miscarried. I ran into our room and fell hysterically into Josh's arms as we held each other and wept over our child. We were so sad and overwhelmed with heartache. I could not even speak without weeping and eventually decided we needed to go to the doctor to find out what was going on. So we went to the Emergency Room, not because I was in dire danger, but because it is free here in Romania and it was the weekend. After the examination we soon learned that I had a twin pregnancy as well as a huge blood clot. The doctor told us that it was too early to tell exactly, but that there was a huge chance that one baby could absorb the other. He shared that both babies might not make it and that I would have to come back in 10 days when the babies are further along. He said you could have zero, one, or two babies, depending on what happens in the next 10 days.

SO I AM WAITING. It has been 3 days now. And, we have 7 more to go. We are praying all the time for God's will. We want both babies to survive, but more than that we want God's will and we know that he is so GOOD and we know he wants what is best for us. So we pray and we wait. Our trust is completely in the Lord and we can't wait to let everyone know the outcome.

"YOU GIVE AND TAKE AWAY. YOU GIVE AND TAKE AWAY. MY HEART WILL CHOOSE TO SAY, LORD BLESSED BE YOUR NAME."

Language without words

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Touch.

A common language without words loudly echoed in our hearts as we embraced the gypsies. They understood the sense of touch and its meaningful communication. It was so simple yet so significant the way the first gypsy lady I met held onto my arm and gently touched my skin. When I prayed for her she tightly and lovingly gripped my hand as a sign of unspoken friendship. The next gypsy lady kissed my cheek as a beautiful symbol of affection and hospitality. But, the children's language was my favorite -- HUGS. The gypsy children held onto me with everything they had as if they were screaming, "I LOVE YOU!" with each touch. They wrapped their arms around me and I held them tightly trying to tell them with everything in me that I too loved them dearly and they were extremely precious and valuable. One little boy was my absolute favorite and every time we would hug he would look up at me with this grin of pure satisfaction. Touch spoke to their souls much louder than any words could have.

You see in Romania Gypsies and Roma people are considered UNTOUCHABLE. Saying that gypsies have a negative stereotype does not even do it justice. They are persecuted and ridiculed. There are thousands of orphans in Romania and most of them are of Roma / Gypsy decent because poverty has led to an increase in child abandonment (about 40% of the the population is considered poor). The Romanian government has also sadly put a stop on international adoption trying to increase national (in country) adoption. The problem with that is Roma orphans are the least likely to be adopted even after children with disabilities. It is so sad because when you see these Roma / Gypsy children your heart will completely melt as they wrap their little hands around you. They are the most gorgeous children and I want to adopt one -- maybe the government will lift the international adoption ban when it is the right time for Josh and I to adopt.

Romania Photos (so far)

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My favorite gypsy child. His laugh was adorably and look at his beautiful eyes -- they are captivating.

I really just want to take him home with me.

I almost cried as we prayed with the children to receive Jesus into their hearts and this little girl held her

hands out just like this for about 5 minutes, keeping her eyes closed and smiling the entire time.

It was precious!

Every Thursday our team gets to go out and minister to the gypsies in their villages.

We taught the children songs, performed a drama and Josh gave a message.

After the message around 25 adults and children gave their lives to Jesus Christ.

The typical form of transportation for the gypsies is either by horse and buggy or tractor.

In this picture you get to see a typical Gypsy village along with both forms of transportation.

Every house in the village has their own well.

Most of the gypsy homes have a bathtub in their yard.

A beautiful gypsy grandmother. She is actually the grandmother of my favorite gypsy boy pictured above.

This woman kissed us on the cheek as she invited us into her home and we enjoyed singing

worship songs in English and Pastor Zomba and his friend sang some worship songs in

Hungarian and Romanian. The town that we are in is about 50% Hungarian and 50% Romanian.

This is Targu Mures, Romania --the town in which we are living this month. It is beautiful and filled with many domed cathedrals, a castle, the cultural palace, and an old theater. We have really enjoyed working at the YWAM base here doing street evangelism and working alongside the international house of prayer. My favorite little spot in town so far is this place called the Dancing Sheva where they serve coffees, teas, and hot chocolate -- my favorite is the Aztec Chilli Hot Chocolate.

Moldova Student Protest

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Moldova students raid parliament

Students in Moldova have attacked the country's parliament in protest at the victory of the governing Communist Party in Sunday's general election.

Witnesses say crowds poured into the building through smashed ground-floor windows and shortly after hurled furniture out and set it alight.

More than 30 people - both protesters and police officers - have been treated for injuries, medical officials said.

President Vladimir Voronin's office said he would make a statement later.

Tear gas and jets of water were blasted at protesters by security forces defending the parliament building. The presidential office was also attacked.

Representatives of the opposition parties, are among the thousands of mainly young people protesting in the centre of the capital, Chisinau.

They believe the election result was fraudulent.

The mayor of Chisinau, Dorin Chirtoaca, who is deputy head of the opposition Liberal Party, said the protests were justified "because people did not vote for the Communists in such large numbers".

Many Moldovans have taken to the streets against the Communists

The Communists won 50% of votes in the election declared "fair" by observers.

They were followed by the centre-right Liberal Party with almost 13% of the votes, and the Liberal Democratic Party with 12%.

Reports from the country say local television stations are off-air and the national radio station is broadcasting folk music.

No reports about the protest have been included in its radio news bulletins.

Presidential successor

President Vladimir Voronin is expected to step down on Tuesday after two terms in office.

He is barred by the constitution from running for a third term, although he has indicated he wants to remain involved in affairs of state.

Parliament will begin the process of electing his successor on Wednesday. The Communists have the biggest party in the new parliament but not sufficient votes to select the president alone.

If no president is chosen before 8 June, another parliamentary election must be held.

The pro-Western centre-right opposition parties have said they will not join a coalition with the Communists, who favour strong links with both Russia and the European Union.

Mr Voronin's successor will lead the poorest country in Europe, where the average wage is just under $250 (168) a month, and will inherit an unresolved conflict over the breakaway region of Trans-Dniester.

Correspondents say the dispute is reminiscent of the situation in South Ossetia before last summer's war between Georgia and Russia.

The region has run its own affairs, with Moscow's support, since the end of hostilities in a brief war in 1992. Mr Voronin resumed direct talks with Trans-Dniester last year.

Setting the captives FREE

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

***Blog written by Shanda. This was during our month in Malawi and it was incredible the way the Spirit moved through us and allowed us to minister FREEDOM in the hearts of the men and women in the prison by pouring out an abundance of GRACE!

************************************************************************************************************************************************

One Saturday afternoon in Nkhota Kota a few of us had the chance to go into the local prison and preach the gospel. Each of us was able to share a story or message with the hundred or so prisoners that were gathered around listening. Here's a brief version of what we shared...

Ashley -
"Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Luke 17:19

We have all done things to make us unclean', but just by believing, by having faith in Jesus Christ, you can be cleansed.

Tara -
"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."
Luke 15:24

No matter what you have done, God is waiting for you, with arms wide open, all you have to do is return to him.

Josh -
"The end of the matter, all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
Ecclesiastes 12: 13

Josh to the prisoners - "I've made more money in my 25 years than all of you combined. I've worked in the capital of the US, walked past the presidents house on a daily basis, eaten at fancy restaurants and worn expensive clothes. Now, here I am in a Malawian prison with you. There is only one rational reason for this, I've come to the same conclusion as Solomon, nothing matters but God and Jesus. So here I am, in prison to share God's truth with you and as I look out into the crowd I know that despite appearances I am looking at some of the richest men in the world, for nothing is as valuable as knowing and believing in Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior."

Shanda -
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8:32

You may be physically captive in these four walls, but if you believe in Jesus and his truth, you are truly free men.

Pastor Bonix gave an alter call in the middle of our visit resulting in 40+ prisoners coming forward and accepting the Lord. It was an amazing experience. Our time in the prison was one of my favorite ministry days out of the whole race. It was incredible to see God at work in such a dark and hopeless place. We were truly able to live out Isaiah 61...

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
Isaiah 61: 1

G42 VIDEO

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Here is a video of what Josh and I are up to next. If you feel led to support us financially please click this link. And under PROGRAM choose STUDENT SUPPORT and type Josh and Tara Bruce in the field. Love you all!

Falling 200 feet into a gorge

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Check out the action shots of our free fall. Pictures taken by Johnny Pratt.

Here we go! Josh and I begin to fall backwards for the 69 meter plunge into the gorge below. We are in Graskop, South Africa at the BIG SWING conquering our FEAR.

It was an adrenaline rush like no other. Sinking. Sinking. And, you can't see where you are going.

This is when Josh's legs begin to come over my body. We might have already fell the first 100 ft. in one second.

Still falling. Sorry, this one is harder to see, but if you look close you can see us.

This is my favorite one as we drop over the waterfall.

Now you can get a little perpective as the drop is almost over and we are beginning the 89 meter swing over the gorge.

The last one. We are loving it!!!!

I met a man who was RAISED from the DEAD

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I met a man who was RAISED FROM THE DEAD. While we have been in Nelspruit we have been staying next door to Pastor Surpresa, or better known as Pastor Surprise. Pastor Surprise was the one who was there to pray for Francis' miraculous recovery from death. While we were out helping Frank deliver food to the care points he drove us by the property for the orphanage they are working on and Frank introduced us to Francis and he shook our hand. Then, as we were driving back home Frank told us the story of how he was raised from the dead. His wife, Cindy told me that the complete story is in Heidi Baker's book, "Compelled by Love," and so I will share that version of the story here.

Francis Raised from the Dead (page 75-78)
One of my favorite stories about God and His mercy involves one of our pastors whose name is Francis. A few years ago we had a regional conference in South Africa. Our conferences are a little different from Western conferences. All our people sleep outside in the dirt or on the floor of the church.

About 4:00 p.m., Pastor Francis went outside to lock the gate and to quiet a gang who had come there to cause trouble. But the gang jumped on him and beat him severely until he died.

When our Pastor Surpresa called the police, they told him, "We're not coming at this time of night. It's too dangerous there." So he called the hospital. The hospital operator replied, "No, we won't send an ambulance to that neighborhood."

No one even had a car available, so finally, Pastor Surpresa was able to borrow an old car from a friend to bring Pastor Francis's body to the hospital. Everyone was praying as the car had to be push started. The whole church was crying out to heaven; Pastor Francis had been dead for more than an hour.

But at 12:15 a.m., while the church was gathered together praying in one accord, Francis came back to life! His whole face and body were swollen, his clothes were shredded, and he was in excruciating pain. The doctors did not know what to do except to give him morphine for the pain. Before he went to sleep from the medicine, through his broken and swollen lips he said just two words: "Forgive them."

Pastor Surpresa went to the hospital at 6:00 a.m. to visit Francis. Pastor Francis's eyes were swollen shut, he was covered with bruises, and his whole body was swollen. He was a tragic mess, and he could hardly think straight or communicate because his lips were swollen. It looked as though he would take a long time to recover.

Meanwhile, the church kept praying and considering what should be done with the gang if the police caught them. Before long it was agreed that according to what Pastor Francis had said, the church would forgive them.

Later that morning, the police caught one of the gang members. They called the church and asked that someone come and file charges at the police station. Pastor Surpresa told them there was a little problem because the man who had been murdered was no longer dead, and the church decided that no charges would be filed against the gang.

This thoroughly agitated the police, who believed it would only encourage more crime. They wanted to teenager to be jailed for at least eighteen months. But, Pastor Surpresa and the church were firm. They believed that mercy triumphs over justice and forgiveness always wins. So, the boy was forgiven and released into the church's custody.

As soon as the decision was made to forgive the young man, Francis's body was totally healed. After matters with the police were resolved, the hospital also called to ask someone to come and pick up Pastor Francis.

Surpresa went to the hospital and found Francis totally well; he had no swelling, bruising, scars, or problems whatsoever. It was as though he had never been attacked the night before. Patients were not allowed to be released on a Sunday at this hospital because they were watched until Monday. But there was nothing wrong with Francis, so they had no reason to keep him.

The only evidence left from the attack was Francis's clothes. Surpresa had to go out and buy new clothes for him because his clothes were torn to shreds from the beating.

The next morning, Francis himself went to the police station with Surpresa to pick up the teenager. The police were still very angry and said, "Do whatever you want with him."

Remembering Matthew 5:7 - "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" -the entire community decided to respond in the opposite spirit, and they ministered to him with deep love and compassion. Within an hour, the boy gave his heart to Jesus. He has since started studying at our bible college, and he plans to become a pastor.

At our Easter service the same year, Pastor Francis sat on the platform, showing everyone that he indeed was raised from the dead and also about to marry his beloved bride. Rolland and I looked at each other, smiled, and said in agreement, "No one has to preach much. Pastor Francis IS the message!"

Just think about it: Pastor Francis was back from the dead to marry his bride on Resurrection day! What an awesome illustration of what Jesus did for us!

South Africa - Fun photos

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The views in the Drakensberg Mountains are breathtaking. There is farm country all around and these gorgeous peaks surrounding the horizon. On our way driving through the mountains we saw tons of baboons. Farms, Baboons and Mountains all in one place.

This just gives you another picture of the rolling hills and farmland with the mountains in the background.

Windmill we passed everyday while in Nelspruit on our way to pick up food to take to the children at the care points.

Laundry. I just thought this was beautiful.

We went tubing. It was so much fun. The rapids in some parts were pretty big and fast and then in others we just floated. It was really cold water and by the end it started pouring - - my fingers and toes were numb. But, it was a blast and lots of laughter. The other two pictured with us are Ray, who we met in Guatemala and Alta, his friend. The four of us stayed at Ray's family farm.

The view is breathtaking.

Just driving. Another day surrounded by beauty. Check out the sky.

On our 4 hour hour drive from Pretoria to Ray's farm, we stopped at this lookout.

I wanted to roll down the hill.

Reeds at John and Antoinette's farm in Nelspruit. They run the feeding program for hundreds of kids and we helped them pick up and drop off food.

A man trying to dance for money in the middle of the road in Pretoria

The BlouBulls Rugby match was a sight. I got to paint the boys faces. Ray, Ferdi and Josh.

Josh and I at our first Rugby match. There are some serious fans.

We stayed at this house in Pretoria for a couple of days. While we were in Guatemala we met up with the Global Challenge, a missions team from South Africa and we have been able to visit some of the missionaries and stay in their homes. South Africans are extremely hospitable people.

Frank. He is an incredible man from Colorado who left everything to serve the children of South Africa. He runs the food distribution with John and is getting ready to launch an orphanage. This food in the back of his truck goes to feed a couple hundred kids for the week. He makes deliveries to 3 different care points where they teach the children about God and then provide food.

London - photos

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The sites of London.

Tower Bridge at night.

Tower Bridge during the day.

Waterloo Bridge and Big Ben in the background.

BIG BEN.

Big Ben from the side.

Streets of London.

While we were in London our ministry was to share the Love of Christ with the Muslims. London is a very diverse city.

The streets of London are all decorated for the winter holiday season. I loved riding around on the double decker buses as well. And, you can't forget the red telephone booths that lined all the streets.

Palace: Statues and the angels on the gate.

NEW YEARS IN LONDON.

Left:: Shanda and I Right:: Nat dancing

Left:: Nat, Me and Tara Middle:: Jess, Shanda, Josh, Me, Nat, Maithili, Dre Right:: Shanda, Tara and Me

Doors for all sizes.

Coventry. Josh and I went to visit Sue Tandy and had a wonderful time here. This is where Smith Wigglesworth is from.

Another photo at Waterloo Bridge. Do you remember this view from any particular movie?

We were really there.

Palace:: Left:: Changing of the Gaurd Right:: Josh and I in front of the Palace

Statue at the Palace up close

The Covenant

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I would highly recommend all of you read the book I just finished about the covenant called, "The Covenant: God's extraordinary Love for you," by James L. Garlow. In the beginning pages of his book James writes,"Covenant is the foundation of our faith and the epicenter of what we understand about our relationship with God. Upon it is based our understanding of salvation, holiness, healing, worship, deliverance and sanctification.The covenant is truly foundational, and discovering this can be exhilarating - even life changing."After reading his book I totally agree with this statement and I am excited about my newfound understanding of the covenant and it's rich truth.

The Blood Covenant and the 10 steps in making covenant:

1.

Exchange of Robes. This represents a exchange of identity.

2. Exchange of Belts. This represents an exchange of strength and the sharing of strengths or assets.In this stage of the covenant you are agreeing to give the other person everything you have and they are in turn agreeing to giving you everything of theirs.

3. Exchange of Weapons. This symbolizes the exchange of enemies. You agree to protect each other from harm.

4. Sacrifice. At this point in the covenant ceremony an animal would be cut. Life must be given as a sign of an irrevocable contract.

5. Walk of Death. Then each person making the covenant will face one another in an open field.The animal would lay cut in between them. They then would literally walk through the mass of blood in the pattern of a figure 8. One would walk through and come back on the left and the other would come back through, turning toward the right.

6. Mark of the Body. This was represented by the "striking of hands," (wrists) where an incision was cut on their wrists and then they would put their wrists together mingling their blood. Some would even put gunpowder in the wound to make a permanent mark. (Isaiah 49:16)

7. Pronouncement of Blessings and Curses. In the presence of witnesses each person making the covenant would proclaim the blessings for keeping the covenant and the curses for breaking it.This is the symbol of two people entering into oneness.

8. Covenental Meal. Then the two would sit down at a table and share a meal before the crowd of witnesses. Each person would feed the other the first two bites symbolizing, "As you are ingesting me; you are taking me into your life." This is where the tradition of feeding each other the wedding cake at a marriage ceremony comes from.

9. Exchange of Names. In exchanging names your new name now lets others know who your covenant partner is. An example in the bible is when God made a covenant with Abram and changed his name to AbrAHam, adding the "AH" from God's own name to Abram's. "AH" comes from YAH-way, the name of God. The H represents the "breath" or "presence" of God.And, then God from then on calls himself The God of Abraham. They both exchanged names.

10.Exchange of the Oldest Male Child. The final sign of covenant was that their oldest sons would exchange homes to be raised by the other.(Gen 22:1-2, Heb 11:17, Gen 22:4)

Now lets look at theNEW COVENANTmade my Jesus and how it aligns with these steps.It is amazing how God used the traditions of covenantal agreement in that day to reveal the new covenant with his one and only son.

1. Jesus exchanged robes / clothes with us. 2 Cor 5:21 / Phil 2:7-8 Jesus wrapped himself in our robe of flesh and sin and gave us his garments of righteousness.

2. Exchange of Belts. 2 Cor 12:7-10 Grace is God's willingness to unleash His power on our behalf though we don't deserve it. Live with Covenant authority and Power. Jesus came and gave us all of God's assets; we have the same access as Jesus. Everything that was his is now ours.

3. Exchange of Weapons. When Jesus died on the cross he took on our enemy which was DEATH, and we took on God's enemy which is SATAN. 1 Cor 15:55 / Gen 3:15 / Eph 6:10,11 God gave us his armor to fight the enemy.So what are we waiting for?

4. Sacrifice. Hebrews 10:19-20 / Matt 27:50-51 When Jesus took his last breath the veil in the temple split from top to bottom. (This is symbolic of the imagery of the animal sacrifice that would be cut in two) After the breaking of Jesus' flesh believers were no longer be separated from the Holy of Holies.The priests were no longer mediators, but the ultimate mediator had come. We now have direct access to God because of the pure and spotless lamb that shed his blood for us.

5. The walk of death. The scriptures say that if you hold onto your life you will lose it.But, if you lay your life down for Jesus you will gain it. If you pick up your cross and follow Jesus you will die with him. In Baptism you stand before a crowd of witnesses proclaiming Jesus as your Lord and Savior publically. You go into the water, which symbolizes your death to your old self and emerge from the water through Jesus' resurrection life.

6. Mark of the Body. This is shown in the Old Testament as circumcision, but in the New Testament it is circumcision of the heart. Rom 2:28-29

7. Pronouncement of Blessings and Curses. Phil 4:19 / Rom 8:17 We are called heirs of the Kingdom. God gives us all the resources of heaven. There are no curses in the New Testament. God stopped passing on curses with Jesus.He paid the final debt and laid his life down to stop the sin and pain and just brings pure relationship."Jesus became the grand shock absorber, taking on the curses, fury, sickness, and sins of the ages. He absorbed sin and the pain and he died not to pass it on." Gal 3:13-14 Christ became the absorption of curses and the pronouncement of blessings. In Gen 15 God walked between the halves himself because he knew Abraham could not keep the covenant perfectly. Gen 15:17 shows God represented by a smoking oven and a flaming torch, which is Jesus. Jesus is compared to a flame in Rev 1:14, 2:18, and 19:12 Jesus represented and stood in for Abram taking the curse of humanity even then.

8. Covenant Meal. Jesus says, "I am the bread of life." John 6:48, 49-51 Jesus is proclaiming that he is our covenant meal.He is the living bread for us.If we take of him and absorb him we will have life. Without Jesus it is over for us, without him we are dead. But with him we live - really live! I Cor 11 Remembrance of Christ when we drink and eat. We are proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes again when we take of the Lord's Supper, or communion. 1 Cor 11:24-29 The covenant meal is where we first examine ourselves and then remember him.

9. Exchange of Names. Christ - ian (ian = one who is of someone else) We are called Christians, or of Christ. Christ calls himself "son of man" instead of "son of God." He took on our name. And, we took on his name.

10. Exchange of the oldest male child. This is what sealed the agreement. In the Old Testament Abraham went to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. In Abraham's heart his son, Isaac had been dead for 3 days as he had already made the decision to sacrifice him.And, on the third day he was "resurrected" (figuratively speaking). In the New Testament, Jesus actually died and was in the tomb for three days and then he was resurrected. The sacrifice of Jesus is what inaugurated the NEW COVENANT. In Gen 22:4 it says "The covenant has been tested." Now the covenant will stand and is firm because of Jesus. God exchanged his son for us. We are his sons and daughters.

The book does it way better justice than I just did. I highly recommend reading it.

Eddie Sheko THE VIDEO

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

::FINALLY THE VIDEO OF EDDIE SHEKO::

I posted Eddie Sheko's testimony that he wrote for me in a previous blog and finally I have the video done. Actually, I don't know how the heck to edit videos so Josh did it for me. Sorry for the poor quality with the sound. This is a POWERFUL testimony!

VIDEOS

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Here are three totally different videos. One is of our safari and well as a little animal action from our squad. I am of course one of the Giraffe's with the other 6 ft. tall Tara. Yep, two Tara's both the same height. We are Raffe's! Then, there is a video of our day in Swazi where we handed out hundreds of shoes to orphans from different villages. And, then there is a video from the women's retreat where the women at Nsoko poured out their hearts and shared their brave stories. I hope you enjoy watching!

Mozambique Photos

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Everyday in Mozambique we woke up early and stayed up late worshipping God as "Big Paulie" played the guitar and sang

Just another day gathering food for the family

Sitting outside of the old slave houses this woman drinks her morning tea while her husband works in the fields

Off to collect water. She has to walk about an hour to the river and carry it back on her head.

This woman not only is going to fetch water, but gets to carry her baby the entire way. I love the typical way they carry their children. It is so nice to be able to have free hands.

I just loved this beautiful girl. Everyday she wore this blue dress and had a huge smile.

This is a typical house in Mozambique

The road to our house in Maluane

Boys played the roles of Fathers from a young age. On the left the boy is left in charge of his younger brother while eating orange berries soaked in water. These berries were used to make soap. I tasted them and they really did taste like I just put a bar of soap in my mouth. The boy on the right is in charge of cooking the lunch for his family.

Young girls grow up fast as well. This little girl is only 7 years old and she is already playing the mom.

This is the orange berry that they make soap out of and also eat.

Josh and I loved our ministry here in Mozambique. We got to train the church members on how to evangelize, disciple, start small groups, read the bible, and answer important questions that they had. It was a great month of ministry!

Josh was raised up in a seat of honor on our final day of ministry in the church. I got lifted up as well as the women tied a skirt around my waist and carried me above their heads.

These ladies came to our training every single day.

A homeless woman sleeping in Maputo when we went into town. It was about an hour drive to town from our house and we got to see the Indian Ocean.

In every country Josh and I have been leaving our mark with "LOVE WINS" stickers. This one we put on an old rusty gas pump overlooking the farmland. At the end of the race I will post all of the pictures of our stickers.

swaziland photos

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Josh is so great with kids and he is really getting excited about being a Father one day soon.

How precious!

We just shared the gospel with this family as we went around to the homes to take a census for the ministry.

This girl always looked so sad, but she is adorable. I just want her to smile more.

still that serious look on her face.

"I love you... I will also miss you when you are in your country my friend. I think I got my mom now if it is you. I can trust you always. You are my lucky from God friend."
These words were written to me in a letter from this beautiful girl named Fisiwe who has stolen my heart. Her mother left her after she was born and was infected with AIDS and her father died of AIDS. She is now living with her Gogo (Grandmother). She is 14 and is craving affection from a mom. In her letter she asked if I would be her mom and after talking to Pastor Gift I am able to tell her YES. I am not saying I am taking her home with me, but that I will serve as a mom to her by sending her letters and being a part of her life. I am so excited to see how God will use his beautiful daughter to impact His kingdom in Swaziland.

My Swazi daughter, Fisiwe, is on the right.

Beautiful children. It is so sad to see that most of the middle aged have died off due to AIDS. All you see all around you is children and Gogo's (grandma's) This country is dying if something does not change.

Eating time. All the orphans come together and eat maize meal porridge.

As you look around most of the children's shoes are completely worn out. On one of the last days of our vision trip at Nosoko we got to wash all the children's feet and give them new shoes. It was a wonderful day and the kids were overjoyed to have brand new nike's. I think we gave over 300 children new shoes.

One of the Gogo's.

Sisters.

The bellybutton is a phenomena I don't understand.

Children should get to be children. Sliding at the Nosoko project.

Eating Maize and Beans.

I just loved her pink sparkly dress.

This man practiced Mooti, or witchcraft and beleived that he would DIE if he removed these bracelets. I told him that only Jesus had the power to heal him and that those bracelets were nothing but a manmade object with no power. But, he refused to take them off. Witchcraft and demonic are a huge part of the culture here that needs to be broken.

The man again with his bracelets.

A typical Swazi homestead.

Malawi Photos

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This woman is absolutely gorgeous. Do you see that string tied around her neck? In Nkhotakota, Malawi they believe in traditional healing and witchcraft. This woman has neck, back and head pain and she believes that by tying this piece of grass around her neck, she will be healed.

On one of the Sunday's we were in Malawi we got to witness an Anglican Commissioning Service.

Everyone from small to old carried water and food and plenty of other things on their heads.

One thing that is definitely different about Malawi is the use of bricks. Almost all of the homes we saw were made of brick, unlike all of the other countries in Africa where most of the homes are made out of clay and sticks and metal.

Most of you know by now that I love doors. This house sits in a completely Muslim village. This is the village where Eddie Sheko's family lives. This is the village that he now has favor in because of his testimony and devotion to Christ. (It is amazing that he has such respect in a community that is 100 percent Muslim and at one time tried to kill him)

One thing you learn quickly after arriving in Nkhotakota, Malawi is that there are many Rasta's who want to sell you their handicrafts. This is "Gift" and he and I sat and talked about Jesus even while he was completely high. Apparently, this town is known for having the best marijuana in the world - Malawian Gold is what they call it. Josh and I spent time sharing the gospel and the love of Christ with Gift during out time in Malawi.

The two green buckets hold the families water for the day. They go to the well and fill them up each day.

I just love all of the colors on the wall. The houses had alot of character with all the layers and layers of paint.

In 2002 I took my first mission trip to Tanzania and ended up ministering to Muslims on the island of Zanzibar. While I was there I learned the history of the slave trade and visited the old slave quarters and went in David Livingstone's church. David Livingstone was the first missionary to Africa and not only did he share the love of Christ, but he set people free from the slave trade. So, when I went to Malawi I found out that David Livingstone also had come to Nkhotakota to end the slave trade. The slaves were taken from Nkhotakota up Lake Malawi and eventually to Zanzibar where they would be traded and sent overseas. In Nkhotakota during the time of the slave trade you had two options. Either you could become a Muslim, or you would be sold as a slave. As you can see on the sign above, David Livingstone met under the tree on the left with Jumbe, who was running the slave trade, and they made a treaty to officially end the slave trade. This also enabled Christianity to be spread once again to this area as men and women were no longer forced to believe in Islam. However, Nkhotakota is still largely a Muslim area. *I love how God put the pieces together from my first mission trip to Africa and this one, revealing more of the history of the salve trade. It is amazing how one man and his love for God and the people of Africa was able to set so many people free.

The women were always working in the fields, or at home pounding the maize to make flour. I admire these women.

Working in the rice fields.

The scarecrow that stood watch over the cornfields.

Everyone carried umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. But, one other fascinating thing about the fact that everyone carried umbrellas is that when David Livingstone made the treaty with Jumbe to end the slave trade he gave Jumbe an umbrella as a symbol of their agreement. So everytime I saw an umbrella I was reminded of how God set his people free in this community.

This was the view from Satima Inn, a sacred place for Josh and I when we were in Malawi. Although it was an hour walk from our house, we would come and sit at the restaurant and order coffee and amazing food while enjoying the beautiful view. The dock in the picture used to be the dock where the slaves were sold and loaded onto the boats. I love looking at the lake and seeing that the dock in no longer in use.

Craving Comfort over God

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Craving Comfort over God

I realized I was craving comfort over God. I hit a breaking point and instead of my usual self, you know the happy go-lucky, everything is always peachy all the time me, I just couldn't take it anymore. Let me just paint the scene for you. I am laying in my tent after just taking a shower and still I am dirty, from the walk back to my tent and of course it is only 7am and I am sweating while children stare at me, watching my every move. A chicken just landed on my tent, yep, you read that right, and it definitely startled me. Oh, and get this, as I looked out of my tent I thought a huge storm cloud was coming, but nope, it was a swarm of flies so dense that until I began to see the flies landing all around me I would not of believed that it was not a cloud. It seriously reminded me of one of the plagues in the bible; swarms of locusts like ravaging armies. So I lay back down in my tent not wanting to be covered in tiny flies. I felt trapped, confined, and walled in, annoyed that my personal space was still being invaded by piercing eyes. I was tired of being the spectacle and of being pointed at and basically called, "white face" and asked questions like, "Give me money, give me bottle, give me pen!" I was bored of the repetitive meal of rice, seema (corn maize meal), and pumpkin leaves.

I wanted familiarity, silence, a hot bath, a place to get away and relax, a clean and sacred space. Everything I kept imagining was completely white; white pillows, a big comfortable white feather duvet, a white bath-tub, and all in a white room. I just lay there in my tent on the hard ground drowning in my own sweat wishing that I could escape to the beautiful imaginary made up places in my mind. But as I cried out to God, it hit me hard that the comfort I was seeking was distracting me from the present obedience I was called here for. I was craving comfort over God.

I knew God called me here. I knew that God spoke to me about coming to Malawi when I was in Guatemala and at that time it was not even on our race route, but I was utterly worn out and depleted physically and emotionally. I needed God to sustain me so that I could persevere in obedience. I absolutely had nothing left of my own to give, or offer. So I wept and cried out to God; longing for him and craving for him to be near. I had reached a tipping point where all of me was spilled out and all that was left was the sustaining strength of God.

As I felt myself disintegrating into nothingness at the same time I felt a sense of peace like I have never felt before come over me. And, in that same instant I began to sing the worship song out loud, "This is the day, this is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it and be glad in it." How I went from utter deprivation to complete peace and serenity and joy can only be explained by the mystery and power of God. This was the peace that Paul talked about in Philippians 4:4-7,11-13

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus....for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty of in want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

As I read this verse I laughed. It is so like God to show me the depths of this verse and to put this song in my mouth before taking me to read his word, just to confirm his truth. And, at the end of the day I was once again left CRAVING GOD OVER COMFORT. God was teaching me contentment and deeper DEPENDENCY. And, this is just the beginning of a deeper journey and pilgrimage of utter dependency on God.

Lesson learned: I would rather be obedient than comfortable.

Reaping the Harvest; Eating the Harvest

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

19 saved and eating corn...by the end of the 3 weeks over 250 people came to know the Lord!

Josh, Shanda and I set out with Bonax to share the gospel in the Chipatu village, a prominently Muslim village. At the first place we came to Josh began to share the gospel by drawing the "Bridge to Life" diagram in the dirt with a stick, explaining the four part gospel from creation to restoration. At the end of his presentation four people accepted the Lord. (Mulumgu Alimekezeke! - Praise the Lord in Chechewa) Then we meandered through the cornfields to another house.

Maria was so happy after accepting Jesus. Look at her on the right with her husband smiling.

At the next house Shanda shared the gospel and a woman named Maria and her son. While Maria listened to the gospel she was making Kassava flour, which is a very heavy flour used to make seema, or a stiff like porridge. Both Maria and her son accepted the Lord as their personal savior. Then Shanda and I asked Maria if she would teach us how to make the Kassava flour.

How to make Kassava flour:

1.    Cut the Kassava plant.
2.    Soak the root in water
3.    Roll pieces of the root in your hand until the soft pieces are separated from the hard bits.
4.    Sprinkle the soft pieces over a tarp on the ground to dry in the sun
5.    Place the hard bits in a separate pile

6. Then grind the dried soft pieces into a powder

*then to cook it you just add boiling water and stir like oatmeal, but be careful this stuff sticks to your ribs for days.

Maria was so delighted that we wanted to help her and she was filled with joy that we came to her home to share the gospel, that before we left she gave us some roasted corn. We ate our corn as we walked to the next house and I was reminded of the harvest in the scriptures and how us eating the fruit of the harvest (the corn) was symbolic of the fruit God just harvested spiritually (Maria and her son).

So we continued sharing the gospel and at the end of the day 19 people had accepted the Lord. But, that is not all, the Harvest continued that evening as over 80 people came forward to receive the Lord after watching the Jesus Film.

Josh praying as 13 people accepted Jesus into their heart.

The next day we went to the Kassamba village and God used me to lead a man named Stanley to the Lord (see Josh's blog). And, that evening 19 women, over 30 children and teenagers and over 20 men accepted Jesus into their hearts after watching the Jesus Film.

Stanley was a prodical son, but he came home to the Lord! He is the one in front of Josh

And, the Harvest continued every single day. God was reaping the harvest and I am so thankful and privileged that God used us to bring his children home to him. In the end the total of new believers in Nkhotakota was over 250. I know it is not about the numbers, but I just wanted you to understand how ripe the harvest is here and how eager and ready people are for the truth of Jesus Christ.

Counting the cost to the point of death.

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The testimony of Edward Sheko written by Eddie himself. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did. I am working on a video as well and should have that posted in a couple of days.

I was born of influential Muslim parents; I was almost killed for believing in Jesus Christ in May 1982. My grandparents were associated with Arab slave traders in Malawi. These Arabs were Muslims. Thus my grandparents were among the pioneers of Islamic religion in Malawi. Our village is Islamic and my family is a Muslim family.

From the age of 7 my Uncle began preparing me intensively for active participation in the Muslim religion, he trained me in the principles of the Islamic faith and taught me the practices of Muslim propagation. All of the training was based on refuting the claims of Christianity, by pointing to assumed errors of the Bible and it's teachings. I was instructed that there were over 50,000 errors in the Bible.

Naturally I became so committed to the anti Christian religion. In 1976 I was placed in the actual work. I joined the Islamic movement whose goal was to confuse Christians, especially in their meetings. This movement brought me into frequent contact with Christian workers, especially freelance evangelists and consequently I became skilled in presenting my arguments against Christianity and its book the Bible. Many Christians became aware of my influence and began praying for me. Though I was committed to the Islamic Faith I did the opposite of its claims. I was doing magic, witchcraft, drinking beer, smoking, involved in sexual immorality, fought with people, robbed and many others. I saw these indignities as help in my aggressive approach to Muslim propagation. It was a total (though blind) commitment.

The turning point came in 1982. My Uncle just returned from his trip to Mecca and I was invited to a Christian meeting. I proudly accepted and I was ready to fire confusing questions at these Christians about their Bible. I sat at the back row. The gospel was preached and this time I heard it differently. It was so powerful that I began paying attention and I miraculously moved forward and knelt in front of the preacher. The preacher however, did not care about me, because he thought I was there to start opposition. But, the Lord had touched me within. The word convinced me and the Spirit convicted me. I was a rebellious sinner. There and then my life was transformed and I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and the Lord on my life. I stopped fighting against God. The peace of God subdued my worries. How it happened is God's mystery.

When news of my conversion reached our Islamic village, Satan stirred the hearts of all my relatives to attack me. I was severely beaten by my uncle to the point that I fainted. The next three weeks I was again severely beaten and fainted three times by the elders led by my uncle. He was the first man to beat me. He beat me heavily with his walking stick to the point of death in his house. He then ordered that all my clothes, schoolbooks and papers be burnt. He also ordered to take me to the circumcision camp. I was already circumcised but this time it was to subject me to great pain so that I could renounce Jesus Christ, the Bible and my new found faith in Christ. They tied my hands and my feet and with a big pole carried my body to the camp. There I was tied upside down to a tree and I stayed hanging there head down, five feet above the ground, for the whole day. This was repeated for the next six days. They rubbed substances all over my body and I was brutally beaten for three weeks, fainting three times in the process. When my uncle saw that I was determined to die as a Christian, but never to live as a Muslim, he ordered for my release.

Commitment to the evangelical faith in Christ resulted in being disowned as a member of my family and my village. I was ordered to leave the village. During this time Christian brothers opened their homes to me. They took care of me spiritually, physically, paying my school fees and involved me in Christian fellowship where I was asked to share my testimony to them and other Christians. Many were convicted and challenged. In April 1984 is when I was baptized in a Baptist Church in water at a public testimony of my faith.

I am now serving the Lord as Pastor - Evangelist and pioneer worker among Muslim people in my area. The majority of the people that I work among are Muslims, the youth and prisoners in jails in the rural area. In my ministry I hold open-air meeting, conduct door to door visitation, distribute gospel tracts among the lost and reach many people with the word of God through Crusades. At the Crusades many people who are sick are being healed and delivered from the bondage of the devil. Through prayer my goal and vision is to plant churches among the Muslim villages and to serve the youth and prisoners in the jail. Please pray for me that I will fulfill God's plan to expand His kingdom. Pray for me as they are still hunting for my life. But, God our father is still protecting me. Romans 15:20 and Isaiah 54:17 are two verses that really minister to me. God is always great. I praise him for he is always faithful. I am now ready and prepared to work with those who are ready to do the mission of reaching the unreached, church planting and rural evangelism.

May God bless you as you read this testimony and pray for the expansion of the great commission of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
In Christ - Eddie Sheko

Salvation. Healing. Deliverance.

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Revival. Salvation. Healing. Deliverance.

This is Africa! Or, as we are calling it, "TIA." The revival was my favorite night of the whole race so far. Friday night was a culmination of fulfilled prophecies, salvation, healings, deliverance, worship and dancing.

God spoke this event into existence during one of our 7am intercession times as four of us sat on the front porch and God gave me a specific vision. One was of four tent posts and four representatives taking the tent posts and expanding the tent in all four directions as the cross was holding up the center of the tent. I knew immediately that we were supposed to call all the churches together to unite in worship. So, I asked our head contact, Lazarus, if we could have a revival and invite all the churches to come together on Friday night. He contacted all the pastors and the event was scheduled.

Revival.

Let me set the scene. (since I was too busy experiencing everything to stop and take a photo) . The stars in the sky could almost explain the night by themselves as they echoed down God's glory and magnificence from heaven. The stars were sprinkled everywhere as if the cosmos were crying out in a marvelous spectrum of shining lights. Over 200 people gathered around as the sound of guitars and beautiful angelic voices filled the atmosphere. As the songs reverberated throughout the area people began to dance and a young lady grabbed my hand and swept me into the whirlwind of dancing. Then a little girl took my hand and led me to the circle that was forming as I tried to mimic the African style dance, shuffling my feet in an ambiotic drum-like rythmn, bending over at the hips and moving my arms in synchronization. I looked around me smiling taking pictures in my mind not wanting to forget the joy that flowed like waves crashing over us encompassing each person. God's presence billowed and overflowed sweeping us away with his magnetic current of love. The dancing continued as the songs marched on to the throne room of heaven.
Then, Lazarus announced that each church would take a turn performing a worship song and dance that they prepared. One after another groups got up and worshipped the Lord. While this was going on one lady could not contain herself and stood up in the front of the audience moving her body with the joy of the wind. Her body swayed and moved and twirled, her arms weaving through the air outstretched, feeling God's presence blow around her. I wanted to watch the dance that was prepared, but I couldn't take my eyes of this woman whose smile brimmed across her face so brightly it was piercing the darkness. My stare was interrupted as I was called up front along with a few others to lead a worship song and dance in Shangan, the local language. Oh, they loved it and laughed for joy as we sang a song they all knew very well. "Hi thlanguela heyova amen, alulamile. khassi hena ani kuma kwini a kuma la, ani sussa la, a ni veka la, a ni hisa le ale, alulamile."

Salvation.

Then, Josh, fulfilling a prophecy spoken over him in Guatemala, was given a platform to speak to the large crowd. And, there he was speaking so powerfully and boldly as he proclaimed the word of God with such understanding, compassion and love. I watched him with a deep understanding of his gift of preaching as he allowed God to speak every word as he was just the mouthpiece. The gospel was shared in a way that completely resonated with them. Then Sara came forward to give the altar call using the story of the prodigal son calling the lost home to God. It was a beautiful moment as four people came forward to receive salvation and we lovingly embraced them as our new sisters and brothers in Christ.
Healing.
Then we prayed for those who needed physical healing and around 40 people came forward for prayer. It was interesting as Natalie, Pamela and I all felt called to pray for the same lady, but Natalie reached her first so I began praying for the man on the left and Pamela the man on the right. Once I finished praying for the man he opened his eyes and smiled at me and walked away. So I joined Natalie in praying for the woman, but was startled by the high-pitched animal like barking noises that came from the man Pamela was praying for. Then Brian and a few others joined as we all layed hands and prayed for deliverance of these evil spirits and also for his back that was in physical pain. Eventually the man began to cry and a peace and silence fell over him and the noises quieted and turned to yawns. After he walked away we continued praying for the woman and heat was flowing down her spine as God was healing her and restoring her. We hugged her and she smiled and walked away.
Deliverance.
Then we prayed for those who needed spiritual healing. This was intense. About 20 people stepped forward, but these two who had stood out to me since the beginning of the night stepped forward together. There was lifelessness and a haunting presence you could not escape as you looked into their eyes. I went boldly to pray for the woman and as I layed my hand on her I was shocked with an immense amount of fear and it struck my whole body numb. I immediately turned around and went to get someone else to pray for her with me. I grabbed Vashta and Ferdi overheard what I encountered and joined me. Then the three of us began praying for this woman to be delivered. Ferdi began praying the blood of Jesus over her and I knew I needed to pray over her eyes, because of the spirits that were haunting her vision. As soon as I touched her eyes she began convulsing and her face changed immediately. She began opening her mouth and gasping for air and opening her eyes really big and then closing them again and holding her breath. I prayed that she would be set free and that the spirits would leave in Jesus name. Ferdi's prayers became loud and powerful at the same time that she began gasping for air in a consistent breathing pattern. It was as if she was drowning and just reached the surface, breaking through the darkness into the light. She began taking in as much fresh air as possible. She had no idea what we were praying in her mind, but the power of God in us reacted with her spirit in such a powerful way that her body reacted and she was set free from drowning in the darkness. After she was free we had Solomon translate as I told her that God directed me to pray for her eyes because I felt like evil spirits were torturing her. She told Solomon that she had problems with her eyes recently where she would see complete darkness.
We continued the night by praying for the leadership in the community as well as praying for all of the children, who would become the future leaders of this community.
The next day Lazarus shared with me how this event was buzzing throughout the village. Everyone was talking about it. It was the first time this community had ever experienced unity amongst all the churches and the first time they had ever all come together to worship God. He said that people were saying, "We have seen the face of God shine down on us. We know the power and truth of God's love to send us these white people to come and unite all the churches together, reminding us that we all worship the same God. We saw God's power manifest in salvation, healing and deliverance."

The million man death minus 1

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Santos. His name means "HOLY"
After our first day of training at our church, Josh and I were on our way home, as we ran into Ali and Krystle walking home as well. We began sharing amazing stories about our churches and how excited we were about teaching them to share their story and God's story. As we were talking I noticed a man in agony sitting outside of his home on a mat holding his head in his hands. I looked back at him and knew we needed to pray for him. Lazarus translated and we found out that he had a severe headache and was dizzy. I immediately knew that he had Malaria. We all knelt down and layed hands on him, praying for healing. He said he felt better and we all smiled and praised the Lord.
Then Krystle started asking questions about Jesus, trying to find out if he was a believer. He said that he knew about Jesus, but that he did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. We then explained the gospel and he said that he was ready to receive Jesus into his heart. He repeated Krystle as she led him in a prayer. After he accepted Jesus into his heart as his Lord and Savior, we prayed for him to be healed once again. Now, he was healed spiritually and physically.
The next day I saw him with Lazarus and I asked him how he was feeling. He said that God healed him of Malaria. He smiled this huge grin and put his hands together as if praying and bowed at me as a non-verbal way of saying, "thank you and praise the Lord." I returned his smile and praised God because this man knew God's love for him not only in sending Jesus to die for him, but also in a tangible and real way. He knew that God saved him and that God healed him.

SPEAKERS CORNER

Mon, 5 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Speakers Corner

Speakers Corner is a battlefield of the mind. This is a place like no other located on the North East corner of Hyde Park in Central London. This is a place where freedom of the speech thrives; words fly out of mouths from ladders soaring across the vastness of people as men stand on their perch hoping someone will listen to their song. Men and women can talk on any topic of choice, but it seems like the conversation is always the same. Every Sunday evening a battle ensues where two religions collide; Islam and Christianity. It is the only open air forum of it's kind where Muslims and Christians debate as hundreds of people crowd around to listen and begin conversations of their own.

One thing I loved about this place was that even though it was a war of words and a battle for truth, there was a mutual love and respect for one another. (Atleast in the conversations I encountered) Over the last couple of weeks we have learned so much on Islam and were able to put our learning into practice starting conversations with people we encountered on the streets of London as well as getting into debates at Speakers Corner. Josh even got to get up on the ladder and spoke to a large crowd while I prayed for him. I have a deep passion for Muslims, longing for them to know the truth of God's love for through Jesus Christ the Savior.

This last week we went to Speakers Corner for the third and final time and this time I learned about how Speakers Corner became what it is today. Amongst all the noise and voices yelling from the ladders I noticed this girl with silver duct tape over her mouth and a sign over her neck and I was immediately intrigued. What a brilliant idea to speak with the written word since competing over the voices was such a difficult task. The creativity drew me in as I began to read page after page about TYBURN where we were standing. This exact place used to be outside of the city walls and was the place where people were hung and allowed to give their last and final words; their dying confessions. So now instead of our final declarations that same spot is now a place where people have the freedom to speak their mind without any hindrance.

I AM SECOND

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ok, so I know that I need to write a personal blog and I have a couple in the works, but you have to check this out. It is a website of testimonies of people proclaiming they are now Second to God. I am Second is the campaign. Check out the website and then listen to these three testimonies first. Brian Welch, Chris Plekenpol, and Josh Hamilton. You mighty cry. Our God is Ah - Mazing!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Happy Christmas to all of our family, friends and supporters. Watch the video. WARNING they did not let us reshoot the video and Katie hunted us down and shot it on th

Update

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Josh and I need your prayers. We have some huge things we need you to lift up in prayer. If you read my last blog you found out that I am in a place of complete surrender and contentment. Well I believe that is being tested by our house situation.

1. Our house: We had a renter who signed a lease for a year, but is breaking the lease as of the end of this month. We are not sure if she is planning to fulfill her lease agreement as she has not communicated with us, but only has informed Wayne and Eileen Bruce, our power of attorney, that she is moving out. Josh and I were already losing $460.00 a month and now if she does not pay the rent, we will be losing $1460.00 per month until we find a new renter / buyer. We know we could fight for the rent owed us until the lease it up, but are praying and hoping it does not come to those terms. We know that God is working and moving in this situation. It could potentially work out better if we have a renter/buyer soon, because we are planning on going to Spain for 6 months directly after the race. Pray for God's provision and Josh and I know that we have to just completely trust him in this time as we are unable to do anything half way across the world. A good reminder that we are not in control, but HE is.

2. Spain: If you click on Spain, you will see the g42 Leadership Academy that Josh and I feel that the Lord is calling us to after the World Race is over. It is an incredible opportunity to soak up wisdom and to be equipped to go out and live the dream that God has called us to. We will be sending out more information about this opportunity in the near future. To give a end of year donation to help us raise our support for Spain, please click here. We need to raise 12,000 dollars. Monies can be given to us through our AIM account.

3. My sister, Janelle, is pregnant. Pray for her and the health of her baby that is due June 27th! Yeay, I am going to be an Aunt.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

waking up to seeing my own breath

Fri, 5 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This morning I woke up with this deep level of contentment, an internal bliss superseded by emotion. It was a morning of releasing my own rights, and truly letting go of myself, once more relinquishing my plans to the Lord. I died again this morning and awoke in a euphoric blissful state of being. It was easier this time to take a deep breath and let everything go. I felt maybe for the first time in my life I actaully did let go of everything, not just in words but in the truest places of my soul. I am free and mostly free from myself.

I am sitting here gazing out the window at the cold crisp air and the leaveless trees, sipping tea with milk and sugar, watching the steam rise off of the glass mug. The chair I am sitting in is cozy like one you would sit in at your grandma's house, pink uphoulstered cushions surrounded by dark wood. I am chatting with my amazing name twin sister, Tara and Josh as we eat our breakfast and I am sharing with them my new revelation. Somehow the conversation just flows to deep places and it is easy, not forced or contrived. It is in this moment that I just embrace my mornings revelation and smile somewhere underneath my skin as contenment overwhelms my being and joy encompasses me entirely.

I am thankful that God brought me here, to London, as well as to this place of bliss beyond emotion. You see God prepared me for this day while we were in Bangkok, stranded for a week. Most days I spent time sitting on the roof talking to God while I focused on the way the wind blew the tall stalks of grass in the distance. God spoke to me as I leaned over the rooftop watching the grass blow and dance across the earth. He spoke to me about perpective and how our whole life we spend looking at everything through the same lens, the same angle, never changing our paradigms, or perspecitves. But, what if the mystery lies in seeing those blades of grass dancing from a new angle? What if I could fly like a bird, what would the blades of grass be speaking then? Would I see an artistic masterpiece that I was previously blinded to because I did not shift my position.

God continued to speak to me through the grass as it blew in the wind and another question filled my mind. What if you spent your whole life resisting the wind from blowing you over? You would be so focused on not moving, not bending, that you would never receive and become what you were intended to become. And, more than that you would block the wind from blowing the other blades of grass behind you, therefore, hindering them to receive. I stood there imaginging myself blowing in the wind comletely letting go of any area I was trying to control, or hold on to. I was learning to BE and to be content in BEING.

Just days later we heard the news that we would no longer be heading to Africa, but to London. Now, prior to this new sense of contentment and trust I would have been frustrated, probably cried out of my own selfish ambition. Why? Because, I love Africa and in the past that has been a place where I have come ALIVE. So, the anticipation of going back to Africa was in the forefront of my mind. However, when I heard the news I rejoiced as I found out we were heading to London. It was this new perspective that changed me and allowed me to see the mystery of it all. Instead of being upset that we would be spending less time in Africa, I embraced it and was truly thankful for the change even though I did not undertand it. I did understand one thing, the wind was much more involved and the current was taking me under it's beautiful spell.

So now I am in London watching my own breath dissipate into the air as my fingers and toes once again know what cold feels like. I don't normally like the cold. What is happening to me? And, I smile at the thought of this question. Because the answer is I am blowing. I am no longer holding on to these things that I thought defined me. I am no longer who I once thought I was, or who I have tried to make myself be. I am what I am, letting the wind engulf all of me in this magical overtaking of enchantment.