On the Road Again
It’s butterfly season! And I don’t just mean because it’s spring. We have butterflies in our stomachs as one of the Mandate team steps out into literally unknown territory this week. Most can relate to a sense of irritation or feeling flustered when plans change at the last minute. The trip that begins tomorrow has been a change of plans from the start. A divine interruption.
It all began when Mandate was invited to visit local businesses in restricted areas in two countries. Our excitement multiplied when plans changed and Mandate was asked to lead a training for local professionals. This training then evolved into a nine-days-on-a-bus tour in a whirlwind attempt to cover as much ground as possible. The final twist came only days before departure. A meeting had been arranged for members of the persecuted church in the area! Upon hearing about the development, all of us on staff were hit with a wave of awe and humility.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself there. A packed bus on rough roads making slow progress through meandering mountain paths. You make another stop, see another piece of this untouched area, get connected with its leaders, plant seeds for future partnerships, and load back onto the bus for the remaining nine days aboard. The last day you’re exhausted. Your legs have gone numb from the bumps and hours of the rough ride. But then you see it. One after another, people are assembling. People who have been persecuted for their faith. Just imagining the stories behind their wearied faces is too much to wrap one’s mind around. Yet there is still a joy. They hunger for even more of this God for whom they have risked everything. Their hungry eyes wait for what you’ll say…
Like a cliffhanger in a story, you’ll have to wait for the actual accounts of this amazing trip. We seized this open door, but more and more are opening each day. It’s our prayer and firm belief that God will supply our ministry fund with precisely what we need for doing the business He has called us to do in the places that He calls us to go. You may not be on a two week bus trip through the backroads of Asia, but you too can be a part of this. By donating any amount, like planting a seed, you’ll get to watch it grow. This is not a donation where the money disappears and you wonder what happened with it. This specific project is going to be reported on beginning at the end of next month. Ask God if you’re being called to sow into this trip. Then WATCH our blog to SEE what He will do with your obedience.
(To donate go to www.gomandate.org/donate)