A hop, skip, and plane ride to Bulgaria

During the first week of April, Katie and I (a girl I work with) traveled to Bulgaria for a week long missions trip. The trips focus was to encourage, pray for, and help in practical ways a team of long term missionaries who are there. On the first day we cleaned the grounds of the facility and also spring cleaned the inside of the building. This was a good way to get to know the team members and hear their heart for Bulgaria.

On the second day we went to a nearby gypsy village and played with the kids. (Gypsies are the outcasts of Europe, like how the lepers are outcasts of India. Society wants nothing to do with them.) After playing all day and loving on the kids, we went to the Christian church in their village. There were more than 200 people there (not including the children)! After the intense worship service followed by the message, the pastor asked our team go up front and pray for anyone who wanted prayer. So here there we were

London 2012

“Mind the doors. Ladies and gentlemen please mind the doors. Mind the doors… If you DO NOT mind the doors it will cause delays. So PLEASE MIND THE DOORS. THANK YOU!!” Firmly yells the conductor as the underground is ready to close the doors and take off for the next destination. Walking into the train was like walking into a sauna. It was normal to be squeezed on the train like a sardine. You were lucky if you only had to travel for one stop, but if you traveled a good distance you quickly learned how to sweep the seat of someone getting off.

The chaos of people, the beauty of culture, the luxury of the presence of God, and the willingness to do anything is what made London unforgettable! London was the perfect atmosphere to see God do miracles, and miracles he did do.

My first few days in London God was teaching me, “Moriah, if you do not ‘do’ anything this trip, will you still love on me?” This was a thought-provoking question. when one goes on outreach they tend to expect to do something physically, to bring change in a noticeable way. Therefore, to be on outreach and have the opposite expectation- physically doing nothing- was a challenge to accept. So one night I went

Access Denied

The Ryanair trumpets sounded, giving the passengers the announcement of yet another on time flight. We made it to the United Kingdom safe and sound. In about three hours we would finally meet up with the rest of the team. No problem getting through customs. Or so we thought…

Ash and I walked up to the counter, handed the gentleman our passports, and answered his questions to why we came to the UK. Then his questions became very detailed. We struggled to explain to the man our occupation, being missionaries, and then explain that we do not get paid (like in a typical job). It seemed quite obvious that he was suspicious of who we were when he said in his strong English accent, “Right. Well, I wrote down your answers and I will hand this over to the chief and have him look at your case. Have a seat over there and we will get back with you.” Ash and I looked at each other with a hunch we would be here a while. We took our seats and waited, and waited, and waited… and then finally we were greeted by two Immigration officers, “Ash and Moriah? Yes, we have some further questions for you. Please come with us.”

They escorted us

Intimacy- Jonathan David Hesler

If I were to sum up the past few months and what God taught me, this is what it would be:

We are called to intimacy with God. To know him, to love him, to be in love with him, and to abide in him. We were made for intimacy with him. Out of the depth of our relationship with God flows our prayers, our passions, the fruits of our labor, and love for one another. This is so simple, and yet it is overlooked and hard to grasp. It is because God’s love for us is incomprehensible- the depth of it is unending. When we begin to dive into God, letting go of all hindrances and break down our walls of pride, we begin to experience the fulness of God. Out of the fullness of God in our lives flows the heart of God through us, and then our prayer life becomes radically and dangerously set on fire.

Pressing onward…

Today I was faced with some interesting questions from God, “When all the people you know are gone, when you feel like a stranger, will you still worship me? Though the circumstances in your life change, do I change? Will you worship me as you have before? Will you still be spend time with me like you have before?”

This got me thinking… Here I am, I just finished an amazing school where I spent three intense months with God and growing in deep intimacy with him. With that I was surrounded by an incredible community that helped to shape my daily schedule with worship and intercession times. It was a season of pursuing God and him pursuing me, and in that I saw the outcome. But now the school is over, and the people have gone…

The Challenge

Not a day passes by when we cross paths with someone who is really having a hard time. It could be sickness, depression, a heavy heart, or even a struggle of identity that is bothering them to the core. We chat with them for a while, being the appropriate thing to do, showing compassion. We may even tell them we will pray for them as we head our separate ways… Do we? Do we really pray for them? Or has it just become a nonchalant saying without the motivating compassion behind it to take the action and say a prayer for them?

This is the challenge:

The Vision

I came across this core sticking, spirit stirring, and mind blowing poem the other day. It is from a book I am currently reading, “Red moon Rising” by Pete Grieg and Dave Roberts. I thought, “I need to share this!” Without further to do:

So this guy comes up to me and says, “What’s the vision? What’s the big idea?” I open my mouth and the words come out like this…
The Vision?