Location: MIP (La Business School del Politecnico di Milano) in Milan, Italy (early afternoon)
Well, we didn't have to wait long for the adventures. Thanks for your prayers!
Neither C. nor I have had a shower or a change of clothes, except for a shirt he bought, and we only caught a few winks last night to fight of the three-day saga we have had so far. We did purchase some deoderant, as well as a voltage converter to recharge his US cell phone which got some use yesterday. A huge THANKS to his wife, T., for her long-distance help yesterday!
In my prayer journal last night, I wrote: "Abba, I wasn't going to write You like this, but I just have to praise You! This should have been a terrible day, yet You blessed us in so many ways!"
Let me catch you up!
Our third flight was as pleasantly uneventful as the first two, and it felt good to finally touch down in Milan. Customs was no problem for us; the female agent was flirting with a fellow in the booth with her, and she hardly glanced at our passports as she stamped them. C. and I were triumphant, for we had been concerned that customs might be a challenge for me with my lengthy plans and no visa. So, we practically skipped to the baggage claim, ready to be done with planes for a while!
It was not long, though, before the bags stopped coming and everyone left, leaving us waiting for our luggage that obviously did not come with us. We reported it and were told they would keep us posted, because they did not know where it was. We left with different emotions. C. was a bit concerned, having not experienced this before. To me it was "old hat" so-to-speak, and I was just excited to be able to walk around Milan without a 35-pound pack!
Thus, we headed toward the public transit, and near the elevators an Ethiopian young mother (and her baby--ask me later about her baby's Biblical name) helped us find our way; we, in turn helped her with her luggage. This turned out to be a good thing, as well as the commencement of our adventures! For you see, she had left her husband back in Ethiopia, and was traveling with 4-month old baby, 5 bags, and a stroller--and she spoke good English (and good Italian, having lived here in Milan for many years)! We had strong, (plane-ride) rested muscles, ready energy, free time, and four empty hands. This proved a beautiful combination!
S., our new friend, helped us purchase tickets for the train into town, and we missed that first train by seconds, so we were waiting for the next. I went to show her a picture on my computer, only to realize that I had left it in the seat pouch on the plane! (I had taken it out of my carry-on to make sure no one took it from me.) I rushed back into the airport, but I could not get to the British Airways desk because it was behind customs security. I made three phone calls, but I was given the run-around--imagine that it was always "someone else's" responsibility! Then I had to sprint back to C. and S. on the train platform--we barely made it, but it is true that I did not have my computer. That put a damper on my amusement, for I was picturing how I would explain my carelessness to my parents.
Fortunately, S. was also a believer in Christ, and so we mutually encouraged one another. We realized that we were each others "angels"; each of us would be lost without the others. (By the way, do you think it was a coincidence that S. had returned to the baggage claim because she had forgotten her stroller? That allowed our "chance" meeting at the elevators!) During the forty-minute train ride, we discussed our options, hoping to recover my computer, find out more about our baggage, and deliver S. to her rendez-vous with a friend who was to help her.
In a busy train-subway station where we ended up, she was unable to get a hold of her friend by phone. Next, we sadly followed her from office to office as she was repeatedly turned away from simple help that was readily available, presumably because of her skin color and/or the American "tourists" following her. Having hit a "brick wall" at every turn, we were all exhausted. C. and I decided to accompany her to the end of the subway line, where we exchanged contact information and deposited her with her baby and luggage in a waiting room where her friend could pick her up. Then we returned by subway to where we thought the hostel might be, only to end up walking many, many miles. At last we discovered the hostel, with very full bladders, very empty tummies, and emotional, mental, and physical fatigue. We momentarily colapsed at the hostel, got our bearings and gathered our wits. C. was a bit perturbed, and I was kicking myself.
Ironically, looking for the nearest place to eat, we grabbed McDonald's (despite yesterday's blog post!), then returned to the hostel to make fruitless phonecalls about our luggage and my laptop. Completely drained, we finally fell into bed.
As you can imagine, I spent a lot of time in prayer yesterday. I do not know you are a pray-er, but I would recommend it! Prayer is not just reciting poems or talking to an unseen God; prayer is humbling ourselves before an almighty God. That is what I did yesterday. I metaphorically knelt before my Lord, knowing that I had been careless and had caused several of the challenges we faced. Yet I also thanked that Lord for the many blessings: I was missing a computer, but we were safe and in the right place, and we had been given the privilege of helping others. I went to bed praising the Lord for His goodness. I was recalling some predictions I had mentioned. For example, I had told some folks in the US that though I was looking forward to adventures and the retelling of those stories, while in the midst of them, they are often miserable. I was also recalling my thoughts on the plane about the inconvenience of having to keep watch over my new technological toys (my laptop and camera), when usually I could be more at peace by traveling without valuables. I had prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for the tool of the laptop, but telling Him that I was leaving it in His hands, and that I would follow Him even if it was taken from me. I also felt reassured that the laptop would turn up soon, and our backpacks, as well--that much of what happened that day was for greater purposes. In the middle of the night, the Lord reassured me with Matthew 8, in the New Testament of the Bible. Thus it was that I fought off feelings of despair and self-condemnation and fatigue, knowing that the miserable story of which I was currently a part would become, eventually, a fun tale to tell!
Do you ever feel miserable, stuck in a string of "bad luck," wondering how you got there and how to get out? It might be kind of like being lost on foot in Milan, with nothing but the clothes on your back. If possible, next time you find yourself in that place, see if you can think "macro"--big picture. What good might come of this? What will this situation be like when I look back upon it?
So you might be dying to know what happened...
We awoke early this morning, and headed to the airport. At the airport, we used our charming smiles and the grace of God to gain access back behind customs' security. We learned that our bags were in Chicago and due in Milan at 2:00pm today. Then we were sent upstairs, where a woman delivered my laptop to me. A quick bite of lunch and a long bus ride deposited us upon the subway system and then the winding streets, which led us to a certain books store and the university that C. was scheduled to visit.
Now I am on a train headed back to the airport; our bags are supposedly awaiting us there. Then we plan to skip town, having a bit of a bias against Milan because of some of our challenges here. But secretly, I must admit how pleased I am! This is exactly why I came to Europe! I regret very little, if any of it! We have learned a lot, received numerous blessings, and met some wonderful people! We have ministered to some folks, and others have ministered to us. We have been humbled, taught, and watched over, and I feel ready for whatever comes next.
Yes, it seems to be a happy "ending," at present. But even if it were not, or even if things turn sour, I will trust the Lord. I am here because of Him; he brought me here. I plan to allow Him to work freely in me, to lead me as He desires. No matter what happens, I will trust Him. No matter how I feel or what I think, I will praise Him.
How wonderful it is to serve a loving God who is so much greater than nationalities, circumstances, physical limitations, and emotions! How wonderful it is to live in the Name of Jesus, the Christ sent by our loving Father God, who loves Italians, who loves lost and frustrated Americans, who loves humble Ethiopians, and you!
This blog is your opportunity to travel with me wherever I am in the world, during both the mundane and exciting moments of life that I humbly recognize as holy. As I bare my life to you, may your reading take you beyond my words to the Word, beyond my life to the Life, beyond the chaos to the Truth, and beyond teachings to the Teacher--the Rabboni. I promise it will be an adventure, and by the end, may you, too, truly know the Way!
A Rose From Home
My Story (As prepared for my church congregation this spring--2009)
I have a story to tell you. I am the main character, but the story is not about me. I have traveled several parts of the world, but my adventure has been closer to home. I am twenty-six years old. My story begins like many of yours…
I grew up going to church. I had been born into a family who labeled themselves “Christian,” in a country that labels itself “Christian.” Every Sunday found me attending a worship service and Sunday school in a mainline denomination church. I served as an acolyte, attended Vacation Bible School, helped my dad count and record the offering money, sang in the youth choir, was a leader in the youth group, and occasionally served as liturgist. Baptized as an infant, I was confirmed at the age of twelve, thus becoming an “official” member of the church. Then, hurt by the church, my family left to find another.
Have you ever been hurt by the Church?
After months of searching, we settled into a very large independent church. Things were different there, and I was quickly welcomed and at home among new friends that truly had a passion for Jesus. The Word of God was taught boldly from the pulpit, and I was introduced to a missions-aware lifestyle. So it was with regret that I said goodbye only a couple of years later to move with my family to another church. I purposely remained aloof, not wanting to make new friendships before I left for college a year later. Besides, I was loosing my faith—or so I thought—and I didn’t want anyone to know. I was asking scary questions like “Is there really a God?” and, if so, “Is He the Christian God?” and “Would I be Christian if I had been born in another part of the world?”
Have you ever asked yourself unsettling questions about what you believe?
So I headed into college under a cloud of confusion that only worsened for the next two years. Though I didn’t know what I believed anymore, I continued to go to church every Sunday, and to help lead worship in chapel. Most importantly, even during this questioning, I continued my morning habit of daily study of the Bible. I had begun at age twelve, reading at first a chapter per day, then ten minutes each morning, then an half-hour, and so on. So, only by the grace of the very God I doubted, I remained anchored in His Word and in His community, though I felt like a fake most of the time. Since then I have learned that “fake” is the worst insult the world can give us; that is why the label of “hypocrite” is so offensive.
Have you ever felt like a fake?
Six weeks with missionaries in South Africa followed by a year in France began to teach me what life with God is all about. I began rebuilding my faith, this time it belonged to me, in contrast to me borrowing the faith of my parents, church, or anyone else. In my parent’s basement in 2003, on either Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, I invited Jesus to live in me; perhaps I had done so before, but I didn’t recall—but since 2003, I have never forgotten that moment. Unfortunately, nothing changed. I continued to do my best to act like a Christian, as I had done for so long.
Have you ever found yourself “doing your best” to be a good person, or to act like a Christian?
Though I did not realize it at the time, I was quenching the Spirit, even though I had welcomed Him into my life. During the next few years, the LORD continued to nurture me, and slowly things began to change. Several tough months in Idaho birthed my prayer-life. I spent three years being humbled in a job that was my informal seminary training. In 2007, a short stint in Mexico helped me to see things as they were, and not long afterward, I was baptized by immersion. No baptism of any kind can save a lost soul—only Jesus can do that. However, this baptism was an important covenant between me and God, symbolizing not only my death and resurrection with Jesus and my public profession of faith, but it also my life change, the beginning of my bearing fruit. “For each tree is known by its own fruit…”according to Luke 6:44. During the past year and a half, the LORD has provided me with an informal pastoral internship in my church, teaching me every aspect of discipleship. Simultaneously, I have been studying unceasing prayer and worship. I am now very different than I was five years ago.
In the Book of Acts (which tells the story of the earliest years of the Church) every time a person decided to follow Christ, two things took place—though not always in the same order. Each person experienced a life change, which I call the “baptism of repentance,” as well as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which I call the “baptism of the Spirit.” Looking back, I realize that the Holy Spirit was living in me in 2003, but it wasn’t until I surrendered everything to God, as represented by my immersion, that I allowed the Spirit to have His way in me and transform my life. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)”
Have you invited Jesus to live in you? Have you allowed the Spirit to transform your life?
I tell you this story for two reasons. First, I tell this story in order to boast in the LORD! May God our Father get all praise and glory forever! Second, I tell this story because it is relevant to you. Likely you have heard that I am leaving the country: I have let my light shine before you; please let your light shine within the Church, too! This congregation is in revival, and as each of you allows the Spirit to revive you, the entire Church will be revived and utterly transformed, to the glory of the Most High God. And for His glory is the reason He created us; the reason He sent His only Son to reveal Himself to us; the reason He became Sin for us and died for us on the cross—while we were still sinners; and the reason that He conquered death and offered us eternal life with Him.
It will cost you a lot—in fact, it will cost you everything, your very life. But if you have never surrendered your life to Christ Jesus, if you have never invited Him to send His Spirit into you and to transform your life, then do it right now. Just let go of everything to which you are desperately clinging; stop trying to do it yourself! This is the very reason you are still breathing in this physical life—God has been delaying His judgment of this sinful world because He is waiting for you—2 Peter 3:9 says He wants none to perish!
If you have already invited the Spirit into your life, then live like it! Bear fruit! Anyone and everyone who meets you or knows you or sees you or hears you should know immediately and clearly that Jesus the Christ lives in you and loves them! That is how stark the contrast should be between your life and the world around you!
Have you immersed yourself in God’s Word and in prayer in the last twenty-four hours?
If you call yourself a follower of Christ, then there is no excuse for not communing with Him daily! Anchor yourself in the Word! God has revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Bible is a complete and accurate record of that revelation. And prayer is humbly letting Him love us. Let Him love you! God doesn’t need us, but He wants us! God doesn’t need us to live for Him—He wants to live in and through us! Let us love and fellowship with one another, even when you disagree! Pray for each other—the names in the church directory are a great place to start! Church, we are not only the Body of Christ, but we are the Bride of Christ. We have allowed ourselves to get bedraggled and stained—now let us stand to the glory of God! Let’s let Him purify us, restore us, and love us!
My dear Brothers and Sisters, if you have ever once been blessed by God our Father at work in me, then I urge you, please, take seriously His desire to love and work in you, beyond anything you can ask or imagine! I have told you the beginning of my story—may it end in glory to the Father, in the Name of Jesus, by way of His Spirit.
Now, what is your story?