Zambia Part 2

I've been in Zambia for over two weeks now. It’s been really good so far. The Bumsteads have started me off with a lot of office work (which, for me, is a very good thing). I've been keeping busy, but not like I was back home. I've had time to spend in private and corporate devotions daily, as well as start memorizing Scripture again. My guitar skills are improving with all the time I've had for practice and I've had time to start working out again.

Lately, I've been giving a lot of thought to prophecy and Spiritual gifts; particularly thinking of why we don’t see them manifesting as often as we read about in Acts. I asked the Lord why I don’t see them very much in my own life. His response was a bit unsettling. My faith is lacking. Just a few weeks ago, I made the boast that I have a faith to move mountains. I followed up the comment with some disclaimer as to why I don’t see the Lord moving. Now I’m realizing I don’t have the faith of a child that it requires. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS ASK! Why can’t I drill this through my head?

The other thing that I feel gets in the way is my pride. (I say feel because this isn't a word from the Lord but an analysis of me, by me). I get scared that I will deliver the wrong message to a person when I prophecy or I think “what if they don’t get healed?” or “what if they don’t receive this?” This stems from pride. If I was humble, I would understand that “God gives grace to the humble” and wouldn't let me deliver the message if it wasn't from Him. If I was humble, I wouldn't worry about my own discomfort at the person not being healed, but would have nothing but love for the person and put them above myself.

These revelations have in no way discouraged me. Rather, they are very encouraging. It means there is hope. God is committed to us achieving all that He has for us and He is at work! Our only task is to accept His working in us. As a result, I've been trying to just hear the Lord’s voice. Today, I felt like I had a breakthrough. I just sat down for about a half hour and had a conversation with the Creator of the Universe. He is soooo happy! He exudes joy! He is soooo cool!

I've been listening to Graham Cooke teachings on Approaching the Heart of Prophecy. If you haven’t heard or read this, you should look it up. It is so good! He’s giving me so many ideas on things that I can do and he also encourages me to keep pushing deeper and to just love the Lord. I’ll leave you with a quote from Graham. “We are a blessing, that’s who we are. It’s our joy, it’s our pleasure, it’s our privilege to try to bankrupt heaven. God is looking you right in the eye saying ‘Go on I dare you. Put me to the test.’ There are thousands of blessings that you need to be giving away. No one’s safe from getting blessed cuz you are the living embodiment of the Good News.” 

Week 1-Part 1 (aka traveling)

It’s only been a week since I left Corvallis but I’ve already had adventures. I ended up traveling with a friend of mine named Dawna (she’s going to be leading the Mandate team when they come in January). We left Wednesday morning and arrived in Seattle in the early afternoon. Everything went smoothly and we had a nice flight to London. I didn’t sleep much that night, though.

We arrived in London around 10am local time and had a delightful time in London. We boarded our plane around 5:30pm and sat on the plane for about an hour or so because there was a problem with the plane. Finally, they had us disembark and gave us some free food and drink in the airport. There was no communication, though, so we had no idea what was happening.

After about two hours, we tracked down someone who told us we were being put up in a hotel that night. It was a pretty nice hotel, too. We only got about four hours sleep that night because of the time we got to the hotel and the time our new flight was scheduled to leave.

Because of the new flight, we missed our connecting flight in Johannesburg. The British Airways people in London gave us these slips for a new flight on South African Airways the next day. When we arrived in Jo-burg, there was nobody there to greet us or tell us where to go. All we knew was that we were supposed to be put up in a hotel that night. We wandered the airport for about an hour before we were able to track down someone who could tell us where we were supposed to go. They took us to the hotel but by this point it was 2am and we had to be back at the airport by 7:30am. We got a couple hours sleep, though and a hot shower, which was delightful.

The next morning, we went to the airport to the British Airways line to get our new tickets. After waiting in line, they told us to go to the South African Airways line to get our tickets. After waiting in that line (by this point we’ve spent an hour in line), they told us we had to go back to the British Airways line. After waiting in that line, they told us we had to go to a different British Airways line. We went to that and they told us they were now changing our flight (again).

With new tickets in hand, we returned to the other British Airways line where we were informed that we had to have  a yellow fever shot to leave Johannesburg. I then informed them that according to both their website and the US Embassy website (I checked both before I left) I would only need a shot when I left Zambia and I had intentions on getting my shot in that country (it’s cheaper there). They disagreed so we asked for the manager. He said the same thing that the lady at the counter said.

At this point, admittedly, I was very frustrated. I just decided to brush it off though and get my shot in the airport. They handed me back my passport and I went down to the clinic. When I arrived at the clinic, I realized they had handed me the wrong passport! The lady at the counter found me on my way back and switched me. I went back to the clinic and got my shot (which, by the way, was actually way cheaper at the airport than it was in the States).

While I was getting my shot, Dawna asked to see the main manager. She told him everything that had happened and he finally set his employees straight and told them we were right that I didn’t need the shot until I came back. At least we were vindicated =).

Luckily, with all this hassle, we still made our flight and arrived in Zambia! Total travel time was four days (and about 8 hours sleep in that time). I was surprisingly not that tired, though. Ok, this is getting long so this is Week 1 part 1; part 2 to come soon. 

Freedom

So much has happened lately that I know I’m going to miss out on something but I’ll do my best to convey it all. I’ll start with the first big thing that impacted me. In August, around the time of my last post, I came to the realization that I had been stifling the Holy Spirit’s voice. I had started to become tired, bitter, depressed. I realized I needed to start opening myself up to Him again but was afraid to.

In September, I went with the Mandate to an event called the Crossing (this is basically a time where we allow the students about a week in the mountains to connect with God and with each other; they share their life stories, being incredibly vulnerable, and through it all, start on the journey of healing past wounds). While there, I feel like I finally allowed myself to open up to the Holy Spirit again and to listen to His voice. As I did, I heard Him calling me to more obedience.

I had been feeling for a while that I was being called to a 21-day period of fasting. So, near the end of September, I did a 7 day full fast, followed by a 14 day Daniel-fast. I started off with a focus of wanting to see the Lord move in some areas (family, finances, and romance). By the end, I realized that I had simply not been trusting Him in these areas.

A week after my fast ended, I was at a leadership conference for my church. Some people were there offering prophetic ministry, so I took them up on it. This guy spoke right to what I needed to hear. It was so good. After he got done talking with me, I sat down and started to pray.

I felt like the Lord was asking me to do something. I realized that I still hadn’t truly released this girl to Him and trusted Him with this situation. As I started trying to do that, I started to lose control of my body. Long story short, I ended up paralyzed on the floor. A couple guys from my church and their leader came back where I was and prayed for me and, as they prayed, they set me free from my past sins, guilt, hurts, shame, and so much more.

Just to be clear, I think that the act of me submitting to God by giving Him this situation with this girl was nothing more than a catalyst; an act of complete submission, if you will, as this was the thing that I was holding onto the tightest. By not trusting God with this, I had subconsciously not been trusting Him with many things, allowing the enemy a foothold in my life. By giving Him the thing I desired most, I gave Him control of all my desires. Now that the Lord has control, I am finally free.

Lately, I’ve been feeling the Lord’s presence so much more. I’m having amazing times of worship. I can connect so much better. More importantly, I feel like the Lord is really growing in me His compassion for people. When I see people hurting, I hurt. When I see them joyous, I’m so happy. It’s unbelievable and I hope that it continues.

Final thoughts: I still need a lot of money for my trip to Zambia. If you feel like you can help in any way, please contact me or check out my Facebook event for more info. 

African Mission Opportunity

First off, I want to apologize for not posting anything on here in such a long time. I've been super busy over the summer. I got a few different jobs in an attempt to pay off my move to Corvallis and to save some money for a trip this winter (that was the hope anyway =P). So, I've been working between fifty and sixty-five hours a week (not including volunteer work I'm doing). Somehow bills keep coming up and I can't seem to save any money. It's getting rather frustrating. But that's just me not trusting the Lord. I know it's gonna all work out alright when I just stop and rest in Him.

I digress.

I want to address some things in my last posts. All I want to say about the last one is that I feel like I've finally come to a point where I'm happy and content with the thought of staying single my whole life (not to say that marriage doesn't appeal to me anymore but I know now that I can be single if that's what God calls me to and I'm not "hunting" for a wife anymore).

On my post in April I said that I was planning on tentatively leading a trip to India with the Mandate. The director decided he didn't want the students to go to India this year so I thought about if I wanted to go alone or try to find others to accompany me. After a lot of thought and prayer I still don't have a clear leading from the Holy Spirit about where to go. That being said, I'm making plans now to go to Zambia again for three months and just seeing if God opens the door and allows me. December I'd be by myself and the Mandate students would join me for January and February.

Here's the breakdown of what cost will be:
Flight: currently is $1750 (depending on when I raise the money it could go up so I'm budgeting $2k)
Living cost for Love's Door ($275)
Living cost for me (internet costs, local cell phone, food?, etc): approximately $225
Total cost: $2500 (for those that remember, last year this was the cost for me to go for five weeks; oh the joy of buying tickets in advance! =D)
The sad thing is, I have no money saved and will probably only be able to contribute about $500 out of my own pocket. I don't know who reads this blog. I've been kind of negligent with it lately but will be changing that and I will, of course, keep up with it in Zambia. If you feel that the Lord is leading you to contribute, you can send checks to:

Schrock and Selby, CPA
1815 SW Baker St.
McMinnville, OR 97128

Make checks to The Mandate. DO NOT put my name on the check but send a separate note saying it's for Adam King. This allows you to claim your gift as tax-deductible.

I'm working on some fund-raising opportunities here in Corvallis and looking into corporate giving as well. I want to ease the burden of friends and family as much as I can (while still allowing you the opportunity to partner with me if you feel led).

I'd really like to get a prayer team started for me for this. I'm looking for five to ten people who will commit to praying a little bit each day for the Lord's provision for this trip, His will to be accomplished, and just general guidance for me. If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, contact me on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/adamus.king
or you can email me at: adamking37@gmail.com
I'll be sending out special prayer requests for this group while I'm in Zambia and will be leaning heavily upon you all for guidance and covering.

On a side note, I'll be heading back to Vincennes in October for my good friend David Swank's wedding. He's marrying Hannah Yochum! I'm so excited for them! I can only afford to take a week off, though, so time will be precious. I need to talk to Pastor Don and see if I can speak at church for five minutes or so. I'd love to recap my last Zambia trip, talk a bit about life since, and touch on updated future plans.

Speaking of, I'm working on the Mandate calendar and the year is looking to be really amazing! But please be praying that we get more students (we only have five right now that said they're coming). We'd like to have at least ten total.

Thanksgiving, Growth, and Disorganization

If I thought that I had faced a lot of issues and had a lot of growth during the last seven months in the Mandate Discipleship program, I've gotta say, the month since has been when I'm really seeing growth. It's like the Mandate was a cultivation and this last month has been the growth. Some of what i'm going to talk about is a bit personal (hopefully not too much so), but I process things better when I write or talk so this is as much for me as it is for you.

This is a random switch of topic but I want to take a moment to thank everyone back in Vincennes who helped me during the first 25 years of my life in walking with Jesus. Specifically, Bob and Katherine, Wendell and Lynette, David Swank, and Herb Coates. If you hadn't laid a solid foundation in my life, I wouldn't be where I am today. While I'm on the topic of thankfulness, I want to thank my home church in Vincennes for supporting me in prayer and financially during my time in Oregon and Africa.

Ok, back on task. I feel it's necessary to give you all a little update on my future plans. I'm working during the summer to try to save money up for this coming Mandate year. In September, I will be the academic dean for the school (in charge of coordinating all the curriculum). This will take up most of my time. I'll probably only be able to work about 15 hours a week (if I'm lucky). I also plan to lead a team from Mandate to India in January for two months (tentatively, depending on finances and other circumstances). After Mandate this coming year, things get to be a bit blurry but some things I'm hoping to see in the next few years: Marriage =), something called CPX (training in how to do church planting), and then some longer-term work in India or the middle east.

Some areas I've been growing in lately are, well, mostly emotional things. I'll say, I used to really not much care for myself. I'm discovering a love of myself through Christ. I love who He created me to be and how He is redeeming me. Some things I've learned are that I base almost every decision on tangible truth (facts, knowledge, measurable research, etc). The weird thing is, I base my knowledge base on trust and my trust is based on feelings. So, ultimately, my life is dictated by a checks and balance system of feelings and facts. Well, that's probably not that interesting for you but still, it was an epiphany for me (today actually).

I've really grown in putting my basis for confidence and for love in God instead of others affirmations lately. I still have a way to go in this area but I have made leaps and bounds from a year ago. Also, I'm realizing I don't hear from the Lord quite as clearly as I would like. I'm trying to grow a lot more in this area. I think my biggest struggle right now is to enjoy the single life. For the last year, I've felt like God had told me a specific person for who I was to marry. About a month or two ago, I started to really question that. About two weeks ago, I realized that I had fabricated feelings for this person based upon my belief in what God had said. Upon this realization, any and all desire for this person vanished. It was actually very freeing. Ironically, the day I realized this, she started dating one of my best friends =) I am truly really happy for them both and I feel very excited about them dating and in my spirit it just feels right for them to be together.

I can't say for sure that I totally mis-heard God on this subject, though, because struggling with this the last seven months has sparked soooo much growth in trusting and loving and depending upon God. I know it was used for my good. There was one other thing that really helped me get over this...fogginess, I guess you'd call it, but that's still something I'm sorting out and can't go into details yet (yes there is a limit to my openness).

One final thing, I've realized I really love to teach people about the Bible. I'm actually getting some opportunities to in my church here pretty soon. But I really like teaching in small groups, informally. Sorry this whole blog is so random but I keep putting off writing stuff and I had to rush it. Sad thing is, I've still got so much more to say but I'm out of time.

A Quick Update

A lot has happened in my life since my last blog. I should have been writing more but it just seems like the time disappears from me so quickly. Since I'm currently pressed for time again today, I'm going to hit the highlights and maybe go in depth here soon.

In March, I went to Pennsylvania for a DOVE conference. During that time, I signed up for a prophetic ministry. The Lord really confirmed a lot of His promises to me through that. These people, who met me for the first time during this ministry, told me that God has called me to go to difficult places where other people don't want to go (I've really felt the Lord calling me to unreached places pretty strongly, increasingly so the last two years I feel). There were some other things but I feel like this deserves it's own post.

About two weeks ago, I graduated from the Mandate! I feel like the Lord has really changed me a lot the last seven months (in a good way!) and I'm just trying to hold on to what I've learned and what He has done in my life. Just last night, actually, a man I don't know very well told me he felt like God was saying to me that I've undergone a lot of growth this year and that the enemy is trying to steal that away (I was having a hard day yesterday). It was really encouraging to hear that and to understand what is going on a bit better in the Spiritual realm.

My latest struggle has been finding a job. I know that God wants me in Corvallis for now and so I've been looking for work like crazy. Finally found a job today though! It's a part time position at Kmart. I'm just trusting that this is where the Lord wants me and that He's going to be able to use me for His glory in this place. Keep praying though that I can get another job somewhere else because part time just won't be enough to pay the bills and have some left over that I can save up for next year.

Zambia's Impact

I feel like I should do a little bit of a recap of my time in Zambia. I've had a lot of time to sit back and think about all that God did during that time. It was really a transformative time in my life. One of the ways that I feel He really worked is putting a love for prayer into my heart. I spent so much time (some days maybe too much, if that's possible) in prayer in Zambia. It's a habit that I've been hanging onto now that I'm back in the States. I just love entering a nice quiet place alone and spending time with my Love.

Another important lesson learned from this trip is just how easy it is to start a Bible study with people. I know it's a different culture and all but the villagers were definitely open to having a Bible study. They were so enthusiastic about it that I can't help but think that people in the United States would be at least open to the idea of it. And it helped me realize that the worst that could happen is they would say “no” when I asked them. It's really encouraged me to just be open to the Holy Spirit's leading to just ask people if He prompts me.

There are some particular memories from Zambia that really stick out to me and I'll probably remember the rest of my life. Early in the trip, we prayed for a young girl about nine years old who was, as we felt being oppressed spiritually (she was suffering seizures and was always just very confused and it had come out of nowhere about two years before we got there). We prayed for her and by the end of the trip, we saw her completely transformed. She was in her right mind, hadn't had a seizure since we prayed, and was laughing, talking, and playing again. It's so very encouraging to know that we could help set a little girl free that Satan had kept bound for two years.

Another thing that really sticks out was toward the end. My group went out to Komaniana, the village where we spent most of our time, and stayed the night. We made some popcorn (for some of the people it was the first time they had ever eaten it) and shared childhood stories (like the tortoise and the hare and they told us some African ones). It was just a fun time and it opened my eyes to just how much we had impacted the people in the short time that we were there. One guy, Mofet, kept talking about how he was going to miss me and how the time was different because he felt like Jesus had visited when we came. It was really inspiring and affirming to know that we had made a difference in peoples lives in just under six short weeks.

A Birthday and a Bash

Yeah, that is no mistake. They are two separate occurrences. My birthday was on Thursday. I turned 26. I used to dread this age because I was crossing the halfway mark of the 20's and that always seemed like a sign that I'm finally getting older. I realize now that I'm here, however, that it is just another number. Looking back at my life, especially the last year, I see how I've grown from a boy to a man but I still have a long way to go before I can consider myself old (even if the village kids call me Mdala...old man; a sign of respect =D). It's really amazing to see the changes that God has wrought in my life, personality, attitude, well pretty much every area of my life these last four months. I'm so very thankful for His faithfulness. I'll go more in depth in a future post. Right now my time is limited.

As for this week, I've been facing different difficulties each day. Wednesday I started feeling very weak. I was having trouble breathing but went to the village anyway to say hello to the people in my Bible studies. By the time I got back I was feeling like I had been hit by a car. My very bones were hurting. I have no idea what it was but towards the end of the day I started feeling better.

Thursday, I woke up feeling pretty great! It was my birthday (as I mentioned already) and so I was wished happy birthday and sang to multiple times that day. As part of the celebration, someone brought me a coke to the village (a very special treat!) that I was able to drink before heading to Komaniana for Bible studies. I got back and made dinner and then was treated to chocolate chip cookies and presents! I got an anti-malaria pill (oh boy!), a shetanga (not sure if that's spelled right but it's basically a piece of cloth that the ladies wrap around as a skirt)...I feel like I should explain this gift. So, earlier in the week we went to a market to look at these shetanga's for the girls in our group. I was the only guy and made the comment that sometimes it stinks being a guy because we can't wear brightly colored clothes like that. Anyway, there was one in particular that I said I was thinking about buying to use as decoration just because it looked so cool. Anyway, someone ended up buying it for me as a gift so that's the history of that. And my other gift was a scone!

The next day, we had a free day for the first time in the villages. We all went out to the rapids and went swimming! Very cool! Then I was given a paddle and went out on the river with one of the boys from the village. We stopped at an island in the middle because our boat had sprung a leak. While he was bailing the water out, he started to drift out to the river so I reached out to grab the canoe and at the same time he swung the oar back and cracked my head pretty good. I had a nasty knot on my head and it started bleeding pretty good. To my credit though, I didn't let go of the boat until it was back on the shore. And it gave me a cool lookin wound.

However, when I woke up, I had a little headache. By mid-day Saturday it was a full-blown migraine. Took some advil and a nap and felt a bit better. Towards the end of the day it was almost completely gone. Today we went to a church in Livingstone. It was amazing! I love the music they have! There's a concert I want to go to tonight but I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it.

So, as you can see, while we are doing alot of good and sharing the Gospel with people, we're still managing to get hurt...I mean have fun ;-) It's been a really good time. I can't believe that we'll be leaving in like two weeks. Keep praying for God's power to be at work in our lives and the lives of the villagers. There's a guy in one of my Bible studies named Mofet who is struggling with the after-effects of TB and is in pain and always has a high body temperature that we would love to see God heal, not just physically but spiritually as well. And one of Mike's disciples that we did a Bible study with was beaten by her husband last week so they could use prayer as well. Her name is Jennifer and his is Patrick. Be praying that God will convict his heart and draw Patrick to Himself. And an update on Maureen and Elaina. They are both still healed and doing well and Maureen was able to start working but they are still struggling financially. And of course, keep praying for the team and I!

An Eventful Week

Another week has gone by here in Zambia. As I'm typing this, the lunch preparers are making us fried egg sandwiches! I'm really excited for this lunch! We usually just get PBJ's. We've been back in Livingston for almost two days now. It's been a good time to sit back and just reflect on the week. It has been a good one.

Tuesday, Mike asked me to go with him and Ken to pick up one of the trucks. Little did I know that when we got there he was going to have me drive the truck back. It was really cool though. The truck was a manual and the steering wheel was on the right side of the vehicle and the turn signal and windshield wipers were on opposite sides as well. And they drive on the other side of the street as the States. I was a bit nervous at first but got the hang of it pretty quickly. It was really cool getting to do that.

Wednesday we were praying for where God wanted us to go. We decided to head to Lioka but the lady we had in mind wasn't home so we pressed on to Komanyana village. When we got there we met with some men and just shared our testimonies with them and they talked to us a bit about their lives. We prayed for them and as they were leaving, one of them thanked us and said “today is different than normal days. Today, Jesus has been here.” It was so interesting because we hadn't done a Bible study or anything. Very encouraging. And I will say that, one of the guys from that group we have met with a few more times.

We also went to visit a lady who was sick who had asked us to come and pray for her. When we got there we prayed for her and then her mom showed up and asked for us to pray for her other daughter who has been confused for two years and suffering from seizures. She had a bracelet and necklace on from the witch doctor though. Mike told her that she had to cut them off if we were to pray for her. Her sister, whom we had prayed for already, cut them off. We all prayed for deliverance for her (it felt spiritual). After prayer, we set up a time again to meet the next day.

Long story short, we've met with them three times now and they are both healed! And we've started doing Bible studies with them! One day it had rained hard and in order to get to them we had to cross a fast moving creek that was up to my waist but we went anyway =) It was a good day.

On Friday, Mike and I started clearing out space for a prayer room. We got quite a bit of it done. I'm looking forward to actually starting to build it this week. The time in the village is so great. We get a lot of work done, we spend a lot of time in the village, we have plenty of time to spend with Jesus each day, and we still seem to have time to just relax. It's just been a real blessing.

I do have a new prayer request. I've been a bit ill lately. The last four days it's been progressively getting worse. Just pray for God to heal me and keep me healthy. Other than that just remember us in your prayers. Things are happening and we are all very excited to see what God has next for us.

Village Integration

Today we got back from the villages. Our schedule is going to be Tuesday through Saturday in the villages and then Sunday and Monday we'll be in Livingston. I will say, the last five days have been really good. Between corporate and personal time with the Lord, I've been spending about three hours a day in God's presence. It's been such a blessing.
Here's a little breakdown of daily life in the villages. It gets dark about 7pm so I usually head to bed between 7:30 and 8. I wake up at 6:30 every morning and then spend a little over an hour with Jesus. Then we have breakfast and spend an hour in corporate worship. From there we go out into the villages and just spend time with the people until lunch. After lunch we do chores around the compound. Then we either interact some more with the villagers or just hang out with the kids. Dinner is sometime between 5:30 and 7 depending on when we could get the fire going or what we were having. Last night we had fresh chicken so it took a little longer than usual due to having to pluck and clean it. Usually I take advantage of the down time to slip away and spend some more time with Jesus. I love Africa because everything moves on a different schedule so I'm able to really just pour myself into Jesus.

This last week we were supposed to just listen to the Holy Spirit and let Him guide us to where we are to invest our time while we are here. For me, I met a man named Patrick that I was able to share my testimony with. He's willing to have us back out for Bible Studies so that will be good. I also met a guy named Freddie that works at the compound. He seems to be in love with Jesus and from the short conversations that I've had, he seems to want to learn more about Him and I love talking about Jesus so we'll see if I can maybe meet with him sometime to just talk with him. I also saw a house that I felt drawn to. Come to find out, it was the home of a widow who is raising her grandchildren (her husband and most of her children have died). I really want to see if there's anything I can do to help her.

For me personally, I just finished the book Wild at Heart. This book was just what I've been needing. It has been such a blessing to help me understand more what it means to be a man and how to lead other guys into manhood. One of the chapters talks about how we as men should seek our true name from God. I had actually prayed about it about a month ago and got a very surprising but encouraging name. Then the night I read that chapter, I had a dream where God just confirmed that He had truly given me that name.

Anyway, this book is just another push for me into one of the things I feel the Lord calling me to and that is becoming a spiritual father to people. I got to hang out with some of the boys from the village and we just did stupid stuff that boys do but it was a lot of fun. I would just love to be able to see these boys become Godly men who have a solid foundation in Christ and who are able to lead their generation in radical obedience and a deeply personal relationship with Jesus.

Another thing I've been challenged in lately is intercession. I used to always only just pray for myself but the other day I was walking and something was weighing heavy on my heart and I just cried out to God about how I felt so powerless that all I can do is pray. He just reminded me how much power there truly is in prayer. I'm talking to the Almighty God for crying out loud and He longs to hear what is on my heart. How much more powerful of a weapon can we possibly have! And the book Wild at Heart challenges men that we all have a battle to fight but that it is in the spiritual realm. I feel like I'm being transformed into an effective warrior for God as I intercede. The best part is, as I intercede for others, the Lord just blesses me more than ever with His presence.

Now it's time for prayer requests. I especially need some prayer for spiritual protection. I've been feeling under attack pretty heavily since getting to the villages. Whispers of how I'm worthless and I should just keep quiet and that I can't do anything so I shouldn't try. I know that these are just the enemy pushing against me because he fears me but I don't underestimate him and would love it if you would keep me in your prayers, as well as the rest of the team for the same thing. We'll keep pushing forward and following Jesus. I also want to thank you so much for praying for my personal time with Jesus. This last week has been very good. And please be praying for the Holy Spirit to keep leading us where He wants us to go.

Jet-lag is no match for me

Saturday we arrived safely in Livingstone, Zambia. The flights were good but rather uneventful, though I did get to talk to a Jewish shoe salesman who travels all over the world. But as far as the security part goes, we never actually had to go through customs which was nice.

Sunday we had some time in small group. I was in a group with Jake Bumstead and two other guys from Zambia named Mike and Willy. Listening to their prayers and praises was really convicting to me. I could just feel the love and power of the Spirit pouring forth from their lips.

In the evening we did a little scavenger hunt in the city of Livingstone. I was teamed up with Jill. We went to this marketplace in town where there was just a ton of people who were really friendly but trying to sell us things. It was slightly overwhelming. And a lot of the guys would ask if Jill and I were a couple and when I would respond just friends, they would all start flirting with her intensely. One guy named Mad Max said I was too short for her but she was the perfect height for him. She was very uncomfortable but I found it hilarious.

During the Scavenger Hunt, so many people in the town would stop us and just wanted to talk to us and be friends. To walk one block in the city took about forty-five minutes because of all the times we'd have to stop to talk to people. I've never before made so many friends in one day =)

Today I woke up way too early. A side effect of the time change I guess. So I decided to spend some time in Proverbs just really pouring into it. What I focused on today was just so convicting to me. Later, we did two Bible studies, both of which really hit the points that the Lord was speaking to me through Proverbs.

First, I focused on some parts in Proverbs on pride and the first Bible study we did was on the parable of the Good Samaritan. These just point out how I am a horribly proud person. I want to stop being so contentious with people and humble myself. When people falsely accuse me or challenge me in some way, trying to tear me down, I want to run to the Lord instead of stoking the flames of pride and trying to prove my point or defend myself. And I want to be naturally so humble that I honestly think of others better than I do myself.

The second thing was Proverbs 30:7-9 and the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6; the parts about having just enough for today. I know I've been trusting in the Lord for everything that I need lately. It's amazing how He's changed me so much that I truly do trust Him to supply me every need. Things that used to worry me so much are less now. But I was just reminded again today that I need to trust Him with the things most important to me, the deep desires of my heart. These are the things that stress me and worry me still and I need to just rely on Him and place them in His amazingly powerful and loving hands.

Things that are on my heart right now that I can use prayer for are my personal times with Jesus. Just pray that I would be able to have very intimate times with Yahweh regardless of my situation or where I am and that He would be speaking to me clearly and that I would be listening. Also, tomorrow we head into the village for the first time. Pray that God will prepare the hearts of the people there and our hearts as well and that He would be directing us as we meet the people and assess the needs.