Jordan. What a place! I won’t lie to you, the first week in Jordan has been mainly downtime, but it’s honestly a necessary time of rest, to sit and recharge in the Lord’s presence. And what a time (and place) to do so, being SO close to where our Savior was born, lived most of his ministry-filled life, and where God spoke to Moses; there’s so much Biblical history preserved within this beautiful country. Most of our time in Jordan will be inside the city of Amman, but we are getting together as an entire squad and going to Wadi Rum to spend Christmas together.
For those who don’t know, Wadi Rum is the desert the Israelites wandered in for 40 years (not Jesus, as my story yesterday posted; that was outside of Jericho in Israel, and was 40 days not years). We will be camping in giant tents, getting the opportunity to RIDE CAMELS, and hopefully planning some mini adventure days to historical areas, including Petra. I, personally, hope to be able to cross into Nazareth, but I’m not going to promise it; nor am I putting a limit on God because if he wants us to go there, He will provide a way.
We are also doing team changes after Christmas, so my team (Amadea) have been spending our last time together as a team with one of our friends’ from the states, who came to Jordan as a missionary. Her name is Maddie, and it’s been a privilege and an honor to be able to get to know her and doing ministry with her. It’s been a lot of pouring into her, and having her pour into us, which is STILL ministry, and it’s important to have fellowship with other believers. Plus, she could even be a future contact for AIM or just us personally if that’s how God wills her to be. And maybe she’ll just be another friend whom we share amazing stories with, love on, and have fun with!
“’If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist, you will be devoured by the sword.’ For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” ~Isaiah 1:19-20 NIV
I cannot stress enough just how important it is to get into God’s Word; you should do it daily, but there should be times you intentionally set aside a whole day to Him, whether that be a Sabbath (day of rest), an ATL day (we call it a treasure hunt; ask God for people/things/places to be shown to you and go out to find them), or even a day to explore a new ministry you haven’t done before or done much of. For me, I’ve really branched out into coffee shop ministry and/or art (painting/sketching) ministry. Coffee shops are where people go to escape, to relax, to unwind from a hard days work or to have a relaxing break; otherwise known as a golden ministry opportunity!
“Your very hands have held me and made me who I am; give me more revelation-light so I may learn to please you more. May all your devoted lovers see how you treat me and be glad, for your words are entwined with my heart.” ~Psalm 119:73-74 TPT
The same goes with art ministry; we, as people, were made to be creative because we serve a creative God. It also provides a calming atmosphere, one where you can talk openly while you’re creating, or to silently pray over the people who either join you or are around you. It also provides an opportunity for people to come to you, to ask about what it is you are doing because people are naturally curious. Use their curiosity! That’s why people find God: they become curious as to why those who follow Him are different. They are intrigued by our character (His), our kindness (His), our outward expression of love (His) and the list goes on.
So, I encourage you: go sit at a coffee shop. People watch while asking God what to do; I can pretty much guarantee He will ask you to do something, and once he does, do it immediately. Even if it sounds ridiculous, do it immediately. I read in a book called “You Are Free” that the author was literally told by God to stop at a gas station and do a headstand in front of a vending machine. That sounds random right? But guess what happened! A man came up to her and asked her why she did that, and she told him that God has told her to.
“Now, because of your obedience to the truth, you have purified your very souls, and this empowers you to be full of love for your fellow believers. So express this sincere love towards one another passionately and with a pure heart.” ~1 Peter 1:22 TPT
What she didn’t know (until he told her) was that he was considering suicide, he was on his last rope. He asked God to show him a sign (specifically someone doing a headstand) in order to show him that he was still valuable, that he still had a purpose, that faith was worth having, and God provided. What a story! What a display of faith on both the woman and the man, and what a display of love and provision from God! Listen to Him. He always knows what is best.
That is the kind of radical faith and obedience I want to live out as a follower of Jesus!
What an awesome gift, such a blessing and amazing opportunity God has given you and your team and your squad. Praying for radical changes in all of you, Gods Will be done!
Jordan sounds awesome. How much fun to hang out with an American missionary. Art ministry intrigues me, probably because I am not artistic. I hope you post some of your art!