Blessed by a friend from a land far away

My very special friend Adele has recently landed on American soil after flying from her home continent of Africa. She serves as one of our NCBC missionaries with Empowering Lives International in Eldoret, Kenya. She will be spending a few weeks in the states visiting supporters and speaking on behalf of ELI across the Midwest.

Our first introduction to each other began just about three years ago when she was visiting after completing her Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University. I was attending our membership weekend at church and she was also attending with a mutual friend of ours. Some first impressions of Adele were: highly intelligent, well read, solid command of the English language, good head on her shoulders, solid and faith based believer, smart, kind, eloquent, did I say smart? Anyway, I was blessed to have been introduced to her and have continued to receive blessing because of her.

This past weekend I was privileged to fly to LA to support her in a message she delivered to over 5500 students at APU. The students had been flooded with information over the past week about missions and were now at the critical junction of deciding weather or not they would “respond” to the calling of Jesus Christ and say “Yes God”. During Adele’s time of speaking one phrase continued to play over and over in my head, “will you say yes to God right where you are?”

I wonder if sometimes we think we need to travel across the waters to use the phrase Yes God. Many times I believe He is asking us that question everyday when we are getting ready to head to the office, factory, and hospital or where ever our work place might be. I know sometime I think saying Yes to God only counts when He is asking missionaries to give up their life of comfort and travel half way across the world to spend the rest of their life in a grass hut with no running water. Last time I checked He hadn’t asked me to do that, however, last time I checked He did say, “As you are going, teach all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo I am with you until the end of the world”. Matt 28:19-20 The Great Commission.

God didn’t say only teach and make disciples if I send you to Uganda Africa. He said, as you are going. I have the opportunity on a daily basis to teach people about Jesus. Today I was again blessed to share with someone that coincidence doesn’t exist and that Jesus makes all things happen. Now, she is not a believer today, however, she is getting a taste of what it means to be taught via the Word of God.

As for my friend Adele, she is an absolute joy to listen to, pray with and watch God use her to influence the lives of many people. It is a true blessing to have her in my world.