Since becoming a Christian, I’ve been that guy that sits with his family in the church pew for an hour or two depending on the Sunday, at times gives of our resources (time and money) to the church and/or the needy, prays, reads the bible, has a quiet time daily, and am considered the “Christian guy” at work.
So basically for the past 21 years, I’ve been comfortable believing in the gospel “period”. You know, the “Jesus died for my sins so I may have everlasting life.” (Period). I assumed that after accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, my public affirmation of faith and my subsequent baptism and living “good”, that I had received my “get out of hell free card”.
Recently, I’ve gone through quite an ordeal health wise and God opened so many doors through it for me to be able to make a mission trip to East Africa:
Here is a quick synopsis of my personal road to serve in East Africa:
• Weighed 230lbs on 1/20/10, BP 160/100, high stress job….doctor very concerned
• Started walking & dieting in Jan per doctor’s orders…. weight starts dropping off
• My wife has minor surgery and I decide not to go to church on a particular Sunday
• Daughter really wants to go, wife says go. Turns out to be the Sunday of the "Beautiful Things- East Africa" video.
• I sit in the back of TSC, tears streaming down my face… totally convicted – all in.
• Doctor says I must get down to 195 lbs, and get my BP down to go to East Africa in Aug.
• By March, walking 5-7 miles a day. When I don’t feel like walking, I think of East Africa.
• Friday night, July 9... wake up thinking I’m having a heart attack
• Emergency surgery Sat 3am for ruptured gall bladder and chest infection.
• Sunday, a 2nd procedure to get .75 inch stone from liver (liver beginning to shut down)
• Pancreas lacerated while stone is removed…full blown acute pancreatitis.
• 28 days in the hospital, miss the Aug East Africa trip and am told no Africa for at least a year.
I was heartbroken to miss the Aug trip, and truthfully confused over God’s will for me. The doctors did tell me that if I had not lost the weight (I was 195 lbs when I entered the hospital) that there was a good chance that I would not have survived the ordeal. Although disappointed and confused, I was beginning to acknowledge that this wasn’t about my health issues and belief in going… This was all about my learning to listen, trust and to faithfully submit to the Lord.
I had gotten to know the August trip leader, Derek. He visited me in the hospital and continued to stay in touch afterward. I knew if I could get well enough, that going on Angela’s January trip was a possibility, but I really felt strongly that the Lord was leading me to go before that and in a much smaller group. There was a pull to go and to work with the church leaders at Great Hope Church in East Africa. Feeding the children today is very important, but feeding the leaders so that the Gospel is shared in that community daily, feeds those children for eternity.
Too many things had fallen into place for all this to be coincidental. This trip was ordained by God from the beginning. It was as it was supposed to be, without intrusion from the planning of men. From my health, to Derek’s schedule, to this being literally the only time that the pastor there and all nine church leaders could gather for two hours a day, four consecutive days to be refreshed in the Lord…..and so on.
As you might expect, this trip definitely changed my life, but so did the road to it. I learned that our God is big, really big. I learned that “awaiting God’s will” was a cop out for me, a way to avoid true action for the kingdom. Its plain what God’s will is for us - just read John 3:16-21, Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew 25:31-46, James 1:27 and Matthew 28:16-20. But read them with your heart, just like it was the first time.
In my study for this trip I noticed that throughout the Bible very seldom did the Lord tell the believer that he sent the entire itinerary for the next month or year of their life… He simply said “Go”.
This trip is the most important thing that I’ve ever done. Not just because of what God accomplished through us, but also because maybe for the first time in my 53 years I trusted and obeyed. I learned that all blessings have a purpose and a cost. And that I am not to ever again be that “comfortable Christian” that feels that I need not be actively seeking God’s will for me each and every day.
Please pray today for the church leaders in East Africa, and in all places around the world where people are in need and the gospel is not known. And please prayerfully consider just “believing and going” when nudged. God Bless…
John Owen
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