one faithful.

As always, the Lord is faithful.  Matt's three days out of Haiti were fantastic, and despite the cost and chaos, he has dubbed his days "more than worth it".  Avon Park Camp Meeting, founded 75 years ago by Dr. Henry Clay, is a rather famous one in the camp meeting circuits, and Matt was thrilled to get to work alongside of many members of OMS and WGM that he's never had a chance to meet, along with several other missionaries from around the world. 

He stayed up late, he got up early, he got to speak with all kinds of people, learned all kinds of things, heard some great speakers, was touched by the vibrancy and passion so many poured out for the world and our Father, and was deeply encouraged by the people we have working alongside of us for the Gospel around the world that is OUR family, your family...and family we'd never even met.

There were also a few speakers unable to come, so Matt was able to preach and share far more times than had been planned.

All that to say we are re-passioned yet again by this truth: It's a mission field.  

Last night, with three hours of sleep under his belt in the last 36, it was our turn to drive to Vaudreil and share our testimony with whatever team was in for OMS.  Matt was exhausted, Sofie had to be taken to the bathroom 6 times during dinner, and Matt had only been back for 2 hours when we had to go.

But there were 20 people from Tennessee and Texas waiting to eat dinner together, and to hear about what God's doing in Haiti.  So we went.  And it was a mission field.

Matt felt led to share about the dangers of syncretism (mixing together different religions) in the Haitian church and among Haitian believers because of the strength of Haitian voodoo in this culture and traditions.  He shared about our Entirely Different God and about the battle the Seminary fights every day to be in relationship with 50 leaders...and to work, slowly and continually, through this.  To hammer out voodoo, even enslaved mentality.  To teach and to engrain entirely different thinking, entirely different worldview, entirely different living: Christ's.  

The conversation quickly shifted by a question regarding short-term teams, door-to-door evangelism, in light of this truth.  Can sharing the Gospel, as a foreigner, through a translator, in five minutes, on your third day in Haiti, bring life changing transformation and true conversion?

And Matt could have spoken about our view on this all day.  

But instead, his simple response reflected what he-relearned at Avon Park.  

It was missiologically incorrect and made no sense for Matt to preach a witchdoctor's funeral last May.  But when God made it clear, it was only for Matt to obey, all the issues left at His feet.

It made no sense for Matt to fly to Flordia right now, mid-semester, with visiting professors here, with us all sick, to share the Gospel at Avon Park.  But when God made it clear, it was only for Matt to obey, all the issues left at His feet.

We've got stands and opinions and experiences on all kinds of things, but none of it trumps obedience.  If you feel that God has made it abundantly clear (as The Competent Communicator) that you are to go _______________ and share the Gospel with _____________, then it is only for you to OBEY. 

The issues are then God's to work through.  And He does, doesn't he.

All of it, everywhere, is the mission field.  Each of us, all of us in Christ, are the missionary.

Doesn't have anything to do with who lives with rats, how much anyone makes, what you have to wear, what your house looks like, which language you do it in, whether you're eating Dairy Queen or monkey brains, approaching family or criminals, orphans or widows, co-workers, naked tribes, the waiter, your twin sister or a complete and total foreigner.  Doesn't matter what the problem is, what could hold us back, what makes us uncomfortable or who or how it could be done better.

IT IS ONLY FOR US TO OBEY.

Unconcerned for the issues.  Unconcerned for what others think.  Unconcerned for what obedience looks like in others lives.  God's never once lined us up next to another.  ONLY against Himself, our Standard.

As you set out on your day, today, asking Him to make you sensitive to His leading, seeking Him out, searching His Word, being in continual prayer, 

if He speaks...no...

WHEN He speaks...

DO IT.

I dare you.  

He will abundantly care for the rest, and do things we never thought possible.

It is the definition of One Faithful.

I believe there is much we have yet to see by His hand

because He is waiting to find.