hotel | Walking By Faith in Europe

Greetings from Indianapolis! I am here at the International Conference on Missions (ICOM http://www.theicom.org/conference) with Sally, the brains behind GoMissions, European Faith Missions’ new partner in ministry. Sally and I are here exhibiting for GoMissions (http://www.gomissions.eu/), an online bulletin board for matching missionaries with mission opportunities in Europe.

Indianapolis is the cleanest, most graffiti-free city I think I’ve ever seen. And when I commented on that to local people, the answer has come back: police presence. I believe it because every time I’ve gone out the door of the hotel, there has been a police car, either parked nearby or passing by on the street. Every morning at breakfast, there is a group of 5 or 6 police officers who take a break here.

One officer told me that the campaign against graffiti started about 5 years ago, and that it has been an important weapon in the suppression of inner city gangs. I guess I had never thought of it before. My only experience of gangs is limited to the musical “West Side Story.” And I remember that in the first scenes, in fact it’s in the opening credits, the Sharks and Jets dance around marking their turf with graffiti. Anyway, the result is that Indianapolis is both very clean and feels safe.

Meanwhile, back at the conference, the need for missionaries in Europe is still obviously very much misunderstood here in the US. When I point out that even people with running water and modern conveniences need a Savior, almost invariably the person responds that America is also a mission field. I don’t deny the truth of that, but the people who say it tend to be people who are not actively sharing the Gospel here, either. Interestingly, the people who best understand the need for missionaries in Europe are missionaries serving in other parts of the world. They know that Europe is the least Christian continent on Earth.

I wouldn’t say that we should stop sending missionaries to Africa because there is still a need there, but Africa is way more Christian than Europe. In fact, now there is an organization of African missionaries to Europe: GATE, Gift from Africa to Europe (http://gate-mission.org/GATE%20Flyer.pdf).

And many people who say that they feel called to missions say in the very next breath: “But I could never live without running water.” Well, Europe is more likely where they are called because those called to live in deserts love the deserts and desert people; those called to live in the jungle love the jungle and the jungle people; and those of us called to live in Europe love Europe and the European people.

Mission does not automatically equal suffering. The suffering and troubles that Jesus warned about was persecutions. Anywhere you meet the enemy and people influenced by the enemy, you’ll encounter resistance, trouble, and sometimes persecution. Missionaries suffer hardship wherever they are. I have had to learn to sleep sitting straight up on buses, trains, and planes, often missing meals—that’s hardship. Giving up my house, and leaving my family—especially my grandson—is hardship. But I know that I will be compensated:

Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields [and grandchildren]—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life,” (Mark 10:28-30, emphasis mine).

Please, friends, help me get the word out: Europe is a mission field full of people who need Jesus.

I was going through my computer documents and, I came across the following piece that I had written in October 2011, while I was at the 24/7 worship celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles in Poland.

A theme that kept recurring during that weeklong celebration was The Table. About six months before I went to Poland I was in Alessandria, Italy, visiting a small church there. My friend, Pastor Matteo, was guest-preaching that evening, and after the sermon he gave three altar calls:

For anyone wanting to receive God’s free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ
For anyone needing healing or other prayers
For anyone wanting more from God

At that third invitation I leaped to my feet. Pastor Domenico and his wife prayed for me, and then he told me: “God says that He has put a big Table before you, and it is full of everything you could ever want or need.” Then he added, “But of course, you need to share with God’s people.” He didn’t need to add that because it is my heart to share with God’s people.

So in Poland six months later, when there were several teachings that mentioned The Table, I knew that I had to share the Word that God had given me through Pastor Domenico. And when I did, I told the people there that I believe The Table is for all of us, not just me. And the next day, the following is what I wrote:

Last night the French team was leading worship and I suddenly became overwhelmed and scared by the task ahead of me: five months of speaking to churches and at conferences all over the US about missions in Europe. And I said, “God, if You don’t help me, I’m in big trouble because I don’t know what I’m doing! I need You! I need You! I need You!” And I began to cry in my desperate need for God.

I tried to calm down a bit, but then the thought came: “If Europe’s future depends on me, then Europe is in big trouble.” Of course I know that Europe’s future does not depend on me, but such is my burden and call for Europe that I cried even harder because it wasn’t my own embarrassment and failure, but Europe and her missionaries. So I cried and cried some more. While the French team was singing songs of love and praise to God, I was weeping from a broken heart for Europe. And I continued to beg God: “I need You! I need You! I need You!”

Finally, I calmed down, remembering the table full of everything I could ever want or need. And I said, “Lord, the gifts are great, but I don’t want any gifts! I want You! I need You!” And I began to cry a third time from my desperate need for God.

Then God spoke, and in a very tender voice He said: “My child, I am in every gift! I am on the table! Every gift is simply more of Me! Why do you think I keep inviting you to take everything you need, everything you want from the table? Because I am everything that is on the table! Take all you want of Me!” And I said: “Lord, I want ALL of You!”

And I saw myself dropping all the things I had been holding onto: the desire for a home, the desire for a godly husband to share my life, the desire to spend more time with my new grandchild. These things that I had thought were so important, I just let them go. And I said, “Now I’m ready, and I want only You, and ALL of You!”

And after that I was exhausted. So when the team leader took the French team back to the hotel, I went with them. And I slept and dreamed:

Fire came down from Heaven and suddenly I clearly saw the way to go, but I held back because there was someone else there and I thought that person should lead. But that person couldn’t see the way to go, so I had to lead.

Then I woke up. There was my answer! God will lead me during my five month speaking tour in the US!

And now, four months after my speaking tour of the US has ended, I can say that it went very well, but not because of me. I spent at least an hour in prayer before each speaking engagement, yielding myself, and asking the Holy Spirit to speak through me. And from those speaking engagements, I got several more intercessors, which is a very precious gift, indeed!

God is good!