When God Provided: Africa Part 1

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I have been thinking a lot lately about the Influence conference. I am trying so hard to trust the Lord with opening the door for me to go. I want to grow in learning how to make the most of the Influence the Lord has give me to share His love, the ways He has been at work in my life.

To share Him.

Some days I fully trust Him.

Others are harder.

When those moments come, I have found it encouraging to look back at times when God provided. 

Times where is was above and beyond my wildest expectations.

Africa has been on my heart a lot lately. I feel the Lord stirring my heart for that land again.

So allow me to share with you and journey the Lord took me on back in 2006, I wrote about some of the ongoing effects of that trip here. This was a journey which blew my mind about how sovereign the Lord is. How He is more than able to provide, when there seem to be so many obstacles in the way.

A story about how I found myself in Africa without knowing I would be there till six days before.

I had just finished a challenging year working for the first time, for an internet based company. Alongside this job I also worked part time as an intern with our church's youth group. I was pushed and stretched throughout many challenges that year.

My 19th birthday came and went toward the end of the academic year, I shared it with so many precious friends and several younger girls I had been able to invest time in that year.

I was also attracted to a godly young man from our church. He was the worship leader at our youth meetings, a surfer, and quickly became my best friend.

You know the type.

At the end of the year we had been challenged by his parents to let go of our friendship, as we were both very young and heading in very different life directions. To surrender the whole situation to Christ and trust Him with our hearts.

He left for the states about 2 weeks after that conversation to go to college.

I had no idea if I would ever see him again.

I was getting ready to head off to college myself in England. Then my family announced they too were England-bound. An unexpected change of plan. There would be no returning trips to see them during vacation-time. No trips back to the land where my friends now were and where I felt there was a link to this guy who had left.

I began to fall apart. 

Early that year in January I had planned to go on a mission trip with our church for 2 weeks to India. So a few weeks after my best friend left, I headed out to India.

I felt the Lord speaking to me throughout that trip, showing me His presence, comfort and love in ways I had never experienced before.

I became quite close to the older girls who were leaders on the trip. One in particular shared my struggles with my singleness and heart brokenness over the lost friendship.

As our time was coming to a quick end, they started talking about their upcoming trip to Tanzania. There were two trips organised that summer and they were all going on both trips. All the leaders had raised support months in advance to be able to afford both these trips.

Then one of them asked me why I wasn't going to Africa.

I probably mumbled something about not having the money. Then I was frustrated that I wouldn't get to go to a place that had intrigued me for a long time. Over something like money. Then I felt a nudge.

What a silly reason to not go and do something so life-changing.

I felt the Lord challenge me about whether I thought He could provide.

I secretly felt it was hopeless, there was only six days between landing and leaving for Africa.

But I chose to trust. Thinking I had nothing to lose.

I talked to my parents almost immediately after returning, convinced they would say no. I had already been gone for two weeks. I asked their permission to head out if I could get the support, flight and visas in time.

They said yes.

I was stunned.

I then called the region coordinator of the organisation about the trip. I explained how I felt the God had challenged me to go and I had some of the money in a savings account (money I had earned from my job to go toward college). He told me he would make some calls and see what he could do. But he made no promises, except to call me back asap with an answer.

I waited all day.

By the end of the day I had pretty much lost all hope. I felt so silly for thinking that something that big could just happen.

Then the phone rang.

The organisation running the trip had agreed to fund 2/3rds of the cost for me to go. He had taken so long calling me back as he had been talking to the airline booking my ticket.

Within 24hrs I had my support.

Then I needed visas. I was told to get to the Kenyan and Tanzanian embassies asap. Both of these were located in the capital city of the country we lived in. Which was several hours away. I called one of my friends who lived there, one of the team leaders from India. She invited me to come and stay with her and then head to the embassies with her the following day while she returned to pick up passports which had been there for about 4 months waiting approval for visas.

My heart sank.

My mother, being the incredibly supportive parent she is, drove me to the capital city and agreed to come back and get me when I had my visas.

The following day I entered the Kenyan embassy and explained my urgent need for a visa, that I was due to fly in about 3 days time.

He stamped my passport and I had my visa in about 5 mins total.

(My friend also collected all the visas they needed there too)

We headed across town to the Tanzanian embassy. We met the region coordinator there as he had come to appeal for the remaining passports they needed for those already scheduled months ago to go on the trip.

I was so nervous.

Once again I approached the window and explained my urgent need for a visa, that I was due to fly in 3 days time. They took my passport and told me to wait. About 40 mins passed. I thought for sure this was where this mind-blowing series of provision was going to come to a swift end. 

A lady then came out and handed a stack of passports to the region coordinator, mine included.

He handed it to me, I opened it and I saw a visa for Tanzania.

I could have cried.

My mom was able to come and get me that evening. I spent a total of 24hrs in the capital city and left with both visas and not a single glitch. I then spent the remaining two days gathering items I needed for the trip (like long skirts) and found myself boarding a plane bound for Kenya only days later.

If God is able to take a broken, doubting, selfish young girl like me and open doors providing in a way like that...why is He not able to do it for you too? Are you also waiting on the Lord for provision for something? Know that He has provided in the past.....He will provide again. 

Its always a wonderful reminder when I am discouraged about the Influence conference.

More to come on the actual trip while in Africa.

Much Love,

L