Not Just in Africa

Returning to America was not an easy transition for me. Although I knew the purpose, I still wondered how the Lord would ultimately use this time. It’s not “down time” – there is still work to be done, but my question was, “What does my ministry look like here?”

He said, “I need your ministry in America to look the same as your ministry in Africa.”

Knowing that approaching huts in Africa is drastically different than knocking on doors in America, I wasn’t sure how the He would accomplish this. Nevertheless, I knew the heart of the mission has always been and will always be the same, drawing all people to Him.

We share testimonies of the power of God radically healing the sick and setting free those who are bound. People always say, “Oh yeah, all that stuff happens in Africa, but I’ve never seen it here,” but the Lord’s heart and plan is not restricted to a geographical location. The Spirit of God is not different in Africa. He is the same everyday and everywhere. 

So the Lord set me on a mission to live and minister with the same boldness that I do in Africa in America, demonstrating that the Lord is the same no matter where we are.

One of my friends had heard the testimonies of God’s faithfulness and power and asked if I would come pray for her mom who had bad knees and a bad back. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity, knowing that the Lord wouldn’t open this door in vain. So we went and prayed. After we finished praying, she wanted to test it out. So she jumped out of her chair with ease, walked around the house with posture she hadn’t had in years, and washed the dishes to see how long she could stand without pain…she finished the dishes with no problem at all! We rejoiced together knowing that God is still a God of miracles, even in America.

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I went to DC on a day trip for an event that was happening at the National Mall. While I was there, I felt the Lord urge me to go talk to these two moms and their daughters. He told me they were from Texas. I was going on a Texas road trip a couple weeks after, so we could connect again. After talking with them, I exchanged numbers with Gracie, one of the daughters, a recent high school graduate who wasn’t sure what she was doing next.

At the end of my time in Texas, we finally managed to set up a time to go to dinner. It was a sweet time of fellowship, and I shared the heart of expeditions, gathering all who wanna participate in making His name known to the ends of the of earth. I told her about my expeditions in Zambia and invited her to come.

After sharing all the details about flying into Livingstone, driving out into a village, and how we minister, she told me that a few years ago she was watching a movie and one scene stood out to her. The frame focused on a sign that said “Livingstone.” She knew in that moment Livingstone would be significant, but she never knew why until now. Going to Livingstone, Zambia has been the Lord’s plan for her that she had unknowingly been praying about for a couple of years!

I love this wild testimony of how God works in mysterious ways that are often above our understanding. Isaiah 55:8-9 says it best, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.'” It’s not about our understanding; it’s about our obedience. 

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People often wonder why we see God move in Africa in powerful and mighty ways, yet in America it is so rare. I would venture to say that the key is taking God at His word.

He is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. He is alive and active. He has always been faithful, and He will always be faithful. 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us, “if we are faithless, He will remain faithful – for He cannot deny Himself.”

And He will use us if we are willing.