Carry Your Name: A Faith Like Potatoes...

A potato is vegetable that grows underneath the soil. From the moment it is planted until the very moment it is time to harvest, you will have no clue what lies under foot. Once the potato is planted you can’t be digging up areas, always checking to see if something is growing. You have to trust and have faith that the potatoes took to the earth. You have to have Faith Like Potatoes.

Because I was under the weather, as most of you know, this past week, I had the chance to watch a few movies. One movie I watched was titled, Faith Like Potatoes. This movie is a must see. I highly recommend it! But I think especially at this time in my life, and where I am in the world it fits perfectly. The movie is based on the true story of a South African farmer turned preacher, Angus Buchan. To say this film and this story is moving is an understatement. The way God worked through this man and his ordinary life is truly extraordinary.

This movie spoke right to my soul. It is so easy for me to struggle with my purpose for being here. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up and let things feel normal. It’s easy to be blinded and feel like I don’t really have a purpose. But I have to believe it is like the potato. Although I can’t see it now, at some point the harvest will take place and then the Lord will reveal that which lies underneath. It might be within this year that I am here or it might not be for years to come, but whatever I think it is such a beautiful picture of God’s timing. I could chose to be the impatient me that I am and dig up a little section just to check that everything is on track to work out. But in that doubt, yes, doubt of Gods provision, I am going to miss out on that glorious reward of taking the shovel to that ready land at just the right time. In doubting and jumping the gun, I take away a little big of Gods glory. He just wants us to have faith. Have faith in His timing, faith in His crop and faith in His provision.

I want to wait. I want to lie in watch over this field called life the Lord has given me, knowing at just the right time He will reveal to me the beauty that lies underneath!!

I wait with a Holy Anticipation for that reveal whenever it might be and whatever might lie underneath it all.

Lord, give me a faith like potatoes!!

So as most of you know, being sick has kept me cooped up in this house all week! YUCK! But I still have some highlights I would like to share with you all!!

Although this sounds tiny and not that important, Laura and I spent Monday evening watching over the babies in between shifts for the staff! So of course we took the opportunity to take some fun pictures! So I’ve included a fun picture from our shoot! The boys are growing and getting healthier… but unfortunately they have come down with a bug and both babies were actually admitted to the hospital on Saturday night. But I’ll get to that later.

Wednesday was Namibia’s independence day. Sadly that morning I awoke to just about the worst pain ever. So while everyone else enjoyed the day’s festivities I was cooped up in the house sleeping! They had a Bry (like a cookout) and ate pap, chicken, and soup. Pap is a food staple here. It is made from mealie meal, which is ground up corn, and is mixed with water and stirred over the fire. I was so looking forward to making this because; as everyone says it is incredibly hard!! So I can’t wait until I actually get to make it!

Friday, Laura and I went to town in the afternoon with Uncle Travis. It was so nice because we stopped in Hungry Lion, the local fast food stop, and enjoyed some lovely ice cream! It was so nice to sit there and eat some yummy ice cream!

Saturday, we went to town with some of the children, and Laura and I decided to go and sit in the bistro and order lunch. I brought my computer with me, because the Internet connection in town is so much better. So as I sat in this bistro and ate lunch, I got to video Skype my family for the first time! In almost 50 days it was SO nice to see them and hear their voices, and I got to see my sweet puppies!!! I just wish my sister had been home too! The unfortunate part is the fact that there is a 7-hour time difference. So we had to Skype at 4:30am Texas time!! Oh well, I’m sure they didn’t mind too much! I am just so glad to know that I can Skype and catch up! Soooo if the opportunity arises, I would love to Skype more of you…. Of course we can set up a time that works a bit better!! Once we got back from town, Laura and I walked down to Auntie Jenny’s house to watch/help (as much as we could) Uncle Samushi pounding the corn. So it’s a process where you grind corn kernels down, and then you place them in the huge wooden bowl and you pound away until it is very fine. Once it is fine, you sift the corn through to get only the finest particles. Let me tell you it takes a ton of energy to pound that corn! It is so much harder than it looks! So although we tried, Laura and I weren’t that much help at all!!

Saturday evening once bible study was over, Lorna, Laura and I ended up at the hospital with Manyando. Mafenyeho had already been taken and admitted early. Both boys have some sort of bug that has caused them to be super dehydrated and just as sick as can be. So both the boys are in the hospital now and will probably stay until Monday. So your prayers for their health and recovery would be great! We didn’t get home from the hospital until about 9 o’clock! So after we had a very late dinner and were headed to bed, I hear Laura shriek from her room! I walk in to find that a scorpion had decided to make her pillow its home for the night. So the next few minutes followed with screaming, freaking out, and of course taking pictures. Hahaha. She trapped it under a jar and we carried it outside so we could doom it! Talk about an adventure. Talk about not being able to sleep last night! YUCK!

Today in church a local pastor named Francis visited us. He spoke to us about prayer and challenged all of us to pray focused prayers, and see what can happen over the next year. I too am excited to see if the children will stick with this idea of praying with purpose. Before he ended he spoke the acronym for P.U.S.H, to pray until something happens. I challenge you to that too. Pray until something happens. Take your requests expectantly to the father. Commune with him daily and be bold and courageous in your prayers.

I am sure that this week will be an adventure nonetheless. Hopefully adventures that involve staying healthy and participating in life here at Zion!

Thank you all for your response to my prayer request email, and thank you more importantly for the prayers for healing. I feel incredibly blessed and overwhelmed by all your love and support. Know that your prayers were felt a world away.