Why I’m going to Ireland
Tuesday evening at around 8:30 P.M., Troy and Noelle Rhodes and yours truly will get on an airplane and head to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Why? It’s not a vacation (although Gail will join me on Friday and we will see a few things). We go because we believe this is part of what God is doing in Lamb of God. Two years ago at a conference in Sao Paulo I was approached by a woman, probably in her 50’s who said through a translator - “I know this man, I’ve seen his face before.” Yet, I had never been there before. She said that she had seen my face in a dream and that she had a “word” from God for me that she needed to share. So there I was standing in a room with 250 strangers, and suddenly a person I had never met began excitedly claiming that she knew my face and that God had a word for me. I must tell you that my nature is inclined to be skeptical. But heck, I was in Brazil and I was already way past my comfort zone. So I said - please share with me what you believe God wants me to know. She said….
I saw your feet touching down on the nations. I blinked, swallowed and said what? She repeated it again; “I saw your feet touching down on the nations.” This was somewhat shocking to me. In all the years I had been a pastor I had only traveled outside of the U.S. one other time and that was only the year before to Brazil. Here was a stranger, very sincere and very insistent telling me - God wants you to know - your feet will touch down on the nations. I sort of hid that thought in my heart and decided okay Lord, if this is You, then I won’t turn down any invitation to go. Well, there you got it - I’m going to Ireland because its a door God has opened up and I feel I must respond with a yes to these opportunities. The work that we will visit in Ireland has already entertained a number of our young people as well as several leaders from Lamb. Troy and Noelle also spend a good deal of time over in Belfast working with that ministry. I go this time to reach out to the leader of that ministry with an offer of relationship. We believe that the Lord may have something more for the Rock Center and its leader Johnny than simply a destination we occassionally take our kids on for a mission experience. We also have one of our own, Ben Estes living in Belfast and working with that ministry.
My posture in this is simply to be obedient to what I perceive as God’s calling on my life at this season of life. I will be traveling to Brazil in late July, to Eastern Europe (Poland) in October and to Ivory Coast, Africa in November. This is more travel than I ever imagined myself doing, and yet I have a sense that God is calling me out to the nations and that He wants to connect Lamb of God Fellowship with the nations. Next year (2008), Lord willing, I will take a small group of brothers into the Amazon jungle to dig several water wells. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine folks from Lamb in the Amazon Jungle, working with the Satree Indians, bringing fresh water to these villages, and maybe the “Living Water” as well. This is what God is doing with us. Opening our hearts and opening our lives to the nations. I believe it is part of the work of awakening He is doing in our body. I believe it is something the Lord will use us to do with other churches in the days to come.
Anyway - thought you all might like to know…
peace…
May 1st, 2007 at 7:30 am
Scott: Karl has expressed an interest in returning to Belfast after Messiah ends (around 5/12) and before he’s due at Camp (6/18).
I’ve not in the last ten years been successful in carrying on a conversation with my son that lasts more than five minutes, so I don’t know the reason why, but Karl has been unable to iron out his plans for work and accommodations in Belfast so far.
If you would be willing to keep this in mind, pray and keep your ears open during your trip, this would certainly help.
(I’ve promised to come up with the airfare, and the two-week advance purchase requirement is hard upon me.)
thanks, peace, and safe travels… rgs