"Blessed are those who mourn."

I really have not processed the summer the way I am going to in the next few weeks…but I am confident in this: the Bush outreach was the absolute most transforming and best part of the whole experience. Between traveling through the poorest parts of Mozambique, seeing the extreme physical poverty and the lack of the necessities to live a healthy life, I am becoming more broken for losing my life for the gospel. God is the only answer for this country. The government is corrupt…the culture, although beautiful in so many ways, is being trashed by witchcraft and darkness. For instance, at the beginning of adolescence, the boys are raped and circumcised, and the girls are taken for a period of time to be involved in similar “rights of passage.” During one of the outreaches, in a province called Lichinga, there were parties and parades to celebrate the beginning of this time in the children’s lives. Beyond all of this, there are so many that have been left maimed and crippled because of the land mines left from the civil wars. And if you still find a way to be happy despite all of this, I am sure the incredible natural disasters that come will be enough to destroy your spirit. The Holy Given school was all about incarnational love and how to bring the love of God without trying to change the culture of the people whom you are serving. It was being able to see what the gospel actually looks like. We kept hearing, “Love looks like something.” It is not words but actions. God intended for us to be healthy, to be whole, and to know who we are as his creations. One thing God showed me on this trip was to lose my addiction for comfort and how this must be broken if others will be comforted and understand this wholeness that God intends for them through me. I come from a sick culture that teaches you that comfort is God-ordained and we are entitled to it. It is hard to have that conversation with a little boy with worm in the toes, a bloated belly, and who has just seen his parents and friends die in a flood. The message I was hearing while I was in the bush was, “If you want to be my hands and feet in the world, you need my eyes and my heart.” It is true…One day, in the medical tent, as I reached out to touch this one boy, tears started to run down my face and I actually felt like Jesus was touching this boy through me…it was the first time I felt this, and it was better than any physical miracle I have seen. I am continually inspired by those who have given up every right and entitlement for the sake of another persons comfort and healing. It is much what Jesus did for us…he died so we could be whole…and we have the opportunity to be just like him for someone else or even a whole nation. How flippin’ awesome is that!!! Bless you all!!! I Love You. -Steve