Words of Wisdom From Tony

So…our typical weekdays begin at 5:45 am. Most of you are sitting down for dinner and we are getting up for the day. Upon awaking, we get Tekle up and get him ready for school. Thankfully, a friend drives him to and from school every day. It saves us on time (4 hours a day) and gas, which runs anywhere between $5-$6 a gallon. We then have our quiet times and workout. It feels by 8am, we have lived a lot of life. Leah works out with Rachel (the Ugandan formerly known as Sauda), and Bo and I head over to workout with Alfred and Ainslie (friend, and home owner of our last homestead). We setup P90X on the laptop under a mango tree, use weights made of old car parts welded together and have a homemade pull up bar which fits nicely between two palm trees. It is a pretty sweet set-up.

For those of you familiar with P90X, you know that Tony leads a great workout, but he is not known for pearls of wisdom to live your life by. But, the other day when we were working out he said, “You know the problem with most people? They quit too soon. There is something in them that says, “This is too much pain”, and they just quit.” I don’t know about you, but when it comes to working out I am often that guy. A few reps in, things are good, then it starts to get hard and I start thinking, “I can’t do this anymore.” So I quit, wait for the pain to stop, and then jump in again when I feel ready.

I sat outside of an office building on Tuesday afternoon after an appointment waiting for my boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) friend to come. After a few minutes of just watching life go by, I started thinking of Tony’s words earlier in the day. “Am I that guy in other areas of life too? Do I quit too soon? When things get hard do I stop and wait for the pain to go away?” There are times where I am afraid to turn the next page of the story of my life – small or big. There are times when I wonder what will be next and can I do it? You know those times when you feel like God might be telling you something and it seems difficult, or impossible, so you do nothing? Or those times when you are in deep and doing the right thing is just too hard, so you stop. Whether that be in a relationship, work, parenting, or fill in the blank. That’s when we must remember to trust in God’s character, in who He is, not what He is presently doing in me. He is carefully churning and crafting the details of my life. He is engineering it all. Even if I have royally screwed it all up, in His grace and mercy, He is putting it back together again. And in all of it He is creating a deep sense of dependence. His purposes are taking us somewhere, probably somewhere we have never been before. Because it is there that something start to happen. It is in those later reps, the ones where we want to stop, that we start to see the depths of God that we have never seen before.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us the same power that raised Christ from the dead – Ephesians 1:19

If resurrection power is at work in me, than I should expect some resurrection. The thing we constantly forget is that there is always death before the resurrection. That is the part we don’t like. That is the part where we want to quit. But without death, there is no life. Did you ever wonder why Jesus died on Friday but didn’t raise again until Sunday? How come He didn’t just show up Saturday morning? It would have made it so much easier on everybody. But that is not what He did. There was death and then there was some pain, and there was some confusion…and then there was new life! I think that is how it often works as God works in us. If my goal as a follower of Christ is to be like Christ, then some of me must die. And if some part of me must die, then it will be hard, and I will want to quit. But it is in the not quitting, in the enduring, in the allowing Him to do something in me, in the death, where He often does His best work. But don’t forget that through all of that comes new life. To be raised up into a new creation, new life, is not about being good, smart, accountable, or even faithful – we need to be dead.

So I say to you, don’t stop. If there is something in your life that God keeps bringing back around, press into it. If you know that you should do something, but you are scared of the pain, rejection and heartache – lean towards it, push through the pain. What is good is difficult & what is difficult is rare. We have all struggled for most of our lives against the fear of being last, lost, least, little or dead – we need to trust that in those very conditions Jesus is present. It is all OK. We are safe. Just because it is hard does not mean it is bad. In fact, our best growth comes from the pain, the suffering and even the death. Listen to Tony.

I am a Missionary…

We have been called a “Missionary” by many people lately. I am not a big fan of that title. Not that the word itself is necessarily negative, but the connotations that come with the title are what I don’t like. Being a “missionary” automatically separates you. It makes you different. And that difference does a few things.

First of all, it automatically makes the “missionary” somebody special. You know, they have all those amazing stories, are super-spiritual and hear God’s voice audibly all day long. They go on these grand adventures, all overseas by the way, find themselves in these impossible situations and then God shows up, rescues them and boom baby…newsletter material.

Secondly, it relieves the “non-missionary” from the responsibility of being who God has called them to be. After all, they aren’t a “missionary” and don’t have to do “missionary” things (OK, I am going to stop putting quotes around that word). The non-missionary just has to go to work, raise their kids, not cheat on their wife or kick the dog and they are good to go. That missionary stuff is for those who are called to be a missionary.

The word mission originates back to 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin missionem, meaning, “act of sending”. It paints the picture of somebody being sent to do some special work in regards to religion. These special people that were sent on these missions were called missionaries. Then maps with yarn are placed in the church lobby, foyer, narthex, or whatever you call it, plaid and bad haircuts become the official uniform and now we have this great divide between those who are missionaries and those who are not.

I am not trying to slam anyone here, I am just trying to understand why we have this grave difference between what we call a missionary and everybody else. As we sit here in Uganda the main difference I see between us and our friends back in the states (which is probably you) is location. Location! Location! Location! We are still doing all the things that are involved in keeping a marriage together, raising a family and taking care of the mundane (groceries, laundry, paying taxes, etc.). We just happen to be doing all of those things on the other side of the world. Granted we do some of those things a bit differently than we did back in Austin, but we still have to do those things.

So as I see it, we are all missionaries. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a missionary. You are sent. The two cannot exist separately. In John 20 Jesus appears to His disciples and sends them. “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (vs. 21). I Peter 2 makes it very clear  we are all members of the royal priesthood and our role as a priest is to “declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (vs. 9). So as I see it, we are all supposed to be telling the story of how God brought us out of the darkness into the light. We are all to be telling the story of God’s redemption and restoration in our life. We have all been sent, with the authority of a priest, to share the story of the mercy of Jesus! Yes, our locations are different, our cultures are different, but we all have been sent to impact and change the world around us by sharing the Good News that Jesus takes people who are broken (which is most of humanity) and puts them back together again. I am a missionary who has such a message, as are you.

So, we have been sent to Uganda. Where have you been sent? We have been sent to work at Cherish, where have you been sent to work? We have been sent to churches to serve them as we help them minister to their children. What church have you been sent to? Your sent place is boring you say? Your sent place is insignificant you say? The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed,” Jesus explains, “which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches” (Matt.13:31-32). The obscure, the small, the seemingly insignificant – this is how God brings about His kingdom. These are words of life for any Christian who wants to see the results of his or her obedience. Though at first and on the surface, the work of God in your life might appear insignificant, but it mysteriously yields an abundant harvest.

So I say, look around and take notice where you have been sent and embrace it. It is by no accident that you have been sent there. In fact I would argue that it is strategic on God’s part that you have been sent there. Might you be sent somewhere else in the future? Maybe, but for now this is where you have been sent. This is where His kingdom needs to be built, and you, fellow missionary, are the one He has chosen.

Mable

Mable

Before Christmas our friend Scott tells us of a little six-year-old girl named Mable. He explained that she was being neglected, was severely malnourished, had sores all over her body, an open wound behind her ear and has AIDS. From the moment I heard of this little girl I could not get her off my mind. Those thoughts would continually turn to prayers. God began to knit my heart with His for her. I love when He does this…

Scott asked Brent if he wanted to visit her family and pray. You bet! So, on the way back from dropping Amy off in Kenya, Brent stopped by Mable’s home. (As God would orchestrate it, this family is about 15 minutes from Cherish, just one peninsula over. Yes!) Brent took with him a bible (thank you to The Well Bible Church for these gifts, they are like GOLD here) and a pillow case dress (thank you Wendy McNamee for the treasures these have been in clothing the children of Uganda). Brent drove down a dirt road, which turned into a wide path, which turned to a single lane walking path, which led to a 30-year-old shack. He walked around the back of the house, and there was Mable, squatting in the dirt washing some clothes in a bucket. Despite the poverty that Mable lives in and the fragile shape of her body, she clearly had the joy of the Lord. She sat on Brent’s lap & sang song after song and poured out love. Come to find out Mable also struggles with severe epilepsy. Ahhh…another connection to our family. (Our third born son Luke has epilepsy too. In October 2009, he underwent two major brain surgeries to remove both a tumor and the damaged brain tissue that was causing the seizures. Luke will be on seizure meds for two years. After that time is up, we will wean him off the meds and see if he really is seizure free) Upon leaving, Brent told Mable he would be back with his family. (By the way, Mable is not 6 but 13…she is the size of a 6 year old, but her father said she is 13.)

Of course, by the day, I was being drawn to this child so I could NOT wait to get my hands on her. All she had going on in her body, except the AIDS, we could relate to. So, the morning we were to see Mable, I prayed God would make it clear what, if anything we should/could do for this family. The need around this place is GINORMOUS and many have said you need divine wisdom daily to know what God desires you to be part of. Wisdom is what I begged Him for that day.

It took the typical hour to get to Entebbe and the car ride was quiet. The five of us needed some chill time I guess. Anywho, when we drove up to Mable’s home, her daddy, Paddy (pronounced potty), met us. He greeted us so warmly. What a gentle, kind soul he seems to be. His smile is angelic to say the least. Right away he invited us into his humble home and out came Mable. She could barely walk because she has also suffered a stroke at some point in her life. One side of her body is paralyzed and now the stronger leg turns in too. She seems to have Cerebral Palsy. But I am no doctor. It was special to watch Mable go around the room and hug each one of us. Coming to me last, she planted herself on my lap and hugged me tightly. It was if she knew I had been longing to be with her. Oh God, this child…no this teenager needs You desperately. Moments into our visit Mable speaks to her dad. I asked him to translate. Sweetly, almost shy Paddy tells us that Mable has just asked to go home and live with our family. What?! In my soul I wanted to scream yes. Instead, I asked the Lord…is this You? Brent immediately replied with the importance for her to be with her family. Of course, I jumped in (okay, interrupted) and asked Paddy if we could take her to our home for a few days. Happily he said yes, that would be fine… “but to make sure and bring Mable home.” I smiled and assured him we would. Brent gave me the look saying…not this time. Ugh…okay…I will wait.

Our visit was special. We brought them food and some other home items. It was New Years Eve and we shared we knew they could always use a few more “happys”. (That one is for you Leslie). How grateful everyone who receives anything in this place is…and we always say, it is God who has supplied. We talked and talked (Paddy’s English is pretty good). He disclosed openingly what life has been like and even showed us Mable’s Fit Chart. This is where he documents her seizures. Lord, she has had sooooooooooooooooooo many- one lasting up to 15 minutes. Because of her epilepsy Mable is unable to attend school anymore. Paddy shared there is a school she was accepted at in Kampala that is for special needs kids. The issue has been financial. It cost $1,000 U.S. dollars to send her for a year, plus about $250 to set up her life at the dormitory. He did not ask us to pay which is rare. We told him we would pray and ask God to provide. He smiled – angelically.

It was time to leave and Mable walked us out to our car. She looked at my feet, pointed to hers and asked if I would bring her socks. You bet! Mable gave us all hugs and we got into the car. I waved and she wobbled over. As I was about to shut the door, she squeezed in onto my lap. It all happened so fast. Mable then waves goodbye to her dad. He shares how much she wants to go with us. I look at Brent and he sweetly says…not this time. Getting her off my lap, watching her walk away was hard. Lord, are we doing the right thing?

The car ride home was quiet. Pondering about the days events and praying for God to speak. It seemed as if He had…but I knew Brent and I had to be in agreement. Since then, we have prayed, a lot. We are willing to do whatever He asks.

The doctors have given Mable about a year to live. I feel this is not true. God has a plan and I feel it goes beyond 2011. I may be wrong, but He has looped us into Mable’s life. Pray we know that we know that we know what is next. And we beg you…please pray for Mable and her family. Living in poverty is hard enough but to have special needs makes it extremely difficult. This family has been plucked out. God is all over them. May we be His hands and feet…may they feel His love all of them.

This Friday, we visit again. We will be taking Mable to lunch and then ?????? Lord?????

Ugandan Christmas

We decided to make our Christmas post be one of photos. Check them out on our Facebook page (The Phillips Story).

Hands Held High

Church this Sunday was a bit different than church a few weeks ago back in Austin. As we rolled up to a “church” that meets in a schoolyard just outside of a slum in Kampala, the first thing you notice is this “church” is made up of kids – big and small ones. They are singing with no instrumentation other than three drums…and it sounds awesome. As soon as we show up they bring me to the front and Scott Lambie introduces me as his pastor from Texas – from which I receive a resounding applause. Next Scott tells them something that really excites them. He says, “This is the pastor that taught me Pharaoh, Pharaoh”. Now the applause really kicks in. We then join in as they continue to worship. The young adults leading are singing and dancing and the kids are loving every minute of it as they stand outside in the dirt. They are singing, dancing, laughing, and clapping. One little girl was so into what was going on, as she was standing in front of us she just started peeing – not even missing a beat. Luckily she had on a skirt. As far as she was concerned the only problem seemed to be the mud she was now standing in. A few steps to the side and all was good.

After about 45 minutes of worship (maybe even longer) we break up into different age groups and head to some classrooms. Scott asked me if I would teach the teens. I couldn’t remember the last time I had taught teenagers, but I was looking forward to it. I taught on Exodus 17- the part of the chapter where the Israelites are fighting the Amalekites. The entire battle is summed up in just a few verses and they are powerful! Moses sends Joshua out into the valley to lead the battle while Moses went up on the top of the hill to pray. As long as Moses has his hands raised, the Israelites prevail, but when Moses’ arms get tired and they start to fall, the Amalekites prevail. Aaron and Hur (who are up on the hill with Moses) pull up a rock, sit Moses down on it and proceed to hold up his arms…until sunset! Because of this the Israelites go on to win the battle and Moses builds an altar of worship. I went on to talk about how Joshua wasn’t the one who was getting tired, but Moses was. You know what is so crazy? The fighting is not near as hard as the praying. It is the spiritual that is the most difficult. As I looked out over these 75-100 teenagers there was complete engagement. I was watching the living and active word of God working in that room. After some discussion of the battles we all fight I asked them to start talking to God about some of their battles. I asked them to “raise their hands” and ask God for victory in the battles they are fighting. The room that was completely silent before was now full of kids praying. Imagine, kids lifting their hands from the top of the hill asking our mighty God for victory. Powerful!

One thing the hill gives is perspective. We are fighters and we spend most, if not all, of our time down in the valley, but the battle is one or lost on the top of the hill. I am not sure what battles you are fighting right now, but take it from a roomful of Ugandan teenagers – there is power as the hands are raised from the hill. You should have heard their prayers – they believed it!