Anticipation

Most recent talk I gave at the athlete's Bible study:

Last week Wes touched on anticipation. He talked about things we anticipate: relationships, success, vacation, being done with school, etc. These things aren’t bad in themselves, but we elevate them to a place in our hearts they were never meant to be. So tonight I want to continue on that same thread and hopefully point us to the one thing we can anticipate that won’t let us down. But first, a story. 

Guys might not be able to relate to this at least directly, but hopefully you get the point of my story. When I was younger I really wanted an American Girl doll. For you guys that don’t know, these dolls are pretty much every little girls' dream doll. I really, really wanted the Kirsten doll. She was a American pioneer and I seriously thought she was the coolest thing ever. I asked for a Kirsten doll for Christmas that year and my Grandma was coming to spend the holiday with us. So I thought, "I’m set. I’m totally getting this doll." And like every other kid I inspected the presents under the tree. There was a package from my Grandma and it was the perfect size! And how did I know that? Because American Girl sent catalogs to my house with an “actual size” picture and you better believe I snuck out to the tree and measured the package against the catalog.  The package was even heavy enough to be this doll. I was pretty certain I was getting what I asked for. Finally, Christmas day rolls around and I finally get to open Grandma’s present. What’s inside? Well it wasn’t a doll. Not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed. It was actually this beautiful wooden chest engraved with my name. Absolutely gorgeous! And me, being the brat that I was, was bummed I didn’t get a stupid doll.

I had anticipated one thing and because my hopes weren’t met I was sad. We’ve all experienced that haven’t we?  We put all our hope into something and when it doesn’t happen we’re disappointed. We hope for a doll and get something else. We want to date a certain person who we think is perfect and they end up letting us down. We look forward to winning the big game and it we don’t (or we do win the big game and the excitement or high wears off too soon.) We anticipate the perfect job and it doesn’t satisfy us quite like we thought. Why do we feel this way? I have some thoughts on that that we’ll get into now.

Turn with me to Ecclesiastes 2. While you do I’ll tell you the funny part about that stupid doll. I still have that wooden chest my Grandma gave me and I have no idea where that doll is. The chest ended up being something I still love, cherish, and use. The doll ended up being something I grew out of and put in a box somewhere. It's kind of funny actually. Okay, Ecclesiastes 2. Solomon is the author of this book and is probably the wealthiest, wisest, and most powerful man humanity has ever seen. This will seem kind of depressing but stay with me for a second.

“I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.” For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die! So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

You’re probably thinking, “Wow, thanks Melissa. That really sucks.” And you’re right it does, but there is good news and that’s why I need you to stick with me. There are so many good gifts under the sun, but where we run into problems is when we elevate them to a place in our heart they don’t belong. We anticipate and look forward to and hold out for a variety of things. Often the hoping for tomorrow gets us through today. Those things aren’t bad. They’re really not, but we just misdirect our anticipation and hope. Solomon tried it all. He had wealth, power, relationships, all the food and drink he could ask for, basically anything he ever wanted and he called it meaningless. He called it a chasing after the wind. How is that possible? It really does seem crazy that we could have it all and not be satisfied  I’ll be honest with you guys, I have a hard time believing that, but it makes sense because we were made for something better than this world. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” He has planted eternity in our hearts. We weren’t made to just be satisfied by material possessions, or people, or human wisdom. We were meant to be satisfied by someone eternal.

Ecclesiastes make seem like  a downer, but Solomon wasn’t trying to destroy all hope. Instead, he was trying to direct our hopes to the only one who can truly fulfill them and give our life meaning. Solomon spends the rest of Ecclesiastes affirming the value of knowledge, relationships, work, and pleasure, but ONLY in their proper place. Everything temporal must be seen in light of the eternal. Temporal things just won’t fulfill what your heart aches to find. Many of you are saying, "logically I get that. I know the right answer in my head, but I don’t know how to change my thinking. I don’t why I keep coming back to material possessions or people or pleasures to try to fulfill me. I know I shouldn’t, but what should I look to and how do I do that?"

First the what: here’s the Sunday school answer: Jesus. We’ve been getting it right our entire lives and somehow we still forget. We were made for eternity and we are meant to worship the eternal one. Heaven is going to be awesome (like really, really awesome.) Sometimes we have this view that we die, go to heaven, get our harp and our little wings, then we spend the rest of eternity floating on a cloud playing boring harp music. But that’s not the case at all.

• The Bible says its going to feel like home. Don’t you love that feeling when you haven’t been home in awhile. Maybe after a long semester or a long road trip and you get back and you’re like, “Aaaaaah! Home.” You feel comfortable and at peace.  
• Heaven is also going to be breathtaking. Some of you guys are thinking, "I can’t relate to the home example because I live in a crappy apartment." Heaven isn’t going to be a crappy apartment in the sky. Its an amazing city and Jesus told us he was going to prepare a place for us! Jesus was a carpenter after all. Seriously though, it's going to be beautiful. 
• Also we’re not just going to float around like ghosts. If you remember the garden of Eden which was perfect you’ll remember that Adam and Eve ate fruit. Christ ate food in his resurrected body. We’re going to feast and its going to be really, really good. 
• There is going to be so much joy in heaven! There won't be any sin, or pain, or sadness, or sickness, or fear. 
• We’re going to work (not work we hate). We’re going to have refreshing work that brings us life. 
• We will never be bored. God is infinite and inexhaustible so there’s why to stop learning about him and we can’t even imagine the type of things he prepared for us for eternity.  
• We also get crowns, mansions, and treasure! 
• All things we enjoy here on earth will be redeemed. 

It isn’t this boring place in a fluffy cloud in the sky. Heaven is a real place and it goes beyond even our wildest imagination  And the BEST part? We get to see Jesus face to face. The one who bought you with a price; who took every bad thing you’ve ever done, every nasty thought that has ran through your mind, every evil that has been in your heart and made you righteous. We get to spend eternity with him.

But here’s the cool thing about that. You have access to him right now. The same one who is going to give you all those things when you get to heaven is the same one who lives inside you right now. We look to all these outside sources to fulfill a place in our hearts that isn’t empty. If you know Jesus, if you’ve surrendered your life to him you don’t need anything else. You’re complete. You don’t need more money, or a better a job, or the starting position in your sport to be happy. You have access to all joy, all peace, and all good gifts through the one who took your place on the cross. Everything else is just a cherry on top.  But somehow we still manage to look to other things to satisfy so I’ll offer and few suggestions of how I attempt to find ultimate joy in Jesus. After you guys can talk more about this in your small groups.

1)      I praise him: I find that it's hard to be unsatisfied when I'm thanking God for all the good gifts in my life. It's hard to want more when I'm thanking him for the ultimate good gift of salvation. I realize how undeserved all the good things in my life really are when I'm praising him for forgiving my sins. I praise him. Because when I really look at my life, I'm certain that I am more loved and blessed than I deserve or could dare hope.  

2)      I tell others about him: when I'm communicating eternal hope to others I start believing it more myself. When you hear the Gospel preached you listen. It starts to sink in even deeper when I'm sharing it with others. When I hear: I am more jacked up, messed up, and sinful that I would care to admit. But Jesus in an act of complete love and grace sacrificed himself for my sin by dying a gruesome death on a cross and defeated death by rising from the dead after three days, making me completely righteous in the eyes of God. And now because of that truth I am more loved, accepted, and valued than I could ever dare hope. When I communicate that with others, I hear it for myself and that leads me to look to Jesus to satisfy me rather than temporal things. 

3)      I preach the gospel to myself as often as I can: it's like I said in #2: I hear the Gospel and I believe it more fully. Even when I don't communicate it to others, I need to hear it daily. Because it's really GOOD NEWS! 

Those are a few suggestions to lift our eyes to what we already have. There is no magic action step I can tell you to fix this. All I know is that if you’re a Christian you already have all you need. Enjoy the good gifts of life, but ANTICIPATE Jesus coming back, because really that’s the only worthwhile thing to look forward to: the only thing that isn’t going to disappoint you.

Africa Update

Now that I am finally past my jet lag (I think)... it's time for an update. I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend 10 days in Cote d'Ivoire. For those of you that don't know Cote d'Ivoire is MSU Cru's overseas partnership. I mentioned this in my last post but I'll say it again here because it speaks a lot to what I'm about to tell you in this update. I love our partnership for many reasons but one of my favorites is how strategic it is. Islam is making a huge push from Northern Africa down into the South (The 10/40 window is not far away from Cote d'Ivoire). But at the same time the country is so open to the gospel! Students are willing and excited to hear about Jesus and many are placing their faith in him. Many countries are closed to Christian missionaries, but we can come into Cote d’Ivoire without restrictions. Another reason is that the country is rebuilding from a civil war a few years back. The country’s future leaders are on college campuses right now and they have a huge opportunity to change their country for Christ. Finally, Abidijan is the third largest French speaking city in the world! What an amazing way to reach beyond Africa and into other French speaking countries. Beyond strategy I LOVE the people in West Africa. I got a pretty good picture of the people two summers ago when I went to Mali so it brought me so much joy to come back and experience their kindness and love all over again. A day by day account may be too much, but for those that are interested read on (if you're not, at least check out the photos).

Day 1 - We leave Kansas City VERY early in the morning. A long layover in Chicago and even longer overseas flights make for one very tired girl.

This was a common site in the airplane. God has blessed
me with the ability to sleep anywhere.

Again: blessed to be able to sleep anywhere.
I'm the one with the pink shoes poking out.

Day 2 - 5 hour layover in Brussels, Belgium. We had enough time to wander in the city a bit so we left the airport and ventured into downtown. I enjoyed an authentic Belgian waffle! The freezing cold (I was going to Africa and didn't bring a coat) and overpriced train ticket were totally worth it because that waffle was AMAZING. Next: Brussels to Abidijan. That evening (or is it morning in my mind? Time change is a funny thing) we arrived in Cote d'Ivoire. We were greeted by Craig (American Cru staff member ministering in Abidijan with his wife, Bryn, and their three kids), the Kouadios (Ivorian staff couple), and a few Cru students. Finally we get to sleep in a bed!

Beautiful architecture in the city!

Train station in Brussels.

Day 3 - This was a Sunday so we went to Craig's church. They speak in French in Cote d'Ivoire and I can say a total of three words in French: bonjour, oui, and merci beaucoup. Needless to say, I didn't know what was going on most of the service, but it was really fun to worship the Lord anyway. A theme I've noticed in West Africans is the passion in which they worship the Lord. It's contagious and even I didn't know the songs they were singing my heart couldn't help but praise God. That afternoon we got to meet students involved in the local Cru movement. We sang praise songs, mingled with students, played soccer, and heard Stephen's (one of the student leaders) testimony.

Loved spending time with these ladies. L to R: My roommates Kelsey,
Chrissy, Me, Lizzy, and our friend from K-State Chrissy.

Day 4 - Our first day on campus! We went to Abidijan's largest campus called Cocody. There are 60,000 students that attend Cocody University. There was definitely a buzz around campus because a bunch of Americans where there. We spent the afternoon near the English department sharing with students and doing follow-up lessons with new believers. I mentioned before how open students were to hearing the gospel. We could literally walk up to someone, ask if they wanted to talk about having a personal relationship with Jesus, and they would agree! That would never happen on even the most open campus in the United States. The first day I got to share the gospel with 2 Ivorians in the English department. I found out that they were Christians, but had a limited understanding of the gospel. They still lived in a performance mindset. I got to show them in God's word that grace is a free and undeserved gift. If they have surrendered their lives to Christ they are free from the guilt and shame that sin brings. It was a great day and the best part is they wanted to meet the next day to start follow-up lessons. After meeting with students we went to their Cru meeting. It was outside in this beautiful wooded area on campus (I wish Missouri weather was nice all year so we could meet outside). It was so fun to see all the students there, much like they would be at Missouri State. Although we are worlds away, we serve the same God! It was a huge blessing to be a part of that.

Davy sharing the gospel.

My roommate, Kelsey, sharing the gospel. These girls were precious!

Worshiping at the Cru meeting. 

 Day 5 - Back to Cocody! I spend the morning doing follow up lessons with the students from yesterday. The first follow-up lesson deals with confidence. New believers can have confidence that their eternity is secure in Christ. It was so fun to see their eyes light up and for them to understand that salvation isn't the result of good works and neither is God's love as Christians. In the afternoon we went to Bingerville where a local Cru movement has started in a all boys school. We attended their Cru meeting. We got to dance with them while they worshiped and encourage them to keep pursuing the Lord. After that we went to the Kouadio's (Ivorian staff couple) house. I'm incredibly encouraged by their faith. They raise support just like me and I can't imagine how much harder it is in Cote d'Ivoire. They are committed to college students hearing the gospel and even though they have little, they are so incredibly joyful in their service of the Lord.

Doing follow-up with new believers. 

Dancing with the Ivorians.

I love the way they worship!

Learning song with Colette. She is on staff with Cru in Abidjan. Such a
joyful woman! It was a pleasure to get to know her. 

Day 6 - Today I got to talk for a long time with two Muslim students studying English. Anna and Kadi were beautiful girls with tons of questions about American music, fashion, and culture. It was really fun to talk with them and they answered plenty of my own questions about their religion. Their major hang ups with Christianity are they don't believe Jesus is God and they believe good works will get you to heaven. The conversation was good, but hard at the same time. I want these girls to understand the gospel so badly and it was hard to walk away from them still holding onto false beliefs. However, I know that I serve a good God and he loves Anna and Kadi more than I ever could. I know our discussion didn't fall on deaf ears and I pray God will continue to bring to mind all that we talked about. I'm thankful that these girls, although they are Muslim, are incredibly open to talking about spiritual things. It is extremely rare to be able to have those types of conversations with Muslims.

Sharing with Anna and Kadi.

Me, Kadi, Anna, and Chrissy.

Day 7 - Off to Bouake! We drove 6 hours north so we could share with college students in Bouake. I don't think I can adequately describe the adventure of driving in Africa. Pot holes in America can't compare to pot holes in Africa. I think I saw my life flash before my eyes a few times, but fortunately we made it to Bouake safe and sound.

This is Alloco: fried plantains and fish. We ate this A LOT!

Day 8 - Today might have been my favorite day because I got to see an old friend. When I went to Mali a few summers ago I had the privilege of meeting Barnabas who was one of our translators. When he found out we were coming to Cote d'Ivoire he made the trip from Mali to see me. His mother lives in Bouake so it was perfect! I was thankful the Lord orchestrated the opportunity for me to see him again. We shared the gospel on campus and he very kindly translated for me. We also happened to meet a Christian on campus and got to take him through the first follow-up lesson. Later that afternoon: more soccer (of course). This will forever stick out in my mind as one of the best days of my life!

My good friend, Barnabas. He is very musical!

They had a jam session. 

Day 9 - Headed back to Abidjan, but we stopped in the capitol city of Yamoussoukro to see the world's tallest Basilica. It is absolutely breathtaking to behold. Words don't really do it justice so I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

Didn't look too big as we walked up. Boy was I wrong. 

View from a balcony inside.

View from and outdoor balcony. This is the courtyard.

Beautiful stained glass everywhere!

Day 10 - Back to Craig and Bryn's church! It's funny to end a trip the same way you started, but again worshiping the Lord with believers from across the world is something I will cherish the rest of my life. For me it's a little picture of what heaven will be like and I can't wait for that day! Today was incredibly bittersweet because it was our last day in Cote d'Ivoire. I will miss the people I met in these short 10 days, but I rejoice knowing I will get to come back this summer. More on that later.

Blessed by these women.

Pray for this incredible family! They are doing
amazing things for the kingdom.

Overall here's what I want you to know about my trip:

• God is working in Cote d'Ivoire. It's absolutely crazy how open they are to the gospel. I think we take it for granted in the U.S. that we can openly talk about our faith. That certainly is not the case most places around the world. Thankfully it is true in Cote d'Ivoire right now. The harvest is very plentiful and I think these students are going to make an impact that goes beyond their country. 
• Ministry success is not a result of me... or my team or any human for that matter. God is the one at work and he is working in Cote d'Ivoire and in Springfield, MO and in a million other places in the world. I got to see a lot of fruit on this trip (people coming to Christ, believers growing, students stepping up into leadership) but even when I don't (I think of Anna and Kadi) I can trust that God is moving. I pray for those precious girls and I ask that you would too. 
• Obviously our ministry isn't about numbers. You can't measure success in ministry like you measure success in business or sports, BUT numbers represent real people. Real people that God cares deeply about. So I'm going to share the stats from the week with you. Not for a pat on the back for our team, but for the praise of the Lord Almighty. Because these stats are truly amazing and ALL glory belongs to the Lord. As a team we presented the gospel 135 times. We saw 15 people trust Christ and 2 of those people were Muslims! The best part is that these new believers are going to get discipled! We got all of their contact info and they will be followed up with. I'm so excited for them to grow in their understanding of the gospel. Finally 45 believers were taken through follow-up material. It was truly an amazing week. 

Thank you for your prayers and support. You are a part of reaching Cote d'Ivoire for Christ and I'm thankful for your partnership. 

More exciting news: I get to go back at the end of May for a 6 week summer project (short term mission trips). I will be helping to lead a team from the Great Plains Region. Last summer we had a team in Cote d'Ivoire and the Lord showed up in big ways (no surprise there). I am so excited for this summer and I look forward to seeing the people I grew to love on this trip. Can you please start praying now for this trip? Students are taking a huge step of faith and giving up part of their summer to serve the Lord. They will be raising support (as will I) to go on this trip so please pray that the Lord provides every single cent of their support before they board that plane in May. I can't wait to share with you how the Lord moves this summer. If it's anything like those 10 days, it's going to be amazing.