I just moved to Florida.

"He made known his ways to Moses." (Psalm 103:7)

Wow, that's a big deal. As I read this a couple weeks ago, I asked the Lord, "How come Moses had such a privilege?" God reminded me of the story in Exodus 33 when Moses exclaimed, "Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight." Moses had a heart-to-heart with the Lord, and a few hundred years later the Psalmist claimed that the Lord did in fact make his ways known to Moses. While many know God in part, few ever get to know His ways. But Moses asked. He asked, simple as that. And I imagine he had asked many times before, and continued to ask beyond chapter 33. This was Moses' heart cry - to know God's ways. Jeremiah 29:13 proclaims, "And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart." Matthew 7:7 similarly says, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." I want that to be said of me - that God made known his ways to some guy named Will. And I think that's available for everyone, as long as you have breath in your lunges.

Life is on the move. I just transitioned to Florida last weekend. I am working at the ECHO Global Farm in Fort Myers. You can check out ECHO's ministry here. It's really neat. 

A year ago today, I was 2 months out of college, moving about in Zambia/Zimbabwe with a small team of short-term missionaries, including my younger brother. I had less than $500 to my name, and was returning to the states in August without employment. I was holding on to the belief that God had invited me to live in Clemson, SC for another year (I had just finished a 4-year degree program at Clemson University) to continue expanding His kingdom there. Needless to say, Jehovah Jireh took care of me. There were several moments when I struggled to trust His guiding hand, but ultimately I clung to His words.

My son, be attentive to my words;

    incline your ear to my sayings.

Let them not escape from your sight;

    keep them within your heart.

For they are life to those who find them,

    and healing to all their[b] flesh.

Keep your heart with all vigilance,

    for from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you crooked speech,

    and put devious talk far from you.

Let your eyes look directly forward,

    and your gaze be straight before you.

Ponder the path of your feet;

    then all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

    turn your foot away from evil.

(Proverbs 4:20-27)

God is inviting His children to lean into what He is saying and walk with confidence through the unpredictability of life, accompanied by the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit. He is sowing His word into the soil of our heart. Can you hear it? Is your heart able to receive it? Will you be diligent to steward it? Every seed sown is potential for life and freedom. 

When we walk through life with this perspective, we are postured to receive God's provision in His perfect timing. He is so very good and more than able to provide for all of our needs when we look to Him. 

I lived in Clemson until early May. I oversaw Clemson's compost program, and was involved in college ministry, and my church. My accommodation was a double wide trailer with 5 stellar dudes (we had a blast!). The main reason (among others) that God had me stay in Clemson was to help facilitate a weekly worship gathering that friends and I started a couple years prior. Dozens of people would pack into a home each week to seek God together. This has been one of the greatest joys of my life. As I continued dreaming with the Lord about my future, it became clear earlier this year that my time in Clemson was coming to a close. God had said "one year," and that year was almost up. If you know me well, then you probably know of my desire to live in East Africa long term. He's opened several opportunities for me to be in Africa since 2014, and those experiences have sufficiently ruined me. :) My hope is to assist struggling people in East Africa with sustainable farming practice and appropriate technologies, and introduce them to Jesus in the process. 

God had no problem connecting me to ECHO.

The vision of ECHO is to honor God by empowering the undernourished with sustainable hunger solutions. I first heard about it from a missionary in Kenya, secondly by a few folks at my church, and finally by a random family friend at a wedding. In the end, it became clear that God was consistently placing this in front of my face. And when I discovered that their mission was directly in line with my passions, I decided to apply to be an ECHO intern. In early April, they offered me a position with a start date of June 25, 2018. While this was earlier than expected, God expedited my exit from Clemson and sent me to Kyrgyzstan and Kenya this May to assist ministry endeavors there. Then I piled all of my earthly possessions in my car and moved down to Ft. Myers.

I will be here for at least 14 months, but these first few days have been incredible. My mind is bursting with partially digested information. I have a lot to learn. I'm surrounded by amazing individuals whose hearts are set on the Lord and invested in His redeeming work across the globe. They are some real All Stars. I'm humbled each day. 

Thanks for reading :) Keep it real.

WC

A note about the weather (just for fun): 
The tropical monsoon climate of Southwest Florida is quite unique, with a defined rainy season spanning May to October. The hot, humid gulf coast consistently spawns afternoon thunderstorms. It's like clockwork. You'll look up at 3 or 4pm, and see dark, dense clouds quietly approaching from the West. The winds and rains serve to combat the intensity of the sun during the summer months.

The Power of Testimony

Sharing the gospel in a village with my friend Hyrance (pic by Ashlyn Barlow)

I’m leaving behind 5 weeks of truly awesome memories in Zambia and Zimbabwe. One of the greatest highlights has been to spend this time with my younger brother, Luke. He’s a champion. I’ve been able to witness him soak up African culture and pursue God recklessly. Keep going after it bro!

Luke (he's just 16 years old!) and me in front of the Zambezi River (pic by Ashlyn Barlow)

I just want to share a handful of testimonies with you. I hope they serve to bolster your faith, as they have to my own. Scripture tells us that “they have conquered him [the enemy] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11). Testimonies from other believers have often stirred me to pursue God with newfound zeal. Throughout the Old Testament, there is a common theme of remembering what God had done and relaying those stories to the next generation. Testimonies serve to reveal new dimensions of God’s goodness and remind us how desperately He wants to be involved in our lives.

Upon arriving in Zambia June 20^th, Luke and I joined up with a Love Africa (www.loveafricamission.org) team from the States and we headed into the bush for the week. 

The Love Africa team after a hike in Chikankata, Zambia (pic by Ashlyn Barlow)

We stayed in Ngangula village among the Tonga people and went out each day for evangelism. One of our first days there, I walked up to a group of men drinking outside of a small pub. A man called out to me saying, “Do you want to take a drink with us?” It seemed it was just a joke, but I introduced myself and he told me his name was Habdi. He is a farmer, but his English is quite good. After we got to know each other I asked him what he thought of Jesus. We chatted for a bit, and then I felt God leading me to ask him about his health, especially his eyes. He said that his eyes were indeed week and he struggled to read. My friend Dave and I prayed for his healing, and to test it I asked him to read from my small pocket bible. Even I can barely read the small print, so I was sure he couldn’t unless God had healed him. Sure enough he read John 14:1-3 quite clearly. He was noticeably surprised, but showed little emotion. He said that he wanted to go home and tell his family what God had done for him! Praise God!

One of the members of our team came to Zambia with a history of anxiety and depression. While here, she ran out of her anxiety medicine. But she found that she was completely free from worry and stress. As each day passed she was more overcome by how God had restored her from restlessness and worry, and saturated her life with His peace that surpasses understanding. She finally shared this with the whole group one of the last nights through tears of joy, and we all praised God together!

On July 9^th I had the privilege of preaching at a church in Ngangula village. God led me to share about the freedom found when we fix our eyes completely on Jesus. When Jesus invited Peter to walk on the water toward him, Peter went for it (Matt. 14:28-30) But as soon as he focused on the wind and the waves, he took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink. Many came forward for prayer after the service and our team got to pray for God’s peace to flood their lives. It was awesome!

We spent 1 week in Zimbabwe July 15-21 with a small team. One afternoon we went into a town and were talking with people. I met a man named Samson who had just opened a small shop selling auto spares. He wanted to hear everything I had to share about Jesus. We went to see his car, which was being prepared by a young man named Terrance. He had his thumb bandaged because it been badly injured while working on a car the week before. He said it was still very painful. Samson and I prayed together for him and all the pain went away. He was very happy! The best part was seeing Samson’s faith grow from this experience. It turns out he has been following Jesus for more than 10 years and has been involved in ministry for a while. He has a beautiful heart and I know God has big plans for him.

There are many more stories, but this must suffice.

Now I am in Northern Uganda with my friend Dave Crossland, a fellow Clemson grad (Go Tigers!). He’s a stud. Together, we are scouting out some future ministry opportunities for Love Africa and working with a wonderful ministry here called Favor of God Ministries (www.favorofgod.org). We arrived yesterday and have already seen God do amazing things. We’re excited to spend almost 3 weeks here working among refugees from South Sudan in the Adjumani region.

 

Dave Crossland working with his friend at the market in Livingstone and handing out Tonga bibles in the village

Worship with friends in Zimbabwe

Luke in Zimbabwe with his friend Enoch, who came to know the love of Jesus!

More to come.

WC

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our tresspasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight." (Ephesians 1:7-8)

We chased an ostrich out of the garden this morning

This is Zambia. An ostrich in the lettuce patch joins the list with fried caterpillars for dessert and several other fun things!

So, here's a little update. More to come later with testimonies and stuff God has been teaching me!

My little sister got married last month! She is now officially Mrs. Allie Jordan, which is extremely strange. But I guess I can get used to that. Her husband, Jay, is a stellar feller. They make a great team, and I am truly excited to see how they work together for God's kingdom. What a beautiful day it was, filled with family, friends, and dancing.

The next day, we flew out from Myrtle Beach en route to Africa. My younger brother Luke is with me this time, which is really special for me. He is a 16 year old stud and this is his first time across the Atlantic Ocean, not to mention the African continent. We were joined by another teammate (Danielle) in Newark and the three of us continued on our way, stopping over in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Airlines put us up in the Hilton overnight, and we returned to the airport the next day after a superb breakfast buffet as seen below.

Flying from Ethiopia to Zambia, we passed over the tallest mountain in Africa. I was lucky enough to have a East-facing window seat. Kilimanjaro stood stunningly in the distance!

Once in Zambia, we joined up with the team in Chikankata (as seen on the map), located in Southern province among the Tonga people, one of 72 ethnic groups in Zambia. They are a farming people, and quite poor. While Christianity is present, they often intertwine faith in Christ with practices such as polygamy and witchcraft.

Below is most of the team: Kris, Luke, Kristen, Lindsay, Brian, Mary-Elizabeth, Danielle, and me. As usual, Luke looks high! 😆

Luke and Dave helping a local Zambian friend build a grass enclosure for his toilet.

This photo comes from one of our daily ministry ventures in Ngangula village. We go out from hut to hut, visiting people and praying for them as God directs us. We had some truly amazing encounters!

Luke with some of the local village boys!

Luke and I were honored to bring over soccer jerseys from our high school in the States, along with a few balls. Jerseys and good balls are like gold around here! Thank you Coach Suarez and the sports program at Socastee High School.

Kids camp at Ngangula School.

One of many beautiful sunsets!

 Around the fire with my dudes!

Me and a local man we prayed for. Turns out he was one of the local witches (meaning he interacts with evil spirits in attempts to curse or bless people). Praying Jesus overwhelms him with His presence!

Luke and a young man we gave a Barcelona jersey, donated by Daniel Jones!

Luke and an elephant at Chobe National Park in Botswana.

The beautiful Victoria Falls!

That's all for now. We are getting in the car to head back out to the village for a week.

In Christ,

Will

Cut the strings: An Invitation to lay down your rights

“God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance” (Romans 2:4)

God never forces us to repent. It’s an invitation. More times than not, I am completely oblivious of my need to repent of something until He shows me clearly. He gently pulls my crap into the light and says, “So what do you wanna do about this?” Once He reveals it for what it is, I get to repent. It’s a pretty sweet deal. Simply speaking, repentance is walking away from the bad stuff and getting filled with more of His goodness.

About a year ago, I heard Jesus invite me to repent – to lay down “my rights.” I saw Christians going about life, seemingly in control of their situation. But then Jesus revealed the strings. These strings, attached at their back and arms, led up to a puppeteer who was just out of sight. Generally the strings remained loose, allowing the person to walk unhindered. But at certain times the puppeteer would tug on the strings, making them move in an unnatural way. Then I looked in the mirror and saw the same strings attached to me.

These metaphorical strings represent “our rights.” In America, we love our rights because they free us to be who we are and express our beliefs. The freedom of press is an example. That is an awesome thing! I am all about claiming your rights, unless those rights claim you, and turn you into someone you are not.

With my buddies in Burundi

Before saying more on the matter, it is important that we get something straight. If you are a follower of Jesus, then you have already begun to experience the joy of eternal life. The Apostle John helps us out by giving us a definition of eternal life. John 17:3 reads, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” The invitation into life eternal is nothing short of a relationship with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, who holds the earth in the palm of His hands and props His feet upon the moon. Often we quote John 3:16 and make the dangerous assumption that eternal life is some place we float off to after we kick the bucket, but in fact it is some person. He is Jehovah, Yahweh, my sure foundation. He is my Lord, my savior, my dearest friend (John 15:15). As followers of Jesus, our goal is not to live average, comfortable lives until our King returns in power to take us with Him. Don’t get me wrong, I am stoked to the utmost for that day when we leave this rock behind and see Him face to face. In the words of Paul: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). I guess what I am trying to say is that God has invited His children to go higher, to get free-er, and to receive more of the glory while our feet are still planted firmly on planet earth. But we have to die. To die to this world and live in the newness of life offered through the cross (Romans 6:4).

As a child of God, I am granted the rights of His kingdom, namely love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). But this world is also in the business of offering up rights to it’s citizens. And when we accept the rights of this world, we forego the rights of God’s kingdom, and consequently a string is attached.

For the longest time I chose to take hold of one of those rights this world offers: the right to be offended. The string was attached deep in my back. It didn’t take much. I remember a time in high school when I was at the movies with friends. One of my buddies was poking fun and took it a bit far. I stormed out of the movie theater in a rage and drove home. He immediately tried to say sorry, but I was more interested in being offended and causing him to feel horrible. The puppeteer (Satan) recognized an opportunity to put on a show, so he pulled on the string at just the right time, causing me to act in a very unnatural way. Eventually my friend and I were reconciled. But how silly is that? Who gave me the right to be offended? It wasn’t Jesus. He gave me the right to be a child of God (John 1:12). “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). If we are in Christ, then no one can touch us. We are only offended if we have something to lose. If I understand my identity as a child of God and recognize that no one can take that from me, then getting offended is no longer an option. While I know that string has been severed from my back, I still battle with the temptation to buy into the lie that I have the right to be offended. But I am so thankful to the Father for showing me how to get free.

The “right” to stress and anxiety are strings plaguing so many in our society. I see many of my peers at university taking hold of “their right to stress” during a busy week of exams. I also witness the right to fear, the right to a full stomach, the right to comfort… and the list goes on. God is inviting His kids to take some scissors to these strings and to take hold of our rights as citizens of heaven, leaving the puppeteer powerless as he tugs on severed strings. There is a boatload of freedom available to folks who will let the Holy Spirit expose these strings and get them gone.

Fish Eagle on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

The invitation is ever before us. Perhaps the only thing separating us from greater freedom is the act of laying down our rights.

More Photos:

On a little wooden boat (Lake Tanganyika, Burundi)

The Jesus Hat is now in the hands of my dude Samuel in Zimbabwe

Luke Whitfield... LEGEND! He and his family are raising up revivalists in Zambia. 

Sunset on Lake Kariba

 1, 2, 3... BUNGEE!! Victoria Falls looks so cool upside down :)

In Christ,

WC

"For one who has died has been set free from sin." ~ Romans 6:7

Confessions of a part-timer

I often meet people who have invited Jesus into their heart; far less who have invited Him into their life. As a boy raised in western culture where claiming Christ was the norm, I was allowed the opportunity to give Him my heart, while reserving my life. I’m learning that this opportunity is not granted to most followers of Christ. In fact, most believers worldwide have never heard of such a thing, and struggle to grasp how this could even be possible.

When I talk with people, I often share that I am a follower of Jesus. And this is true… to an extent. The reality is that I am only part-time, because sometimes He walks into situations that I’m not 100% comfortable with. I used to justify myself by claiming that Jesus wouldn’t want to go there. But I'm learning that my Jesus loves to dine in the home of sinners. After eating a meal with Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector among the Jews, Jesus declared: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). I must confess that at times I have chosen to flat out deny that Jesus would want to spend time with “lost” people, rather than embracing them as Jesus truly desires. It’s much easier to conclude that Jesus refuses to associate with certain people, than to follow Him into those uncomfortable places where we will undoubtedly experience persecution.

Persecution is a word thrown around quite a bit. If you’re like me, then you probably have little personal experience with persecution. I just finished reading a book called The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken. It’s really good. I haven’t read a book that fast since the last Harry Potter book (let's be real, JK Rowling is a stud author!). Throughout the book, Ripken recounts testimonies of Christians in various countries around the world who have experienced ongoing persecution for their faith. Several times I caught myself on the verge of tears as I read of these men and women of God who had given everything to follow Jesus.

“After almost twenty years of walking through this world of persecution and talking to hundreds of believers who suffer for their faith, we can say without a shadow of a doubt that the primary cause of “religious persecution” in the world today is people surrendering their hearts and lives to Jesus.” (p. 305)

The church is on fire in China today. The believers there understand that they will likely serve time in prison for their faith. Most of the church leaders and pastors have spent at least 3 years behind bars. They endure starving, beatings, and various tortures, all because they have chosen to follow this man named Jesus and yield their lives completely to Him.

“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20)

So rather than asking why Christians are experiencing persecution in our world today, perhaps a better question is to ask why I rarely do. The reality is that full-time followers of Jesus WILL inevitably experience persecution.

Here are 2 other quotes from The Insanity of God that have messed me up pretty good:

“So if our goal is reducing persecution, that task is easily achieved. First, just leave Jesus alone. Second, if you do happen to find Him, just keep Him to yourself. Persecution stops immediately where there is no faith and where there is no witness.” (p. 307)

“Satan at his worst, evil at its core, and persecution in its essence does not overtly seek to starve, beat, imprison, torture, or kill followers of Jesus. The strategy of Satan is simpler and more diabolical that that. What is Satan’s paramount intent? Quite simply, it is this: denying the world access to Jesus! Satan’s greatest desire is for people on this planet to leave Jesus alone.” (p. 309-310)

I’ve counted the cost. I yield my heart AND my life to you, Jesus. I want to follow you full-time from now on.

 UPDATE:

I left Kenya last week expecting to travel directly to Burundi, but because of delays in processing my visa, I ran an audible and am now posted up in Kigali, Rwanda where I am volunteering with Youth for Christ (YFC). I have had a blast working with the students in YFC’s leadership and discipleship school. I’ve also been able to help out with a biogas project they are starting up on the compound. Known as the land of 1,000 hills, Rwanda is absolutely stunning. I've had the opportunity to travel around a bit and have been blown away by the beauty of this place. I covet your prayers. Please be praying that my visa to Burundi is processed soon because the folks I am working with have some projects waiting on me. Also, please pray that I am able to maintain peace as I say goodbye to people in one place and begin new relationships with people in other places.

PHOTOS:

Standing on the border with my dude David Bryant in Meru, Kenya.

A game of football with street boys from Isiolo, Kenya.

Seeing Mt. Kenya with my friend Wisdom (Nibc Kenya) in Nanyuki, Kenya.

Reunited with my bro Isaac Loseke in Kijabe, Kenya.

The Youth for Christ School of Leadership and Discipleship in Kigali, Rwanda.

Sunset at Lake Kivu, Rwanda.

God is good all the time.

WC

Bwana Asafiwe (Praise the Lord)

I have been in Kenya since May 9^th. The first two weeks were spent in the town of Kijabe, where I was serving with Love Africa Mission. Over the past 2 years, I have been privileged to volunteer with this ministry and help lead 9 short-term mission teams to this region of Kenya. We partner with schools, churches, and hospitals, as well as ministries caring for street children, prostitutes, widows, and the orphaned. I arrived a few days early to help get the Core Team acclimated to life here. Rachel, Yoli, and Les are the 3 amazing Core Team leaders serving with Love Africa all summer in Kenya. As we prepared for the arrival of the first team of young adults, we travelled around to meet with our ministry partners and assess their needs. Before we knew it, we were driving into Nairobi to pick up the 14 stellar folks representing this Summer’s first mission team.

We experienced a whole lot from day to day. Following dinner, we would meet together and reflect upon the day. It was so crucial for us to process together, because many times the things we witnessed were challenging to the ways we think. Reconciling third world realities to a first world mentality often leaves us Americans quite confused. We begin questioning everything. It is crucial that we invite God into the process of making sense of the things we see and hear. There was one day when we went with my friend John Njane to provide food for widows in a specific community. We have found that these widows care for 5,6, or even 10 children on their own. Some are their own kids, but others are the children of a sibling who has passed away (often HIV/AIDS). John’s ministry, Flow of Hope, has been providing for some of these ladies for over 10 years, and he is always on the look out for more widows who are in need of monthly food support. There was one home that was specifically bad. The lady was looking after nine children, one of which was 18 years old and mentally disabled. Due to lack of funds, she was not able to care properly for the boy. He would sit in the dirt all day mimicking the sounds of nearby animals. It was not an option to care for him at home because she had to look for work in order to feed her family. And she was completely uneducated regarding his condition. Poverty is viscous. It breaks my heart! But when I go to God, I am reminded that He sees the poor and His love for them is beyond my comprehension. And while they may struggle materially, they are rich spiritually. This life is passing away along with its desires (1 John 2:17). Many of us are holding on to things that won’t go with us into eternity. Those with little have learned to hold tightly to God, and they are those who will be great in His kingdom.

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:5)

On the morning of the 24^th, I said goodbye to the team and to my friends in Kijabe and began the journey to Northern Kenya. 21 hours of traveling on four separate buses took me around Mt. Kenya, across the equator, through the Chalbi Desert, to a town called Sololo, just 10km from the Ethiopian border. I came to work with a mission team with For All Nations, with who was partnering with the local church in Sololo to do outreach to Muslims. Islam was by far the majority religion in this region. One of the main focuses of For All Nations is their mission school, which empowers native Kenyans to become missionaries to the unreached people groups of Northern Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and beyond. The team I was with was Kenyan students from this mission school, many of which spoke Borana, the local language. For one week we did house-to-house evangelisms, seminars for local pastors and church leaders, and evening crusades where the gospel was preached and the teachings of Islam were exposed. We saw several Muslims become Christian and make Jesus the Lord of their life. It was beautiful to watch the Lord deliver so many from bondage. One morning while we were praying and worshipping in preparation for the day, a young man walked into the room with his father. The father explained that evil spirits had been tormenting his son for months. The young man looked at us with tears streaming down his face and asked that we would pray for his deliverance. What transpired next was nothing short of what we read in the Gospels or the book of Acts. As we surrounded the man and began to pray, the demons manifested and spoke out in the native language, saying that they were going to kill the man (I didn’t figure this out till later). The local guys with us rebuked the evil spirits in the name of Jesus and the man fell back. Three times the man stood up and then fell back down as each demon left his body. Once the man had caught his breath, he kneeled down and gave his life to Christ. Wow! God is so real.

I returned with the team to Isiolo, where I have been staying since Monday, May 30^th. I will be here for another 10 days before I continue on to Burundi.

Here is a fun little video summarizing my trip so far:

Mungu ni mwema (God is good). For all of you who have supported me financially or through prayer, thank you so much! The prayers are changing the game.

WC