Your Miracle--I want to pray for it

If you read this post, then you know I believe God does the miraculous. I was up early (and all night) with my kiddos and when everyone was finally asleep I was wide awake. All I could think about is how much God loves you, how much he wants to move in your life. 

Result: I want to pray for your miracle.

Is there is something in your life that seems impossible? Please let me pray. 

Please.

Do you have a sweet friend who is struggling with an addiction? 

Is someone you love suffering from sickness? 

Do you want Jesus to show up in your living room. (I think I would pee myself, but how legit would that be…the Jesus part, not the me needing a change of clothes part.)

Whatever it is, I just want to give God the opportunity to do the miraculous. 

Maybe we don’t know each other. No problem. 

Maybe you don’t believe in miracles. Also no problem. 

Maybe you don’t believe in a good God. Again, no problem. 

As promised, here’s another testimony I’ve been meaning to share. If you need a boost of faith, I hope you find it encouraging. 

Faustino, one of our student leaders, is from a different province, but is here in Maputo on a scholarship. Because of a lack of space in the dorms, he was having to rent a small room at the back of someone’s home. (He's the one kneeling in the picture below.)

Mozambique is in an economic crisis right now, and although Faustino student teaches three classes at the university, they stopped paying him. (The government has stopped paying almost everyone.)

Faustino was in desperate need of money so he could have a place to sleep and food to eat. 

This wasn’t just an issue of finishing school; it was an issue of being in serious danger of having to live on the street. He, Matt, and a couple of our other guy leaders spent some time praying and asked God to provide a solution. Specifically, a housing solution. 

THE NEXT DAY Faustino was approved to live in dorm housing, which provides a room and meals. It’s three fourths of the way through the semester and there are TONS of students on a waiting list for campus housing. There is no reason Faustino was chosen—usually the students have to pay bribes to get these spots—but God provided a miracle!!! 

A MIRACLE!!!

To add some icing to an already sweet cake (I vote carrot cake!): 

The dorm he got into is a dorm we have spent two years praying for. We no longer need to find a person of peace so we can start a Bible study. God sent one of our own and Faustino has already started a group. 

Whatever it is, God can do it. He wants to move. And he loves you.

I’m serious about wanting to pray for you.

Message me on FaceBook, email me, or comment below. Nothing is too big or too small. 

How can I pray for you?

3 Things My One-Year-Old Does That Will Change Your Perception of Africa

I should probably preface this post by saying that this DOES NOT apply to all of Africa, but it is applicable to lots of Africa, especially cities, and we live in the capital of our country. Maputo, Mozambique is by far one of the least progressive capitals in all of Africa, so city life in Nairobi, Kenya or Ciaro, Egypt would be an even bigger eye opener if you still imagine the giant continent of Africa as a place of spears and tribal drums. It's a new day, a different world, and this will hopefully help you imagine our life with more ease. 

So, here it is: 3 Things My One Year Old Does That Will Change Your Perception of Africa. (And, I should add, these are things I didn't think my one year old would learn/experience.)

One: Cedar says, "guard." He has seen and met so many guards that it ended up being one of his first words. Never would I have imagined that hearing my innocent babe toddling around saying "guard" would feel so normal, but here in Maputo and in most cities across Africa, guards are very common. Forget the image of a sweet neighbor gardening outside his hut. You are more likely to see a man in uniform with some sort of night stick or gun. 

Two: When mini-Matt hears a car alarm he immediately yells, "BIRD!!!" I know, car alarms and birds... sound just alike right?? Listen, my kid isn't dumb, he is just confused because he actually hears more car alarms go off in a day than birds sweetly singing. Trust me, you folks in Arkansas are hearing more "tweet, tweets," than we are. Also, I hate car alarms at 3 a.m. Welcome to modern day life in Africa. 

Three: Cedar hates the feel of grass under his feet. Hates it. Give the kid sand or pavement and he's a happy camper, but walking on grass... he looks like a cat in a room full of marbles. It's pretty hilarious. I laugh. A lot. Here in Maputo you rarely see grass. It's not the stereotypical image of Africa most people have in their heads: It's a concrete jungle. 

Can you see our world a little more clearly now? We often struggle to paint a picture of our city, so I will be back with more "Cedar views." (See what I did there? It's like "sea views," but only not at all. SO you don't get it. Ok, you're right. I'm lame. We can exit the parentheses...wait I had to google how to spell parentheses.) This is our piece of Africa. I pray you fall in love with it and all it's interesting modernizations just like we have. 

I would love to hear any questions you have about our life here. Ask away in the comments. If you have visited or lived in Africa, what surprised you most?