It is Not a Strategy that will Change the World, it is a Dance

My Africa Dance - Part 2

I literally danced through Mozambique, as God worked intently on my heart and danced with me.

All my fears melted away. My doubt was swallowed up. All my questions, worries, anxieties, were all swallowed up in His endless love as we danced through Mozambique together. In the dirt, at the ocean's edge, on top of the mountains, at the ocean's edge, with the children, with the pastors, everywhere.

My first day there, I went up the hill to the prayer hut that overlooks the entire base and the ocean, and put in my earphones, and danced. For hours and hours. I didn't know what time it was, and I didn't care. Where else did I have to be? I danced for hours.

I danced on the beach. Spinning, twirling, being romanced by the King, immersed in His beauty on the other side of the world. My heart still had fears and questions, but I danced in spite of them, and because of them.

At the top of a mountain in a remote village that few even know exists, I danced. I felt God's presence closer and nearer on that mountain in that remote African village thatn anywhere else. And we danced together with His beautiful African people!!!!

I danced with 3 BEAUTIFUL, PRICELESS JEWELS, MY GIRLS, outside the gate to my house. For hours we laughed and danced, spiinning twirling and singing, BAREFOOT. IN THE DIRT. KICKING UP RED DIRT AND STIRRING UP SO MUCH DUST, WE DANCED. I was barefoot. I didn't care about worms, pestisides or catching deadly diseases. I wanted to be free. As the sun set we danced gazing at the beauty in the sky above us, together, princesses, singing and laughing.

I never got worms.

I danced in the church, wearing a tiara at the back stage. For 2 hours barefoot on that rough concrete stage. My feet hurt and had blisters after, but that dance was worth it.

I danced with my sisters in front of the entire school and staff together one morning for class, as the breeze blew all around our open classroom one morning.

One windy night in the church, as I was dancing I looked out at the sky from the open windows and saw the full moon, HUGE, and orangey-red. I danced with the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who is the risen, coming King.

And I danced and Maranganya, up on the huge, endless hills that overlook the ocean from east to west as far as the eye can see. It was so, so windy that day. We danced in that gazebo with BEAUTY all around us. Hair and skirts blowing madly.

And as I traipsed through the villages with loads of children running and following me, I danced. Up and down and all around those bumpy, dirty, dusty streets.

I danced all the way through Mozambique and all the way home again.

And as we danced together, He and I, my heart was transformed. He changed me. He grew me up, and made me brave. He made me fearless.

He transformed a princess into a Queen.

It is Not a Strategy that will Change the World, it is a Dance

My Africa Dance - Part 1

God shows His undeniable faithfulness. He brought to my mind my time in Mozambique. How months before, I had walked through that crazy fog of trying to listen and discern His voice, on my knees and on my face weeping before Him almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day. And how crazy the journey to actually get there was, and how He walked through every step and every moment of the journey with me, holding my hand.

And how he made me brave.

A few months before I left, I just KNEW that I was going to step off that airplane in Africa and fall right into His arms. He was going to catch me. And that happened quite literally. QUITE LITERALLY. I won't ever forget it. I made it through the flights and airports and baggage claim and the ride to the mission base, and then went to the gazebo where they said a meeting was going on.

I have no idea why I went, because I was so tired from the trip, and I hadn't even unpacked anything or got my bed ready to sleep in. It was so late at night, and I went to that meeting. I was pulled to that meeting by God. He wanted to catch me.

I stood outside the gazebo watching, wondering what on earth am I doing here? It was a mess. They were all excited. Praying, laughing, rolling on the floor, which I had done myself in the past at times, but now I didn't know what I was doing here in a foreign country all by myself, and I was scared for my heart. I had no idea why God had called me to be here in Mozambique at this time. I had no clue what the next few months would hold, or after. And I was terrified. I didn't want to keep doing things and going places by myself.

I had stepped out with a trembling heart, and my heart was still trembling.

And then it happened. As I was falling, He caught me.

As I stood in the dark watching all that madness going on inside the gazebo, I was summoned to step in. I didn't want to.

I stepped in. As soon as I stepped into that gazebo, a small, older woman grabbed me and put her hands on my head and began to pray. I doubled over and began to weep. She held me so close, she was literally holding me up. I would have been falling on the ground, but she was holding me up. She was catching me. She held me so tight as I was weeping into her shoulder for a long, long time. All the while she was speaking over me,
"It wasn't you that got you here. I pulled you here. I was on the plane with you, I've been with you the whole time. I was at the airport with you. I've got you, I've got you, I've got you....."

As all this was going on, something strange was happening in my heart. I knew that he was catching me. I knew that I had fallen off the plane, literally THAT NIGHT, and LANDED IN PAPA'S ARMS.

As I cried she kept singing "I've got you, I've got you, I've got you...."

I don't even know how or when it ended, but all I know is that I LANDED IN PAPA GOD'S ARMS.

I had mascara running down and smeared ALL over my face.

And from that first night on, until I stepped onto the plane to leave, HE WAS WITH ME. HE WAS NEAR ME AND HE NEVER LEFT MY SIDE.

(title quote by Michele Perry)