Fresh Wind... Fresh Fire

"And you will know…

That I am The Lord.”

Dear friends, dear… warriors,

            Today I hear reverberations of God’s kingdom. Echoes from a thundering and countless audience of Angels, even of saints of old.  Yet I have felt like we have been lead through the exile, that life-changing wilderness that the Israelites walked through and waited on the Lord. Therein life was breathed in; a still small whisper of the Most High to a weary and rag-tag group of wanderers, saying: “When you search for me with all of your heart, you will find me!” So comes the exhortation of that great cloud of witnesses envisioned by some holy saint in Hebrews chapter 12: “Come on! Run! Search with all your heart! Be thirsty no more!”

            As sons of a Good Father we are learning to love the wilderness. We are reminded that our Father has never failed us. He is not like men, He cannot be likened to a saint or a god of human imagination, for at His voice the mountains rise, stars fly out of His breath, and the oceans fill with water.

           “¹ Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!

                       How the mountains would quake in your presence!

           ² As when fire sets wood ablaze, and water to boil,

                       Your coming would make the nations tremble.

                 Then your enemies would learn the reason for your flame!

           ³ When you came down long ago,

                    You did awesome things beyond our highest expectations.

               And oh, how the mountains quaked!

           ⁴ For since the world began,

                       no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you,

                 who works for those who wait for Him!”

                                                                                   - Isaiah 64:1-4

When my God breathes, man is raised from the dust.

When my God breathes, the stars are formed.

When my God breathes, peace consumes the chaos.

Hearts, knit together in prayer

While others ate Raisins and Rice... 

            Last weekend my team and I retreated to a church few blocks from Biola’s campus. Though the church was a stone’s through from our dorms and cafeteria we had entered another country. We walked through “customs”, had our phones and MP3 players confiscated. In different exercises we learned humility. While the all-girl team (team Kenya) ate rice and raisins, we, the men, were given a comparative feast. Since in most countries the men are treated as such. We were humbled. Later we were asked to feed one another. Grown men, putting food into one another’s mouth… few other things will humble a person like being spoon-fed by another grown man.

Team Exercise with Team Nepal

           

In recent weeks our King has lead us through that furnace of refinement. We have been attentive as His subjects. We have walked by faith and not by sight. 3 weeks ago our contacts for Mongolia fell through… “we do not have people on the ground who can manage the responsibility of hosting a team” they explained. And we understood. So we began praying for people. Within 36 hours we had skyped with an Expatriate Missionary to Mongolia fresh off the field. “I’ll have my guys pick you up at the airport, give you a place to stay, and set you on your way!” Just hours before we had been wrestling: “God, we feel called, but we don’t feel equipped!” I am now reminded that God always equips the ones He calls – His sovereignty reigned supreme as Saul walked into Jerusalem though friends and prophets told him he would die. God’s sovereignty has taken its place on our team – we can trust Him – and it is our new desire that His sovereign would reign unchallenged in our team. Where He leads, we will follow. What it takes, we will give. Six weeks of leg-work and discomfort in exchange for crowns that don’t fail.

I rest in this: That as we have walked through the exile, God has known the plans He has for us. He has refined us through the furnace of uncertainty – stretching our faith to submit to His reign. Here we are. More formed into His likeness. More in love with our Father. And here we are, in a more passionate longing for the Kingdom to come in Mongolia and on the earth than ever before!

Yesterday a teammate and I visited a Mongolian Church in downtown LA... one of the only Mongolian Christian gatherings in California... maybe the nation... They took us in, greeted us warmly. Fed us and taught us about their culture. We worshipped with 25 new brothers and sisters in a language we don't speak (a language filled with Dental and Glottal affricates - A.K.A. "difficult for a white person to speak well"). We sang in a room with no windows and Jesus was made King. We got a taste of community as we ate soup and laughed about how terrible I was at pronouncing Mongolian names. We could have talked all night. When we left we left with an assuring goodbye: "You are welcome here." I, for one, cannot wait to go worship with my brothers and sisters again, and learn more deeply what it means to have a family in the body of Christ. To pastor T.K., Uyanga (and Jamie), Seth, Aebee, Undraa, Zoul, and the two James - thank you for your warm greeting! I know Jesus better because of the way you loved us last night!

Some of the Mongolian Brothers and Sisters we met last night

// Our teams current financial situation:

Team Budget: $28,572.⁰⁰

Deadline - %50 by April 20^th

Current: $3,882.⁰⁰

Needed to reach %50 - $10,404.^{00 - by wednesday April 20th}

Please pray that God would provide! Please consider supporting our team financially and please continue praying for us!
Please let me know if I can give you a prayer card or support letter - whether for yourself or to give to others! (kyle.b.donn@biola.edu)

Blessings!

Kyle