fruit sellers in Jijiga

Originally uploaded by LindsayStark

Today is one of those kind of days where Travel seeps in under my skin and runs through my blood. The kind of day where I feel a little discombobulated and just a tad bit underdressed for America. The kind of day when the wind off the highway whispers of a greater adventure and every airplane seems empty without me. The kind of day where I just feel ready.

And then I find a stunning photo like this one, completely by accident, and my heart pounds a little faster.

41 days… and counting.

It seems the Holy Spirit makes us transition all at once. Most of my friends right now are either moving away, transitioning to a new phase of life or, if staying local, making some huge adjustments. Why is it that the Spirit directs flocks of us at a time? Maybe just so we will be encouraged in knowing: We are not alone. And so we will be challenged by our brothers and sisters who are taking equally frightening steps into the great wide unknown. Such is faith: the substance of what is unseen.

Last night, I went to Apex (a young adult group held at my church), and got to hear Daniel Elvelyck, one of my former MCM teachers and Mission SOS colleagues, speak on the concept of “Taking the Next Step.” He used two fascinating examples from the Old Testament concerning people’s opportunities to move in difficult times. In both instances, God had already spoken His direction; the people knew what He had told them to do. But something happened to build an ogre-like obstacle in the path of God’s perfect plan. What was interesting was that, in both examples, the people stopped and cried out to God, asking Him to move on their behalf. Some decided NOT to move at all and wait for this “divine intervention.” (A principle Daniel called “Muslim” in nature. In other words: standing by and waiting for God to move on our behalf – whatever the outcome may be – and doing nothing at all is a direct parallel to the Islamic shrug of “Insh’allah,” or, “If it is Allah’s will, it will happen.” Hmm…)

One of these stories is found in Exodus 14, when the Israelites, recently rescued from the slavery of Egypt, find themselves between a rock (Pharaoh’s army) and a hard place (the impassable Red Sea). The people freak out, start declaring their longing for Egypt and Moses tells them to wait, to stand still and do nothing. He tells them God will fight for them (v. 14).

Only God doesn’t seem to keen on this response. Remember, He has already told the people to meet Him at a certain mountain in the wilderness. They already have the plan. The problem has diverted their focus and birthed immobility.

Surprisingly, what God says to Moses is, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on” (v. 15).

Indeed, this was the focus of Daniel’s message. When we know what God wants us to do, we know the dream or the job or the goal or next step but when faced with opposition (which, incidentally, Jesus tells us in John 16:33, is inevitable), we freeze. The deer in the headlights. I have done this myself on many occasions. In fact I spent several years doing it, frozen by uncertainty and fear and just not moving at all.

I am certainly not saying that God can’t use these times of stillness; He does and sometimes we have to be still to hear Him in the first place. But the point here is to keep moving. Especially when you do know what He’s said to you.

Daniel used the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18) of preaching the gospel everywhere as our general instruction. This was Jesus’ last command to us. This is what we must be about in whatever shape that should take. But keep moving toward that goal. As some preachers like to say, “You can’t steer a parked car.”

It was a good message. A fitting one. Especially as I say goodbye to friends moving away and get ready to move away myself. God continues to direct us in corporate grace. Toward His face and toward His heart; toward the goal He has given us to accomplish.

As for the Israelites, they did move on. They listened to God, and behold, the Red Sea parted for them and crushed their enemies behind them. A pretty sweet adventure. Which, of course, never would have happened had the people stayed put on the bank of the sea, questioning and praying and worrying.

Sometimes the best thing for us is to keep going…

I seem to be getting this question a lot lately. And the funny part is that a year ago, I would have never even considered Africa.

My first international mission trip was in 2006… to Peru. I had been out of the country once before this, to Italy to study abroad. But Peru was different. I was not homesick one day of the trip (a rarity for me up to that point! Just ask my mom about the terrible international phone charges I racked up in Italy…) and I was utterly broken over the beautiful people of Lima and its surrounding villages. I fell in love with everything: the children, the food (yes, I even ate guinea pig ), the landscape, the culture, the church and the music. Everything. I was in heaven. I had never expected to feel so at home. It took me completely by surprise.

When I returned – with many tears – to the states, my heart was broken in a new way. I wanted desperately to go back to Peru. Instead, God started me on a very different kind of journey.

Three years later I wound up in Bible School, a place I had (ironically) vowed to never attend. I didn’t think ministry was “my call” (Instead I thought God would use me in Hollywood as an animator. Maybe not a bad dream, but certainly not where He wanted me). Isn’t God funny sometimes? MCM Ministry School became my new home, my new place of adventure… and at the end of our year, my class traveled across the world to Thailand for a mission trip. This was, also, never a place I imagined going. In fact, I had always held a personal distaste toward Asia. But being there with the people showed me how ignorant I had been. Thailand proved to be an incredibly stretching and beautiful adventure. Something again, that I never would have expected.

Piraporn heard about Jesus for the first time and chose to follow Him!

Not long after graduation, I had the opportunity to help lead a youth group from Allison Park Church on a mission trip to Mexico. WOW! Another place I didn’t expect but one I longed for since I imagined it might be similar to Peru. It was in some ways, but the trip was very different for me as well. Instead of having all these experiences, I worked with 2 other leaders to encourage the students to have the experience. It was humbling and amazing to see them take each challenge and run with it. This team will always have a place in my heart.

And so now that I am heading to Ethiopia and people ask me, “well, why are you going there?” I have to smile. Because it really has nothing to do with me. Over the course of my short life in missions, I have seen how much God uses us when we are faithful to obey Him. And that, my friends, is what it is all about. I believe I was blessed beyond measure to be able to choose my first international exploit to Europe. I didn’t really ask God about it, but had always wanted to go. I certainly believe that He gives us the desires of our heart and I loved Italy… yet it proved to be a fiery testing semester for me. I learned how much I needed to rely on my Jesus and who I truly was in Him. I was extremely homesick and faced a lot of growing up challenges, but it was a very different trip from the ones which followed.

I am going to Ethiopia because God has told me to go. As I have planned and prepared, His fervent blessing on each step has confirmed this even more. Yes I believe that sometimes we get to pick where we are assigned. But many times the most powerful events in our lives have very little to do with personal preference. As we hear His voice and obey, we see miracles and meet people that we never would have met on our own clock.

Between you and me, there are specific nations which I long to visit; places that have stolen my heart and people groups whose faces haunt my dreams. Places which need the love of Jesus and the power of His Spirit so much. For a long time, Ethiopia was not on this list. Now I see that it is part of the journey… and now I have an eagerness and longing in my heart for Africa as well. Someday I believe God will take me to these other places in the right time. For now He is taking me here. It is a good choice. Because I would not have picked it. I want to lean on Him so closely that His heartbeat becomes mine.

There are unreached people groups in so many places. None of which is invisible to our God. He cries out for them all. Where do you belong? What mission, adventure, career, relationship, trip is He calling you to? Take it from me, sometimes it is not what you expect. But from what I have seen, the unexpected is the best. He is writing your life and you can trust Him. Where will He take you?

Eating Ethiopian-Style!

Unexpected blessings often come in small packages. God has a unique knack for taking something totally insignificant and making it noteworthy. He is the author of the surprise and adventure. That is why I love following Him! Even when situations are difficult, He makes beauty possible…

As most of you know by now, I’ve been working weekends at Tana, an Ethiopian restaurant in Pittsburgh. I believe this endeavor has become quite the adventure in every definition of the word. This is the first time in my life that I’ve waited tables, and there is a lot to learn. The first night that I “shadowed” another waitress, I was thrown out on the floor to take orders after 2 hours, which is hardly a standard for excellence in training. Fortunately, I knew something about the cuisine since I’d eaten there several times and had been studying Ethiopia as much as possible. That first night was, indeed, crazy. We were crowded, a jazz band was playing live, and I had lots of tasks to keep me going. By the end of the night, I was weary yet strangely satisfied. I knew this was where God wanted me to be and something within me liked the opportunity to rise to a challenge.

Every weekend since has proved to be different. Sometimes it is extremely busy and mindbending, other times (like this past Sunday), it is dead and I have to search for things to do.

BUT this remains: every night is unexpected and God inevitably carries me through whatever comes.

Here are a few beautifully interesting stories that I’d like to share with you:

I love working with the Ethiopian family that runs Tana. Although they can be firm when I’ve made a mistake, they always come back with encouragement and love at the end of the night. They are laid back and generous and I love being around them. One lady, named Selam, is beautiful and calm and helped me so much when I worked one Friday night. She and I were the only servers and for a while it had been pretty steady. She arrived a little late and I had been very stressed, but her very manner and willingness to help me filled me with peace (Which is beautiful since that is what selam means in Amharic) .

Last weekend I worked a slow Sunday night and loved the opportunities I had to spend time talking with customers. I had time to devote to conversation and serving to the best of my ability. I was even able to serve a lovely Muslim couple who visited for the first time. Ahhh! I was so happy to see them, my heart was literally bursting with love! And Jesus allowed business to slow down so I could really spend time with them. They found out later on that I was a missionary and also loved the restaurant and wanted to come back soon. Thank You Jesus .

Saturday was really busy. The busiest I’d worked and the atmosphere was more wild than I had experienced. People were dancing and drinking a lot. At one point I was mentally overwhelmed trying to complete a dozen open tasks. Not long after the moment where I found myself forcing my thoughts together to pray, two of my friends from church arrived! I had had no idea they were coming. It was late, they were not in the area, but had been thinking about me. Tell me that isn’t God. I embraced them and told them to pray and they prayed in my ear for about 15 seconds. Just having such support there in spirit meant the world to me. God had arranged a true miracle for me. Best of all I was able to see the beauty of how important the body of Christ is. We need each other! And when we are all following the direction of the Holy Spirit, He intertwines our lives and creates miracle, blessing, and encouragement. Ah, I love that.

Lastly, this past Sunday when we were very very slow, I was able to connect with my co workers a bit more. I spent a lot of time with one of the cooks who had just started there. I met Selam’s husband from Ethiopia who told me more about Ethiopian culture and assured me of the nation’s difference from the rest of Africa, and of the high level of safety within its borders. He was very encouraging and had a wise and kind personality; great to talk to!

Then, the coup de grace: I sat down with Abavech (sp?), one of Mr. Seifu’s (the owner) sisters. She speaks very little English but was able to teach me a lot of Amharic (or Amarinya, as they say in their tongue). We sat in the almost-dark, she telling me the few words she knew in English and translating to Amharic. Words like: Goodbye, Good morning, bread, watch, near and far. I pointed to things and she told me the Amharic words. I wrote down as much as I could and now have started a little booklet. It was so beautiful trying to communicate across the language barrier. She kept laughing and smiling, getting me to repeat words until I had the pronunciation down. An amazing night!

Whenever I see the lady relatives of Mr. Seifu, they come and greet me by taking my hands and kissing my cheek. Ah, I love it. This culture is so open and loving. The people… wow… I am falling in love with them.

Thank you, everyone who has been praying for me. This job is hard, I can’t lie about that! But it is so rewarding. Yes, the tips are good, but more than that, it is about the relationships I am building. I cannot believe how God is preparing me for this coming year. From the bottom of my heart, I love you. Or as they say in Ethiopia: Ewedehalehu!

I seem to be “going primitive.” Lately I prefer walking barefoot, eating with my hands and foregoing make-up (or at least more than I used to wear). I daydream about hiking through jungles. The heat of summer doesn’t seem quite as unbearable as it has in the past. I am intrigued by the mystery and deep history of Africa. I actually look forward to mosquito nets and toilets in the ground. There are, of course, things that I nervously dread, but I am a missionary and, as they taught us so vehemently in MCM, I must “suck it up and deal with it.” Yet it seems God, in so many small ways, is preparing me for some of these changes.

I don’t really know how one can prepare for a year in Africa, for 12 months spent on a continent never before touched by one’s feet. For language barriers and customs and strange bugs. But of course, no adventure would be called an adventure if not for the difficult bits. It will be interesting, to say the least, to see what exactly happens while I am in Ethiopia.

The people are lovely. Laid back and easy going, yet committed to excellence and generosity. They are passionate and quietly regal. I quite like them.

Recently I was washing glasses at the sink in Tana, listening to three men from different African countries discuss the various tribes and sports teams of Ethiopia. It is fascinating the people one meets when one chooses to walk with Jesus. For He has led me to this restaurant. He is the one leading me to the Horn of Africa. He will have His way. I choose to follow Him!

When the reality of this trip settles into my heart, when the gravity of the continent pulls my mind to dreams of dark faces and bright smiles, I am amazed. Simply truly blown away. How is it that this has become my dream? This concept of missionary, something once so far from my thoughts now the constant longing of my soul. This is a miracle stamped by God’s precious Spirit. He has a plan I could never begin to understand.

I have gone on several international missions trips; each has transformed me dramatically. And each, likewise, has created a new hole in my heart for a new people group, a new nation, a new need. At the end of each trip, no matter the destination, I have been struck with a terrible dread of truth that I must now return to America. (And this is not an anti-patriotic statement in the least!) I have just grown more and more in love with the unreached.

Now, finally, beginning September 3, 2010, the adventure begins. And it is no 10 day trip, but a full commitment to the people and dust and sweat and life of the mission field. I do not have to come home soon.

I can’t tell you how much this truth fills me with JOY.

I am thankful for the overpowering love of Christ. It is this that drives and constrains us. It is this that satisfies and guides us. I am honored to be a small part of His work on earth. His love changes us and everyone around us…

How is that possible when we have never met?

You are out there somewhere.
Maybe you have met Jesus.
Maybe not.

Maybe you are praying fervently for someone to come to you.
Someone to teach you.
Someone to love you.
To share in your strength.

Maybe you are lost.
Hopeless.
Alone.
Afraid.
Doubtful.
Trapped.

I see your eyes bright with expectation for God.

Hungry for Him.
Hungry for His Word.

Your eyes are deep pools.

I see your smiles as you run up to me.
As if we have known each other always.
Your hands are dirty but your teeth are white.

I am home.

I hear your voices as you praise in unknown tongues.
Tears define each note.
Your thankfulness is deep.
You have found true love.

I don’t know where you are.
But I see you sometimes.
I hear your urgency.

Time is a barrier.

But Spirit knows no bounds.

Sometimes I know I am with you.
In prison.
In homes.
In darkness and light.
In dirt.
In holy places.
In silent fear and peaceful joy.

I don’t know why I sometimes see you.
I wish I understood.

What can someone as weak as I give?

He sees you too.
You are not forgotten.
One day we will meet.
Arms wide open.

Together all of us will sing and pray and love and serve.
The world will change through us.
Through you.

My heart longs for you.

Someday.
Someday soon.
We will finally meet.

I see your faces…

TZ: #4 from Mission SOS on Vimeo.

The door swings open as I am heading toward it. A man with dark skin, small round glasses and a warm smile is waiting on the other side. “Welcome, Sarah!” he says cheerfully, greeting me with an embrace. I return the smile and follow him into the dimly lit restaurant.

Tables are decked with simple printed cloths, mosaic candles and napkins fashioned into delicate crowns. A couple is seated up front, near the window, perusing the unique menu for the first time. Light jazz music is playing but the place, otherwise, is quiet.

Tana: Bringing the flavors of Ethiopia to Pittsburgh!

I am led toward the kitchen and meet the sister of the owner, Mr. Seifu, who has just let me in. She is a beautiful woman with many wrinkles and a quiet manner. She is wearing a long floral skirt and blouse; her hair is tied back with a scarf. We are introduced.  She speaks no English. Only Amharic.

She shakes my hand and her brother tells her that I am soon going to Ethiopia as a missionary. She is interested by this fact and smiles at me. We chat a little more through Mr. Seifu, and then I am told to sit down, to make myself comfortable.

In a moment, a young man strolls in and greets the sister in a big hug. They laugh and head to the kitchen, his arm tight around her. On their way in, he nods at me and introduces himself. He has a very big and generous smile. His name is Neftu, another native of Ethiopia who happens to speak English as well.

Within moments, the lady brings me a plate of injera, ladled with steaming portions of fossolia (green beans and carrots), ye ater kik alicha (split peas and onion) and minchet abish (ground beef). A complimentary plate to welcome me to my first day. I eat the entire thing greedily; Ethiopian food is so delicious!

Soon after this, Ms. Martha arrives, dressed in a white skirt suit and heels.  Her hair is short, tight curls and her eyes are deep set. She is kind, but firm in a no-nonsense sort of way; it’s clear that she is the one who runs the show around here. She greets me and instructs me on how the evening will go, that I am to shadow one of the waitresses.

So begins my first night at Tana…

I was immediately struck by the hospitality and kindness of the Ethiopian people and throughout the night was able to have more conversations with our amazing cook, as well as other Ethiopians who came in to eat. And while at first I watched the two American servers, it wasn’t long before I was given my first few tables to wait on. [gasp]

A jazz band set up at 8 o’clock (we have live music every Wednesday and Saturday night! ), filling the restaurant with the luscious strains of trumpet and sax and bringing a rush of hungry guests. I was very busy my first night, getting a crash course in serving tables (this was my first time working as a waitress!), but I found that I really enjoyed it!

When I zoom out and look at this job, I am so blessed by God. I am amazed that I get to know these lovely people before even arriving to Africa. He continues to confirm that this is the place He is calling me to. Continues to show me the way. I know that I would not have picked Tana as my place of employment on my own; but God knew that I needed to be there.

Thank you everyone who has been praying for me! Saturday turned out to be a truly fascinating evening, albeit busy and a little overwhelming at first. But in truth, this job is a welcome alternative to my bank job. I don’t have to sit the whole time or stare at a computer or count money. I can talk to people, tell them about Ethiopian food and serve them. It’s something far better than I could have imagined.

God really knows everything.

Mmmm! - injera piled with Ethiopian stews and salads

About this time last month I was praying for God to open a job for me at Borders, and was disappointed when this prayer was not answered. God certainly has a way of turning supposedly unanswered prayers into divine opportunities. Even though Tana (a local Ethiopian restaurant) was right under my nose, I would not have seriously considered it had not other options closed. He knows what He’s doing.

It’s amazing how much we take for granted. What if you had to walk miles for a drink of water?

Watch here: WATER:WALK from Blood:Water Mission on Vimeo.