My Mom just turned 92 on November 8th! One of my fondest memories of my mother was the time that daddy got the tractor stuck in the nuanetsi river. The brown muddy water was rolling up around the chassis. These situations always made my mom terribly nervous, but she only had two choices, to be the tow-er or the tow-ee. The bank of the river was steep and slippery for the Land Rover, the tow-er. So she opted to get on the tractor and be the tow-ee. I will never forget in my mind‘s eye the picture of my mom crawling down the nose of that old tractor in her dress, so as not to get in the rushing muddy water of the river. Whenever my dad got her into situations like this, she would refer to him as “Daniel“ instead of just “Dan.” Her stock phrase was “Daniel, I’m getting too old for this!“ Well, today my mom is 92 years old! She survived that and many other adventures! At 92, you’re still not too old Mom!

The Lion at Odzi

We arrived after a long, hot, bumpy, dusty journey to a little community northeast of Mashoko called Odzi. I had two distinct first impressions of Odzi, the beautiful young people and the story of the lion.

Let me start with the young people... To be honest, we didn’t know what to expect in our planning for this weekend meeting. We had decided to spend the first morning going over general Bible knowledge and assessing their exposure and spiritual maturity, then adapt our later sessions accordingly. You see, Odzi is a rural church tucked away off of any main roads, removed from the bustle of any town as well as its resources and distractions. 

Much to our delight, we found a couple of grounded Christian adults who had been pouring into the youth of their area church. When Darel took a poll, they only had two Bibles among them, yet these young people delighted in sharing Bible verses from memory, giving their testimony, and expounding on God’s Word. I kept thinking to myself, there are some really good potential preachers here. 

If you ever wondered if your mission’s dollars were well spent, let me tell you, Odzi is a beautiful example of fruit that has grown from seeds planted two generations ago. Darel would be humble to tell you, but the impact of his father, Dr. Denny Pruitt, is strongly felt to this day in many places in the world, in Zimbabwe, and at Odzi.

The second story coming out of our weekend at Odzi was about a lion. There is a stray lion roaming the hills of Odzi. It is probably an old male who has been kicked out of his pride by a younger more dominant male from the game reserve that borders that region of Zimbabwe. The preacher at Odzi had an oxen killed by the lion the night before we got there. There was a palpable fear among the people and much discussion about this lion.

I couldn’t help but think about the spiritual application when Peter warns us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Saturday afternoon, we divided the children under fourteen into their group for a lesson and crafts with Mary, the Johnsons and my sister, Martha. Darel and I split the young people over fourteen into two separate groups. Darel talked to the young men and I talked to the young women about Christian living.

They were receptive and challenged at the same time to lead a life that pleases God. Pray for these dear young people at Odzi. Truly, there is a lion that does prowl around seeking to devour them, both literally and spiritually!

As a result of the weekend at Odzi, seventeen young people signed up to go to the national Christian Youth Conference in Zimbabwe over Easter Weekend. There were multiple confessions of faith and rededication of lives, both young and old on Sunday. And all were greatly encouraged in their faith, both us as American visitors, as well as the sweet and kind Christians, our brothers and sisters, at Odzi.

By Donna Burris Stroop

Dine’ Trip Report

I haven’t known where to begin to bring a report on the Clinic Dedication and Revival Weekend at Dine’. I have felt like Mary when Luke describes her as treasuring up all of these things in her heart and pondering them.

Sometimes we build up expectations in our minds and then the actual event can be a little disappointing, but in regards to the Clinic Dedication for which I have been dreaming and working for two years, it was an event that absolutely exceeded my expectations! Imagine a sea of faces, 1,000 school children around the periferey and at least 500 under the big top white tent. The stage was set with curtains draped lovingly by the local church women, VIP seating to host the numbers of dignitaries from government and health sectors, Kraal heads and sub chiefs and chiefs, American visitors, and many elderly people worn from hard years in the African sun, a ribbon to be cut and a plaque to be unveiled, and speech after speech of gratefulness until I thought I couldn’t handle any more and wanted to jump up and shout, all glory to God! Also the deep, deep appreciation and honor shown to my parents and the Isom family whose names now show brightly from two shiny bronze plaques... and to us, their children. Oh, but you can’t get the full impact till you understand, it was swelteringly hot! The music was loud and the dancing was jubilant and dusty, it went on for a long time and I loved every minute!

To everyone who encouraged us along the way and donated what they could to the project, I wish you could feel just a small portion of what it means to the people of Maranda to have a new clinic. I heard how people have had to stand in long lines in the hot sun because of the limited room to be able to process people through efficiently. Now they will have a cool airflow waiting room, with multiple treatment rooms as well as maternity and male and female wards, not to mention bathrooms, to accommodate and process people in need of medical attention in a much more timely and efficient manner. I believe lives will be saved and souls will be reached because of this new facility.

The Revival kicked off Friday night following an already full and exhausting day with much joy and singing and dancing like only our African brothers and sisters can do! But it was on Saturday morning that we could all point to later that we recognized, God showed up! It was when Steve Isom felt moved to go off script and focus on Joshua’s charge: “Choose today whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” The break out discussion groups had some profound sharing and the great preaching just kept on through the whole weekend with Bruce and Dave and Dave. 

My dear niece, Jenn Burris, led a fantastic children’s program simultaneously as the adults were meeting. Every time I looked out the window toward the field or went out to check on her and her team, the numbers had doubled! What’s more, Africa and the dear people of Zimbabwe, have totally captured her heart. My whole team were so terrific, the small group leaders, the children’s helpers, and also the nine Bible College students that came with us from Zimbabwe Christian College to help with the Revival Weekend.

One tragedy- we found out later that while we were in sessions on Saturday, a young girl was taken by a crocodile down at the river not a half a mile from where we were meeting. Oh, how I wish she had been in the children’s program that day. 

As Steve and I lay down exhausted in our tent at night with the rain fly removed to try to get some air flow, I would look up at the brilliant African sky and thank the Lord for the day. For those who came and heard the good news that Jesus had come to seek and save the lost. (Our theme) But then I would hear the drumbeats, that distinctive sound that I remembered so well from childhood, of a beer party going long into the night. I had naively been thinking to myself, yay, we accomplished the task in getting the clinic built and dedicated, I can rest now, but then I realized, our work is not done! Our work is never done as long as our dear Lord tarries and there are souls that need to be won to Christ!

With a grateful heart, Donna

Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Tea Around the World

NW Church May 27, 2018

“Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable”

Let us pray!

Precious Lord, you are so beautiful! May your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, may we be found in the center of your will on this journey of life. Lord, we ask only enough for what is needed today, no more, no less. Oh Lord, forgive, please, please forgive us! And Lord, teach us how to forgive! In every temptation, we ask that you provide a way of escape as you have promised. Lord, help us trip over it, because we know temptation is, well, tempting! So Lord, make that escape route a wide one. For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever, Amen!

Today, I am going to weave a talk around this idea of “Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable.” We will look at Scripture and some central points of application for takeaway. But you know what, sometimes the principles are there, but what does that look like? We hear we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus? But how do you do that? It is the application in our own lives that sometimes alludes us.  I am going to share some out of my own life. I am going to get a little uncomfortable in an honest way today, hopefully in such a way that you will be encouraged to get comfortable being a little uncomfortable to step out in your own walk of faith.

Awhile back I ran across a poem, actually it is a prayer. It so moved me and I have been journaling and processing it for a little while. My talk today comes out of those thoughts. I pray that maybe I can impart a word to you today that will be of some encouragement in your life, your circumstances, your heart’s cry today.

“Lord, help me to get more comfortable being uncomfortable. More confident being uncertain. I don’t want to shrink back just because something isn’t easy. Lord, widen my boundaries to make room for the area in between I can’t and I can.”

The reason it resonated with me so much, a year ago I took on the project of speaking and fundraising in an answer to a call I felt very strongly – that I was to return to Zimbabwe to the mission where I grew up and rebuild the medical clinic for the people there. This feeling of being uncomfortable is exactly how it has felt this last year taking on this project, stepping way out of my comfort zone, trying to live in obedience to a calling from God. If you want to talk another time, how do you discern God’s will, what does a calling look like? I would be happy to do that but for our purposes today just trust me, there was no doubt that I was called to do this and it was confirmed over and over. I am happy to report a year later, it has been successful and successful in a short amount of time. Today there is a bright shiny new medical clinic being built at the fork of the Wanezi and Dine’ Rivers in Southern Zimbabwe. We were just there a couple of months ago, the people are thrilled, they have been loved on by us, by all of you who helped out, by my dear parents who never forgot them…

It is a wonderful story, but at the same time, and what I want to focus on today, it has been a very uncomfortable time in my life. Once when I was having some real anxiety, as in anxiety attacks about it, I asked my husband, Steve, “what in the world have I gotten myself into.” He answered, “You’re doing what God asked you to do.” Yes! Thank you! If God is behind it, I am privileged to be part of it. Lord, help me to get more comfortable being uncomfortable.

After finding the prayer and journaling about it, resonating with it for a while. I have come up with 10 things to help us answer the question of Why? Why would I want to become comfortable being uncomfortable?

1.    You grow!

Let’s face it, we would all like to stay in that cushy sweet spot, right? But the problem with that… You don’t stretch when you’re comfortable. If you are never stretching, you are never growing.

James 1:2 says:

“Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

So, as I was journaling and reflecting on being so uncomfortable this last year and the idea that I may just have to get used to this feeling and serve the Lord anyway, I asked myself….

Have I grown in the last year?

Exponentially yes!

Am I still uncomfortable?

You betcha!

Am I still growing?

Yes!

2.    You learn obedience to God.

Do you know that song “Break My Heart for What Breaks Yours.”? You cannot sing the words to that song if you are not serious about going about the Lord’s business. I believe that is a prayer the Lord loves to answer.

Take Jonah for example, a not so good example for what happens to someone when they go the other way from God’s instructions.

Jonah 1: 1-2 “The word of the Lord came to Jonah, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has  come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.

We all know what happened to Jonah when he ran away from what God asked him to do, right? There are consequences to disobedience and I don’t want to have to face them because that is a fate worse than being a little uncomfortable.

Sometimes when you go the other direction from God’s will or His truth, things could go much worse for you! Personally, even though it has been uncomfortable sometimes, I’m sticking with what I know God has asked me to do. I don’t want to risk the consequences of being disobedient to God! As long as the Lord continues to lay this mission on our hearts, my husband and I plan to go back every year to Zimbabwe and love on the people. 

I love this quote from Francis Chan, “God interrupt whatever we are doing so that we can join in what you are doing.” I don’t ever want to be outside of God’s will for my life.

Let your uncomfortable circumstances mold you into an obedient heart! Lean into it! Ask God, what are you teaching me today?

3.    You learn to pray.

I love that quote, “you learn to pray by praying!” It’s a learned art. It’s one of those things, you get into a circumstance that is totally outside of your comfort zone and you can really learn to pray! I have several favorite Bible passages that I have adapted through the years for prayers. One is out of the book of Ruth. This one works especially at night when your mind is working so fast so that you can’t get any sleep. My go to prayer is when Ruth goes to the threshing floor and lays down at Boaz’ feet. She then says the sweetest words…

Ruth 3:9 “Cover me, spread the corner of your garment over me for you are my kinsman redeemer.”

Ruth and Boaz were a type, a picture of our relationship to Jesus. Jesus is our kinsman redeemer. So I pray, “cover me Jesus!” when I am overwhelmed. Let your discomfort drive you to the feet of Jesus in prayer!

4.    You could inspire someone by being vulnerable

When you step out of your comfort zone and do what makes you uncomfortable, you might just inspire others to do the same. Don’t be afraid to share your story.

When I started this process of speaking and fundraising, I had to dig back into some painful memories. My family and I had to leave suddenly, evacuate, because of the revolutionary war in Zimbabwe in the late 70’s. It was traumatic. When we left the mission, I started crying and couldn’t stop, you know, the kind of hyperventilating crying when you can’t catch your breath. I struggled with PTSD and nightmares for a long time. I lost weight and would spiral into anxiety attacks. So when I started sharing my story and saying I was going to go back and love on the people and build a new medical clinic for them, I had to dip deep down into some pretty vulnerable areas and share my story with transparency and honesty. It was hugely uncomfortable for me to do that. But, you know what, the feedback I got, it inspired a lot of people and they responded to the need. As a result some very needy folks have a new clinic, because I was willing to be vulnerable and tell my story. You never know who needs to hear your story. So, get comfortable being vulnerable and be willing to share.

5.    You learn discernment

There are two pictures of water in the Bible that I want to look at briefly to illustrate this point. One is when Jesus meets the woman at the well in John 4 and the other is in the Old Testament in Jeremiah 2:13

John 4:13 Jesus answered “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jeremiah 2:13 “My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Part of discernment is learning the difference between digging broken cisterns vs. going to the source of living water, Jesus. You see so many things that we might turn to in life to assuage our feelings, to medicate our discomfort, they are like that picture of being so thirsty but trying to dig for water in the hot sand in the desert or trying to fill up a broken cistern. The one thing, at least for me that tough times have done in my life, they have taught me discernment for where to turn. I have learned to turn to the source of living water, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, and not turn to the things that look like they might be nice, but like a mirage, they will disappear and leave you even thirstier than you were before. The tough times can teach you how to discern where to turn.

6.    You learn to live a life that pleases God

Colossians 1:10 “Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

Let difficult times shape you into a person that pleases God. Live a life that God will reward. When I come to the end of my life, I want to hear those words promised to us, “Well, done, good and faithful servant! Enter into my joy!” Some translations say, “Enter into my rest!”

7.    Sometimes you find healing

Let’s be honest here, there are places that are very uncomfortable for us because we have been hurt or wounded in some way. Sometimes we carry around that pain for years or sometimes we bury it deep until something triggers it to surface again.

Our next Scripture is one that I truly cherish:

Isaiah 53:5 “By His wounds we are healed.”

When someone asks the question, why didn’t God intervene in this or that circumstance. Let me tell you, He did! He intervened when He allowed His son to be nailed on the cross. By His wounds we are healed.

One of my prayers in returning to Zimbabwe a few months ago was that the Lord would heal that deep place inside of me that had been wounded. In my greeting to the church at the mission where I grew up, I shared how we had stood in that same spot forty years ago and said goodbye. When we left, people gathered around and we all sang the song “Ave Nemwe Tionanezve” “God be with you till we meet again.” After the church service was over the day we visited, suddenly I heard someone in the back start to sing. I was so moved, they started to sing that song, “Ave Nemwe Tionianezve”, the prompting by God’s Holy Spirit and the kindness of that person who started the song… something very deep inside of me was touched in a healing way. God had been with them and he had been with me till we met again! It was beautiful and I am forever grateful.

Which leads me to my next point:

8.    You learn gratitude

This is what I wrote in my journal the night before we left on our trip to Zimbabwe. Dated February 18, 2018 “Last night when I fell asleep, I just thanked the Lord over and over, that’s all I prayed. Thank you dearest Lord for loving me and giving me the task to love on the people in Zimbabwe, especially that sweet community of people who live at the fork of the Dine’ and Wanezi Rivers. They thank you too, I think!” Then at the end of my journal I wrote, “Thank you dearest Lord for your watchcare, for your tender gifts to us, for healing some holes in my heart, for the folks who have supported this work and prayed for us! Thank you Lord!”

Don’t be like one of the nine lepers who after Jesus healed them, they went on their merry way. Be like the one who returned and thanked Jesus. Let discomfort teach you how to be grateful!

9.    You learn how to overcome fear

I have come to believe that fear is one of the biggest tools that the enemy of our souls uses against us. How many times are we held back by fear, or we have not done something that we felt that we should because we were afraid? Fear itself is so uncomfortable! The Scripture that I turn to over and over again when I am faced with fear is:

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

When the enemy throws that most uncomfortable of feelings in your face, fear, just quote this scripture to him and tell him to flee!

10. Remember, it is only temporary

Yeah, right! If I haven’t hit one of your hot buttons yet, this one will probably do it. You’ve heard many times the adage, “What will this matter in 10 or 20 years?” Well, it matters right now and right now is what I am dealing with!

The Scripture I am going to use for this point is:

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

Sometimes you have to go through the worst to get to the best, be patient. Learn to embrace the in between, the unsettledness, the discomfort, the uncertainty, the heartache, the trials of this life! Think of it like an old friend, “oh, it’s you again, I know you!” I made it through last time and I will do so again! Recognize your improvements, track your progress. If I ruminate 15 minutes this time instead of 3 hours, hey, I’m making progress. Realistically, probably more like 1 day instead of three, right? Take pride that you have been able to overcome. Once you embrace it, you will be surprised at what you will be able to accomplish. And realize this, we all feel the same way from time to time.

I Peter 1:6-7 says:

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of great worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Take courage from these words from the Apostle Peter.

In closing, I want to give you a challenge. Probably one of the most uncomfortable things to do is sharing your faith, sharing the gospel message with another person. My challenge to you today is: will you step out of your comfort zone, will you embrace the discomfort, will you commit to share your testimony with one other person this week? If you have never entrusted your life to Jesus Christ and accepted the living water that will quench the thirst in your soul, will you step out of your comfort zone and ask someone, “will you help me?” How do I do this? How do I give my life to Jesus?

So, what’s the key? Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable. Embrace it. You cannot let fear dictate your life or hold you back. Once you embrace the fear, you will be astounded at what you can accomplish!

As a closing prayer, let’s say this together,

“Lord, help me to get more comfortable being uncomfortable. More confident being uncertain. I don’t want to shrink back just because something isn’t easy. Lord, widen my boundaries to make room for the area in between I can’t and I can.”

Amen!

Appendectomy

Thankful for Gideon’s placing a Bible in my hospital room. Thankful for a neighborhood hospital with great doctors and nurses and aides to take care of me in my emergency appendectomy. Thankful for my gentle and smart husband who got me to where I needed to be and is coming to take me home now and take care of my recovery from here on. Most of all, thankful for the tender watch care of my God who guides our steps and brings us through our trials with his peace and love. 

Oh, and the dear chaplain who came by to visit. He was about 80 years old and a little frail looking with very arthritic hands. When he offered to pray for me, I responded, yes please, I would like that very much! He then got down on his knees on that hard hospital floor beside my bed, took my hand, and prayed the simplest, most humble prayer. We both had tears in our eyes when he finished. I was thankful for that.

It is well with my soul! Hopefully my body will follow shortly! 😜.

Saying Goodbye

I stopped in to visit a long-time family friend when I was in Oregon a couple of weeks ago. It was hard! Yvonne had been placed on hospice and it was difficult to know how much she was tracking with me or if she even knew who I was.

Actually, Bob and Yvonne Isom were more than just long-time family friends – they were our forwarding agents when we were missionaries overseas. They did everything from manage our finances to speak on our behalf when representation was needed. They were even guardians for us kids in my mom and dad‘s will.

So when I stopped in to say goodbye to Yvonne, I pulled my chair up as close as I could to her wheelchair and I held both of her hands with my hands. I tenderly kissed her on the forehead and told her how much I loved her and how much her family meant to my family through the years. She was slumped over, it was a one-way conversation… Until I said “because of your hard work and supporting our mission effort through the years, people in Africa knew about Jesus.“ It was at that point she spontaneously straightened up and said with a newly strengthened voice, “Amen!“

For one brief moment, she knew. Now, she is sitting at the feet of Jesus himself. Now she knows what her life meant to so many because she has heard the words from her Savior himself, “well done, good and faithful servant!“

Babies

Babies by Donna (Burris) Stroop

The greatest immediate need at the mission station where I grew up is to rebuild the clinic and upgrade the equipment, particularly for maternity.

As was the custom when I was living there in the 1970’s, women come to the clinic as much as a month before their due date. It is a chance to get away from the hard work and demands of village life, but also a time of fellowship with other expectant mothers. It is also an excellent opportunity for evangelism because the chaplain gives daily morning devotions and spends time talking to the women who come and stay.

At the time we lived there, my Dad built a simple building with ten 10x10 rooms using local fired brick for temporary housing. Equipment was very basic. If there were any complications, my Dadwould fly the mother and baby to our mission hospital at Mashoko. 

My first memory of the clinic was holding a newborn set of twins on the front porch when I was about eight years old.

I also remember the time that my mom brought home a newborn preemie and tried to save it with the rudimentary household stuff we had on hand. She wrapped the baby tight and placed her in a basket, then placed a hot water bottle in the basket to try to keep her warm. She tried to feed the little girl the mother’s milk with an eye dropper, but the baby was too tiny to swallow properly. We all grew attached to her just in that short time she was in our home, but unfortunately, she didn’t make it.

Another time I flew with my Daddy to Mashoko Hospital with a set of newborn twins. The mother was holding one twin in the back seat and I was holding the other one in my lap in the front seat of the plane. I remember trying to snuggle the baby close and keep him warm. He started to turn blue around the mouth and squirm, but I didn’t know what to do. I was about fifteen years old. It is one of those moments that is frozen in time in my memory.  I can still hear the hum of the airplane engine, see that tiny form in my arms, feel the sun shining in my lap as we flew East to Mashoko. When we got there, I stood in the doorway of the emergency room and watched as Dr. David Grubbs worked to save those twin’s lives, but neither one of them made it. We were too late! I cried and cried about that! We left the mother at the hospital to recover, but it was a very somber flight back to Dine’.

That is why I am so passionate about this project to rebuild the clinic and to upgrade the maternity ward! The life expectancy in Zimbabwe is one of the lowest internationally and one contributing factor is the infant mortality rate. But to me, it is not about statistics! It is personal!I don’t want another baby to die!

My Mom has always said “God doesn’t waste anything and He is always preparing you for the next thing.” In some ways it feels like God has been preparing me to take on this project since I held that first set of babies at eight years old

We believe so much in this project that my husband and I are personally giving the starting seed money and will be personally  making trips to Zimbabwe to partner with our dear Christian brothers and sisters in  blessing the kingdom work currently going on there. 

Will you join us in supporting this work? The estimated amount to complete the Dine' Clinic upgrade is $50,000. 

God bless you!
Donna

Ways to give:

1. Make a check payable to Hippo Valley Christian Mission designated for Dine' Clinic, P.O. Box 686, Grayson, KY 41143

2. Online Giving: https://hippovalley.reachapp.co/campaigns/dine-clinic