All posts Report Out of Africa, Part 1: Experiencing ‘Lost’ Time
8/5/2009 8:49:07 AM
A view of Mount Nkhoma from the M1, the main highway through Malawi in Africa.
Being in Africa is an experience of the present moment. But travelling to Africa is, for me, a reminder of just how much time I “lose” every day.
Travelling the more than 9,000 miles from Hilton Head to Atlanta to Jo-burg to Lilongwe, Malawi in Central Africa takes more than 24 hours and along the way you “lose” a day. To be fair, the time change is only six hours, but that’s not how it “feels.”
I left home at noon on Monday, July 20 and drove an hour to the Savannah airport to meet up with the rest of the team. After rearranging items in our 22 checked pieces of luggage so that no one was over the 50-pound limit, we got our boarding passes and awaited our flight to Atlanta, which was “delayed.” No problem. Our connection in Atlanta was sufficiently generous.
But then the weather worsened, the delay lengthened and anxiety rose. I began rehearsing Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Then, remembering that even as I pray as if everything depends on God, I should also prepare as if everything depends on me, I called Delta. Time to make our connection was quickly evaporating. No, they would not hold the international flight to Jo-burg. No, they didn’t have any additional information.
The flight was finally cleared, and a Delta agent offered some parting counsel: “When you get to Atlanta, run.”
Which is exactly what we did: we ran – a full sprint down the length of terminal C, down the escalator to the train, to terminal E, taking the up escalator two steps at a time, darting in and out of pedestrian traffic like a professional running back headed for the end zone!
We made it – all 11 of us.
I settled into my seat for the day’s first divine appointment. Her name was Farrah, she was occupying the aisle seat and would be my traveling companion for the next 16-plus hours. We introduced ourselves. I asked where she was headed. “Mozambique.”
“Business or pleasure?” I asked.
“Have you ever heard of The Millennium Project?” she replied.
“Jeffrey Sachs, ‘The World is Flat’ and ‘Uncommon Wealth’?” I answered.
Farrah lit up. “Exactly!” she exclaimed and then added, “I lobby on the Hill for funding and this trip is about putting together partner organizations that already have delivery networks in outlying villages that might be used in an initiative targeting reproductive health.”
Farrah Barrios is the “Legislative Officer and Inter Agency Liaison for the Department of Congressional and Public Affairs.” This was a divine appointment and I did not miss it. I learned all I could about the Millennium Project, the Clinton Foundation, funding sources, challenges and opportunities. I asked if she would be interested in connecting with our partners in Malawi who have a well-established network of orphan feeding centers and deep reach into rural villages where reproductive health is a serious concern. She was very receptive. We exchanged cards. I smiled, lifting up silent prayers of thanksgiving for the creative spirit of the Lord our God.
I had gained a new friend, but I was about to lose a day.
We took off just after 10 p.m. from Atlanta on Monday, July 20. We would land in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday night. Yes, the time was filled with conversation and meals and movies and fitful sleep. But the reality is a day was lost along the way. It got me thinking, just how many days had I lost along the way?
How many days had I squandered?
How many moments had I wasted?
How many hours had I procrastinated away or “spent” in ways that did nothing to advance God’s Kingdom purposes nor glorify His name?
For me personally it is not a question of misspent youth – but I was plagued by the possibility of a misspent life.
How do we really know if we are pressing the full force of our life into God’s purposes?
How do I evaluate whether what I am doing is the greatest possible good I might do with the moments, days, months and years the Lord sees fit to grant me?
Like everyone, I want my life to “count” for something significant, not to be spent on insignificant pursuits.
There will always be “those” who think they know what we should or shouldn’t do with our time and our talents. The ultimate question is: What does God want me to do with the time and talents He has invested in me?
I know that God is looking for a significant ROI (return on investment). It occurs to me that I owe Him an accounting and a mid-year report on His returns. The parable of the talents from Matthew 25 both encourages and terrifies me.
I count it a blessing to know that I will be forgiven for all the ways in which I have fallen short, but it is also my greatest joy to show forth the fruits of an abundant harvest of righteousness in offering my life to God.
We made the flight and although we lost a day along the way, we arrived right on time to witness that which God is doing in the world that He so loves. Habakkuk 1:5 is the trip text, “Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do so something in your days that would not believe, even if you were told.” But tell I will, in an effort to give you a glimpse, a foretaste, and yes, an invitation.
Thus begin my reflections or “Report Out of Africa.” It will be in part travelogue, prayer journal, glimpses of the Kingdom, reports from the mission field and interviews from some of the divine appointments God set along the way.