Lioness

42.  Lioness

 

Different kinds of dances can often be done to a single song.  For example, many Big Band swing numbers are great for both East Coast/Lindy swing and Foxtrot.  ECS and Lindy are considered “spot” dances, done more-or-less in one spot on the dance floor.  Foxtrot is a “traveling dance,” moving counterclockwise as if on a track around the perimeter of the floor.[283]

 

If absolute power corrupts absolutely, does absolute powerlessness

make you pure?[284]

 

If you refuse to be made straight when you are green,

you will not be made straight when you are dry. 

And do not try to fight a lion if you are not one yourself.[285]

 

Spot dancers and traveling dancers need to accommodate each other on the dance floor and in The Dance of Life.  Some people are “spot” dancers, never straying too far from home, while others are “traveling” dancers – those who want to see what’s over the next horizon. 

We weren’t Foxtrotters.  We were globe trotters!  Vic and I traveled whenever we could. We were blessed to have family members spread about in exotic places, and best friends scattered around the world.  If you couldn’t find us in Richmond, we were moving about.

May 13-29, 2003

We’ve spent over two weeks on the island of Maui.  We took Chris with us, and Lowell played in Gene’s annual golf tournament – “The Friends of Gene Norton Golf Tournament.”  We had a wonderful time. 

This scared me:  For a day or two Lowell talked to the elders at Kumulani Chapel; they just wanted to talk about the direction of the church.  I thought they were going to ask him if he would consider coming to be the pastor. 

The prospect of leaving Trinity scared me to death because I can’t see how it could be God’s will. 

Lowell explained what he was sensing.  He thought that many of the people at Trinity had become “tired” of all the drama surrounding my cancer battle, and that many of our  folks lacked “a spiritual hunger.” I think he’s right; I see it, too, in a few.  (My close friends are still fired up and willing to ride this battle out with me/with us, but I know they are in the minority.)  Lowell went on to say that while the church was stilling growing … barely … many of the old timers were gone – having left because they were ready to get some rest at another church that was under less attack.  He was wondering if our battle was holding the people back from going after God, too, and that they might be ready for “a change.”  (Change is good.  Some changes can be very good, and God will be in them.)  Maybe, Lowell suggested, they were just tired of him.  He wasn’t whining or moping … just acknowledging that people change.  Churches change.  (He’s right.)

After Lowell explained how he was feeling, and that he might go back to Trinity and challenge the people, and the especially the leaders, again, to press into God, we then agreed that if there wasn’t a favorable response he’d ask God to release him so we could leave.

 

June 18, 2003

Last Sunday was Father’s Day, and God visited Trinity in a wonderful and powerful way.  A few people shared words that sounded like a prophetic challenge from God.  The WHOLE congregation came forward to say, “Yes” to God. 

Lowell didn’t even preach in the first service. 

I missed most of it because I’ve been so tired.  I’ve been coming to the second service.  Anyway, I was SO disappointed [that she had missed the first service], but I’m trusting God that this is only the beginning of something fresh for Trinity.

Oh, and before the weekend Lowell told me that he knew he was supposed to stay.  This is where God wants him right now.  Whew.  I’m relieved.

Today was also Brandon’s girlfriend’s last Sunday before returning to Maui.  I had a sit-down with her, and we had a tearful goodbye.  She was very moved by today’s service, and I’m praying that God will give her His strength to stand strong in Maui.  I’m believing she and Brandon will be drawn to Jesus, and into His wonderful plan for their lives.

(I really love [this girl] and her family.  [Her parents] are really good friends.  If she and Brandon are meant to be together, from an in-law standpoint I don’t think he could do much better!  But I’m not sure.  I don’t know if they are preparing for marriage, or just playing a “wait-and-see” game.  I’ll just pray … and try not to say anything that will put [them] off.

 

June 23, 2003

I’ve had some awesome prayer times this week.  On Tuesday, for example, I was anxious and having second thoughts concerning my decisions about the supplements and suggested treatments.  I hadn’t had a quality personal time with God in a couple of WEEKS!  (I had spent last week in Myrtle Beach, SC with my family.)

This is what I wrote down during my prayer time Tuesday morning.  Actually, I felt like the Lord spoke to me while I was writing:

“I don’t know what to do, Lord, but my eyes are on You (2 Chronicles 20:12).  This verse seems to be where I’ve been living for the last few weeks.

“I can take my supplements to heal myself, and people will applaud me for my wisdom and discipline.  Or I can trust You, and You alone, and stand upon Your Word, and You will heal me.  And people will applaud YOU and celebrate Your mercy, love, and power.

“Your Word will be my nutrition, but I MUST consume it every day, with the same diligence and discipline I’ve had with my natural nutrition/food/juicing/supplements in previous months.  (I would never have skipped a day of those things!)  Your Word will be life to me, both SPIRITUALLY and PHYSICALLY.

“The words of God are life to those who find them, and health to a man’s whole body.” (Proverbs 4:22)

Praise God, for the way He spoke to me, and inspired me last Tuesday!  I WILL NOT skip a day of reading and then speaking His Word over my life and my body.  I will be healed because He’s given me His Word – His PROMISE – and He cannot lie.

Lowell and I are going to Kenya and Tanzania next week!  There are warnings from the State Department NOT to travel to East Africa because of terrorist threats.  We were considering not going, but God spoke to us through these verses:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?  Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.” (Psalm 27:1-3; also Psalms 32:14, 15 and 33:18 and 19)

I know that “my times are in Your hands,” and that God has a plan for our lives that is yet to be fulfilled.  Several prayer-team friends said God spoke to them that “healing would take place in Africa.”  They believe that meant that I would be healed.  I also believe that God will heal others when Lowell and I are anointed by God to lay hands on them, and pray for them.

God spoke to me today.  “Set yourself apart unto Me.”  I plan to spend a lot of time in prayer and in His Word this week, and little or no TV or other distractions.  I am proclaiming my healing, specifically that the vaginal lesions will be healed, and the bleeding will stop BEFORE our trip to Africa. 

The rest is in God’s time.

 

June 24, 2003

Patricia, Susan and I met.  Patricia read Psalm 91 (God’s promise for me while I’m in Africa), and Susan shared the following:

“Vicki, you and Lowell have passed the test of faith by standing on the Word of God, and not having surgery.  You will see many signs and wonders.  Your healing story will be like water poured out on a thirsty city (Richmond?).”

Patricia saw Lowell and Vicki in a tunnel filled with light, walking.  The light was Jesus, the tunnel was our protection as we went to Africa, and that I would have boundless energy.

Susan prayed for the bleeding to stop – to “be cauterized.”

 

June 26, 2003

I was singing (again), “My hope is in YOU, Lord … my strength is in YOU, Lord … my power is in YOU …”

I sensed God saying to me, “My hope is in YOU, Vicki.  My help, my power is IN you, Vicki.  Now … act like it!”

Lord, help me to go in Your power to Africa, so that signs and wonders will be done through me – for Your glory.  Give me boldness to minister in the power You have already given me so that the works of Satan will be destroyed and Your kingdom will increase.  I pray that I will have NO FEAR – only great anticipation.”

 

When we arrived in Nairobi our good friends, Ron and Gloria Hanson, greeted us.  The Hanson family has been in East Africa for three decades, living and working in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi.  Ron and Gloria’s two boys, Brent and Scott, are now married and serving in East Africa as well.  Gloria is quite a lady – one of my favorite people in the world.  She has a great laugh and the spiritual gifts of hospitality and shopping.  Ron is a man’s man – a former math teacher and wrestling coach from Northern California.  He’s my hunting buddy and the best tall tale teller west of the Indian Ocean.  Vicki and I have valued their friendship since first meeting them in 1989, and think they are ideally what missionaries should look and be like.

Driving into the security compound where the Hanson’s lived, I was once again struck by the friendliness of Kenyans in general, and Christ-following Kenyans especially.  One lady whose name escapes me gave Vicki a welcoming hug, and after introductions whispered something sweet to my wife – something that made Vicki smile and glance over at me with a “I’ve got to tell you something later” look in her eye.

Just before going to bed Vicki told me what the dear lady said.  “You are sick, and yet you are here!  You are a lioness for Jesus!”

July 14, 2003 (in East Africa – Kenya and Tanzania)

Where do I begin?

Beauty, poverty, amazing animals, starving children, and loving, gentle Africans.

We arrived Monday night (the 7th).  Then we jumped in the car on Tuesday morning to drive to Tanzania – four hours away.

Lowell had planned to hunt in Tanzania with Ron (Ron and Gloria Hanson, our missionary friends and hosts for this trip), but his hunt fell through.  So, we returned to Nairobi for a day and a half, and then drove back to Tanzania for the weekend. 

We spoke twice in Arusha (at Pastor Oral Sossi’s [spelling?] church – Bethel Assembly of God) – me on Saturday evening (12th), and Lowell on Sunday morning (the 13th).  Twelve hundred people showed up for the Saturday evening service!  They have a GREAT choir, and the church was filled with joyful singing … and much anticipation.

Pastor Sossi had shared my healing story with the congregation in the weeks preceding our visit, so people were filled with expectancy and hope.

On Friday night – the night before I spoke – I was VERY apprehensive about speaking with an interpreter, but by Saturday I could feel the prayer of my friends back in Richmond.  The I was excited to see what God would do.

It was wonderful just to be among that many passionate, worshipping Africans.  It had been ten years (!) since I had first visited Tanzania, and to hear them sing after such a long time moved me to tears and brought back some great memories.

After a shaky start my confidence grew, and God helped me deliver a strong message about healing and faith.  I entitled my message, “God always keeps His promises.”  Hundreds came forward for prayer.  Lowell, Ron, the Pastor, the Elders and various prayer team members moved among the throng, laying hands on all of them.

THEN … the Pastor led the whole congregation in prayer for my healing!  The Elders and their wives laid hands on me.  It was a powerful prayer, with much emotion – on their part and on mine.  (That night Lowell and I agreed – “if” God intends to heal me, it happened that night.  And if He doesn’t we have to accept it as His will … not because of a lack of faith, prayer, passion, expectation, hope, etc.  We both felt very strong about this.  No matter what we’ve “heard” or not heard since November of last year, that prayer time was IT.)

Lowell preached a wonderful sermon on Sunday morning, and he really connected with the people.  Even though there wasn’t time for an altar call, God did a great work in the hearts of the leaders and the congregation.  Lowell spoke on faith – “When Jesus Was Amazed.”

What followed Lowell’s closing prayer was unbelievable!  Pastor Sossi explained to us while everything was being set up that this was the church’s “First-Fruits Celebration Service.”  It followed seven days of prayer and fasting.  The people – everyone (leaders, too) – were told to bring a special offering that would be used to complete their building.

Wait!  I failed to mention earlier was that the back wall of their HUGE sanctuary was open right to the outdoors.  No wall.  Seriously, people, cows, chickens, dogs and birds came and went during the services – while we all sang, and while we preached.  Ha!  It was hard enough speaking with an interpreter.  Imagine trying to speak OVER a mooing cow that’s coming down the aisle!

During the special offering people brought their money envelopes first, and placed them in a huge bag that was held by the church leaders.  Then it really became quite fun.  The people brought all kinds of things to be auctioned off – cows, chickens, pigs, ducks, bananas, and more!  It was amazing.  Lowell and I were so touched when a woman and her son brought forward a beautiful (but antique) sewing machine – the kind you power by foot-pumping action.  We could tell how precious it was by how they carried it.  We both cried when we looked at each other.

The average ANNUAL income in Tanzania is about $300 (or about $25 a month).  A special cake, made in the shape of the finished building was auctioned off for $320!  A goat went for $80.  A bunch of bananas for $40.  (The sewing machine went for $200.)  Lowell and I presented a check from Trinity for $500, and we gave another $500 ourselves.  (We wished we could have given more!)

Bethel raised over $16,000 in that single offering!  We were so moved when we heard the final tally announced.

We drove back to Nairobi (Ron and Gloria’s home) Sunday evening, and then we went to Garissa.  It took us over five hours to drive there.  We went to visit an “unreached people group” called The Watta People.  They are Muslim, and they are completely surrounded by immigrants from Somalia.  Somalia is not that far away, and it’s easy for people to go back and forth.

The Kenyan Assemblies of God has been working with them in a small village.  They’ve given the village, with the permission of the village leaders/elders and chief, a diesel motor-powered water pump (to bring river water up about 30 feet to irrigate their parched fields.  The KAG has also given them a new school (with a beautiful building and teachers), and they’ve brought in a pastor and his family to direct the school.

This pastor and his family are so brave.  Somalis hate the Watta people (they’ve already killed about 15 people in the last two years in raids to steal cattle and crops), and the Somalis really hate Christians.  We were so impressed that this pastor and his wife and two precious girls would risk their lives to live in such a dangerous place.

All the children in the village are so beautiful … and poor.

We spent the night in Garissa.  It’s a very dangerous Muslim city very close to the Somali border.  We were warned not to pray out loud over our food.  This was one of the few times I actually felt afraid. 

The next morning an amazing thing happened.  Lowell commented to the hotel receptionist that I had cancer, and she asked if I would meet with her AND PRAY FOR HER.  Her name is “Nancy,” and Gloria and I went to our room with her.  It turned out that Nancy is a beautiful, young Christian girl from Nairobi who felt God had led her to this dangerous place to be a witness for Him!  She was bold, and full of faith.  She asked for prayer for a cancer that was growing on her finger.  She believed God had sent us there for HER, and we had a wonderful time of prayer together.

 

The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word “crisis.”  One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for “opportunity.”   The trick in a crisis is to be aware of the danger while still looking for the opportunity.[286]

It’s been said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.  Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.”[287]

Vicki was all about living, and so we continued our travels.

I can’t think of two more unique places in the world than the two countries that make up most of East Africa.  Kenya and Tanzania are nations full of contrasts that sometimes appear paradoxical.  They are lush green and stark brown, bizarre and glamorous, simple and colorfully complicated, not to mention peaceful and dangerous.  If I didn’t live in Richmond, I’d live there! There’s nothing like driving down a national highway and having to pull to a stop so giraffes, zebras, and wildebeests can cross the road.

Both countries claim Mount Kilimanjaro – the world’s largest freestanding mountain.  My good friend John Hershman will tell you how he climbed Kili, and show you the walking stick he used to make the trip.  The Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Amboseli, Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kenya Lodge, Tarangire and Maasai Mara are phenomenal game parks.  I’ve visited all of them, but I think Kichwa Tembo Safari Club outshines them all!  Animals are everywhere at Kichwa Tembo. 

And then there are the people. The diversity is amazing.[288]  Tribal nations and a multitude of exotic cultures exist within the borders of Kenya and Tanzania, and most people groups speak three languages – their tribal tongue, Swahili, and English. 

Before I went to Africa the first time Vicki and I watched Out of Africa, a 1985 movie staring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.  The movie didn’t … couldn’t … do Africa justice.  There’s no way a film can capture the scope and size of its nature.  Its grandeur.

We both fell in love with East Africa – me in 1989 and Vicki in 1993.

Going to Kenya and Tanzania the summer of 2003 seemed to be a “must” for Vic.  We had planned to go to Africa the previous September.  It took on an urgency when the cancer returned.  In spite of a growing pain and increased bleeding she was determined to go, and no one was going to talk her out of it.  When anyone brought up the dangers, she would just smile and say, “You’re wasting your breath.  I have several divine appointments there.  I can’t miss them.”

We returned to Nairobi (I called it “home” while I was there) on Tuesday.  We shopped for jewelry on Wednesday, and then we flew to Kichwa Tembo Safari Club on Thursday.  We stayed in some of the most awesome tents – they were actually beautiful, with all the comforts of home, including a “cho” (cement and granite bathroom, with shower!).  There were monkeys playing in the trees around us, and wart hogs munching grass just outside our tent.  We ate great food and went out on safaris to see the animals on Thursday night, Friday morning and evening, and again on Saturday morning.

Thursday night I spoke to about 30 Christian staff members that had church on Thursday and Friday nights because they worked all day on Sunday.  Lowell spoke on Friday night.

On Friday I had the privilege of meeting Alice, the head of the medical clinic.  I discovered that she was not really a believer, and that she wanted to be saved after hearing my message from Thursday night.  I prayed with her, and then she was filled with the Holy Spirit!  It had such a dramatic effect on her that she even looked different the next day.  She said she had never been so happy or felt such power and freedom from fear.  She had been very depressed – even contemplating suicide.  She KNEW that God had sent me there just for her!  It was a highlight of the trip for me.

I had been having a constant challenge with HEAVY bleeding my whole time here, but I had done amazingly well considering.  I had been in very little pain, especially for all the rough roads we had been traveling. 

Unfortunately all the safari rides did me in.  We had seen tons of amazing animals (even a leopard during the day!), but I was so glad we came back early from Saturday morning’s ride.  Lowell noticed that I was especially pale and weak.  So did our driver.  The driver panicked because I had started to bleed profusely.  He raced back to camp so fast that the Land Rover actually left the ground a couple of times.  We flew over pot holes and ruts, making the 40-minute ride back to camp in 20 minutes.

I cleaned up and then laid in the bed until we had to leave for our flight home.  I’m so glad we didn’t drive (12 hours), and that we flew in a small plane instead.

I stayed in bed the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday.  Lowell and I talked about flying back to the US early. 

It was very, very frightening for me and Lowell, and I was quite puzzled as to why God hadn’t healed me in that one area (the bleeding).  I still don’t know the answer … but maybe I will one day.

While I was resting on Sunday in Nairobi, Lowell and Ron went out to a big Assembly of God church close to Mount Kenya Safari Lodge.  (I’ll write about that gorgeous lodge another day.)

 

August 14, 2003

Jesus spoke to me in prayer today.  “Learn to be content where I have you.  Do you trust Me?  Trust me!  I am using you as an instrument of righteousness.  I am working MY plan.  Don’t resist what I am doing in you and around you.  Don’t ASSIST me in what I am doing in Lowell.  Pray.  Intercede for him.  I am transforming him, and I will accomplish what I will.  HE IS WILLING, and I will work with him. 

“And don’t resist what I will bring to the surface in you.  I will stir up the deep, hidden things that are polluting your heart, and I will cleanse your heart even as I am cleansing your body of cancer.  There are hidden things that would grow and destroy your spirit even as the cancer would grow and destroy your body … little by little, until death overtakes life.  My will and My plan is to destroy both, and I will accomplish it if you will put your trust in Me.

“Don’t resist what I am doing, but cooperate with Me.  My power will accomplish it, but your will compete with it.  I am limited when My people resist Me, but My power is unlimited when they submit their will to Me.

“Submit and trust.  Then you will be amazed at all that I will do.  I have not forgotten My promises, but I am waiting for complete and total submission and trust.  I long to pour out My Spirit on you, and manifest My glory among My people.  I am waiting on YOU.  Seek Me with all your heart and I will be found.  I will not hide from you when I see the hunger and desperation I am waiting for.

“Don’t resist what I am doing deep inside of you.  The things I am touching are death to you.  They will destroy you.  Choose life!  I have overcome death for you because I love you.  Choose the life that I offer.  Choose it now, and don’t resist the glory I want to reveal in you – the same glory the Father reveal in Me when I suffered for your sake.”

 

Vicki, the lioness, left Africa for home … bleeding.