I recently received an email from a dear friend of mine, Nathan Davenport, who is a recruiter for Pioneer Bible Translators (PBT). Nathan actually recruited James and Lisa Litsey, supported missionaries of OCC who once lived in Owensboro and were members of OCC before moving to Guinea, West Africa. I thought this was a funny and inspirational look into the life of my friend who is faithfully laboring for Christ and the Bible-less people around the world.
Please pray for PBT, the Litsey’s, and Nathan as they diligently work to ensure the Bible is translated into every language so the world may know the Truth found in God’s Word!
Shawn
A Day in the Life on the Road
4:22am “What am I doing up this early? Man, I hate it when my body doesn’t adjust to the West Coast.”
5:45am I make a mental note to buy shower shoes for the next time I stay in a college dorm.
6:36am I make my way to the dorm kitchen to take advantage of the morning quiet. God blesses me with a sweet time of communion and reading of His Word. I spend the morning asking God to give me divine encounters during this trip and ask Him to be glorified through my conversations. During my quiet time I realize today is day 12,137 of my life and reflect upon how God has given me 12,137 opportunities to glorify Him.
9:00am I get to worship God with my new friends at Biola University.
10:39am: The Southern California sun is unmercifully beating down upon my unprotected winter-paled head. Sweet beads generously drip down the backside of my cotton button down. The campus courtyard is full of the sounds of mission representatives swapping battle stories, legends and forced small talk. I slowly pace back and forth on the dew glazed yard in front of booth space #18 longing to encounter at least one student who is passionate for God’s name and His mission. My jetlagged body is reconsidering if waking up at 4am was the best idea this morning only to be drowned out by the ache in my back from sleeping on a makeshift loveseat in my new college dorm room.
11:26 Just when the boredom of the moment seems overwhelmingly mind numbing, my un-attentive neighbor asks me for the second time which countries I have translated the Bible in. After reminding him once again how I don’t actually do translation work, I ask God in defeat, “What am I doing here?” In the same breath, I also muster a quiet prayer asking God to send me a divine appointment with someone who could help the Bible-less people come to know Him.
Just then an admissions counselor from a booth two spots down walks past my table. He looks up and gets an intrigued and impassioned look in his eye as he spots one of our Ukrainian Bible portions. “Hey I can read this! Where did you get this? “I then share with him about our work in this region and our prayer for future teammates. My new friend then asks me, “Do you guys happen to work in the Caucasus Region? My wife and I have been praying for God to help us find an organization to join to go to this region.”
“Yes, yes we do.” I say with thankfulness and gratitude in my heart as I tell him about the amazing team God is putting together to go to this region. After a long conversation, we agree to stay in touch and continue dialoguing to see if PBT might be a good fit for his family. God is good.
11:30-2:30pm A steady stream of students come by my booth asking wonderful questions about our work and how they might partner with us. I meet a student interested in ethnomusicology, church planting, I.T. work, and many more students who have no idea what they want to do.
2:35pm I realize I haven’t had any water for several hours…not good.
2:40-3:30pm I slip away to work on my presentation, “Before You Say ‘I Do’: What Every Christian Couple Going into Kingdom Service Should Consider before Getting Married.” I am reminded how blessed I am to have Lindsay as my wife.
3:35pm I make my way over to my classroom to pray for the students who I will get to teach.
3:40pm My first student walks into the room…upon realizing he is in the wrong seminar, he politely runs out the door.
3:45pm I mentally go through my lecture one last time and ask God to send the right students.
3:50pm I begin to wonder if anyone is coming to my seminar.
3:55pm I ask God if I made a mistake in my choice of subjects. I also ask the Father to please send the students He wants me to speak to or push me aside.
3:56pm The coordinator of the conference walks in and says, “What are you doing in here? Your seminar was moved next door due to the mold in this room.”
3:57pm I walk into a room full of 130+ students sitting wall to wall (many bunched together on the floor) waiting for my seminar. God is good!
5:20 pm Students come up and talk to me about the seminar. One student in particular has tears in his eyes and asks me if we can talk later. Through muffled words, he tells me he needs to break up with his girlfriend.
5:33pm A student comes up to me and asks if we can have supper together after my dinner “appointment” stands me up.
5:35-7pm I have a God ordained supper where I hear how this student, Brian, is passionate about the Caucasus Region. Brian then tells me about a friend of his that is a videographer who has already committed to going to…wait for it…wait for it… the Caucasus Region with him. I am amazed by God’s divine handy work.
7:14pm I get an e-mail from one of our missionaries in the Caucus Region asking me to find a VIDEOGRAPHER to join their project. I laugh at God’s sense of humor.
8:30pm Brian and I go to chapel to hear an incredible sermon on discipleship that leads me to write 3 pages worth of notes in my journal. I tell God, “I feel like I got to hear the piece of the gospel I have been waiting to hear my entire life.” God shows me a new way I need to look at His Scripture and share it based upon Luke 10. Much processing and reflection still needs to come.
9:00-10:30pm God allows me to sit in on an incredible worship service where the students pour out their hearts to God and praise His name.
10:35pm Brian texts his videographer friend, John, asking if there is a time we could meet. As it turns out, John is sitting behind us and comes directly over to talk with me. We exchange information and we all agree God brought us together for a time such as this. We don’t make any formal agreements about partnership but we all agree to pray and see what God will do. Wow!
11:12pm I come into my dorm room tuckered out looking forward to my makeshift loveseat bed.
11:14 My roommates excitedly ask me to re-tell one of the stories I told at my workshop…I guess word got out.
11:15-12:35AM I tell stories and tell jokes way past when I should be trying to be funny.
1:12 am I thank God for my makeshift loveseat bed and slowly allow day 12,137 of my life to pass.
1:13 am I ask God to do it again tomorrow.
