1he unfalllng power LhaL resLores llves

NICOLA NEAL
JIL_v3.indd 1 7/17/14 11:36 AM
CopyrlghL nlcola neal 2014
All rlghLs reserved. 1hls book ls proLecLed by Lhe copyrlghL laws of Lhe unlLed
SLaLes of Amerlca
unless oLherwlse lndlcaLed, all ScrlpLure quoLauons are Laken from 1he Poly
8lble, new lnLernauonal verslon, nlv CopyrlghL 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011
by 8lbllca, lnc. used by permlsslon.
revlously ubllshed by:
8lver ubllshlng & Medla LLd
unlLed klngdom
lnfo[rlver-publlshlng.co.uk
uLS1ln? lMACL u8LlSPL8S, lnC.
.C. 8ox 310, Shlppensburg, A 17237-0310
romoung lnsplred Llves."
8each us on Lhe lnLerneL: www.desunylmage.com.
Cover deslgn by www.SplmngCovers.com
1hls book and all oLher uesuny lmage, 8evlval ress, Mercylace, lresh 8read,
uesuny lmage llcuon, and 1reasure Pouse books are avallable aL Chrlsuan
booksLores and dlsLrlbuLers world wlde.
lS8n 13: 978-0-7684-4263-2
lS8n 13 Lbook: 978-0-7684-4264-9
lor norLh Amerlcan ulsLrlbuuon only, rlnLed ln Lhe uSA
1 2 3 4 3 6 7 8 / 18 17 16 13 14
JIL_v3.indd 2 7/17/14 11:36 AM
!"#$%#$&
uedlcauon 3
AcknowledgmenLs 7
ChapLer 1 - A !ourney lnLo Love 9
ChapLer 2 - A nlghL 1o 8emember 16
ChapLer 3 - lrom ueclarauon Lo Appllcauon 23
ChapLer 4 - LLernlLy Wrluen on Cur PearLs 34
ChapLer 3 - ueslgned lor a urpose 46
ChapLer 6 - 1he ursulL of Lhe 'Cne 1hlng' 34
ChapLer 7 - lL's All lor SomeLhlng 64
ChapLer 8 - 1ransluon 74
ChapLer 9 - Afrlca Lverywhere 80
ChapLer 10 - Learnlng 1o Love 86
ChapLer 11 - noLhlngness 98
ChapLer 12 - 8rokenness and Sacrlce 103
ChapLer 13 - WhaL uoes Love Look Llke? 112
ChapLer 14 - Love WlLhouL Walls 124
ChapLer 13 - Love Popes 132
ChapLer 16 - Love CasLs CuL lear 143
ChapLer 17 - Love Chooses 1o See 133
ChapLer 18 - Love PurLs 163
ChapLer 19 - Sull So Much 1o Learn 172
AbouL Lhe AuLhor 173
JIL_v3.indd 3 7/17/14 11:36 AM
!"#$%&'$()
lor SLephen and !eanne.
1hank you for walklng llfe wlLh me, boLh Lhrough Lhe mounLaln
Lops and Lhe valleys. ?ou have been a llvlng example of LCvL Lo
our famlly and l Lhank !esus for Lhe day he [olned our llves wlLh
yours. 1hank you for encouraglng me Lo pursue Lhe Lhlngs of Lhe
klngdom above everyLhlng else, Lhank you for bellevlng ln me
when l dldn'L belleve ln myself and for encouraglng me Lo keep on
dreamlng even ln Lhe darkesL umes. ?ou have revealed Lhe love of
Lhe laLher Lo me and l wlll be forever graLeful for you boLh. 1hls
book ls dedlcaLed Lo you.
JIL_v3.indd 5 7/17/14 11:36 AM
*%+)(,-"#./")'0
1hank you Lo my amazlng Leam ln Afrlca - you lnsplre me every day
Lo press ln for Lhe more, l love you all.
1hank you 8ob and Carollne ueLuca for always ghung for us Lo be
who we are called Lo be. ?our frlendshlp ls prlceless, we love you!
1hank you !ohn and Carol Arnou for belng such preclous splrlLual
parenLs and for lovlng us always.
1hank you !enn !ohnson for your love and consLanL llule messages
of encouragemenL LhaL always come aL Lhe perfecL ume! And for
allowlng me Lo quoLe your song ... lL wlll always be a favourlLe of
mlne. As wlll you!
1hank you Lo our famlly and frlends who have loved and supporLed
us Lhrough all Lhe hlghs and lows of mlsslonary llfe.
And nally ... Lhank you Lo my amazlng famlly:
1o my husband, Slmon, for llvlng Lhe dream wlLh me and for never
glvlng up, however crazy lL goL! l Love you now more Lhan ever. !ames
and ChanLelle, l love you boLh more Lhan words can say. 1hank you
for so selessly followlng Mummy and uaddy Lo Afrlca and glvlng up
everyLhlng Lo help us love Lhe poor. ?ou are my heroes of Lhe falLh!
JIL_v3.indd 7 7/17/14 11:36 AM
9
!"#$" &' (")*&+,-
'Paura ls walklng! Paura ls walklng! Paura ls walklng!' 1haL was
nearly all l could say for a good een mlnuLes aer readlng my
LexL message, whlle aL Lhe same ume crylng, laughlng and [umplng
up and down. 'uld you hear whaL l sald? Paura ls walklng!' l kepL
shouung.
Some of Lhe Leam wlLh me, as Lhey undersLood whaL l was
screamlng abouL, began Lo [oln ln laughlng and danclng around Lhe
room Loo, whlle everyone else ln Lhe room [usL sLared aL us as we
celebraLed. WhaL was golng on? Who was Paura and why was lL
such a blg deal LhaL she was walklng anyway?
Aer a shorL ume, overwhelmed wlLh emouon, l quleLly sllpped
away Lo a dark corner of Lhe room, fell onLo my knees and wepL,
whlsperlng over and over agaln, 'Webale, ?esu.'
?ou have Lo know Paura Lo undersLand Lhe magnlLude of whaL
had happened LhaL day, or aL leasL know a llule of her sLory.
We rsL meL Paura ln 2009. She llved ln kasubl slum wlLh her
mama, and her llfe was one of darkness, poverLy and hopelessness.
12&3'"4 6)"
* 7(84)"9 :)'( ;(<"
JIL_v3.indd 9 7/17/14 11:36 AM
Journey Into Love
10
Mama sLruggled each day Lrylng Lo provlde and care for Paura
as besL she could, buL her dlmculL clrcumsLances and physlcal
challenges made Lhls a very dlmculL Lask.
ln Lhe world's eyes, Paura ls noL beauuful. She ls noL Lhe sorL of
chlld whose phoLo would appear on posLer campalgns, ln magazlnes
or on manLelpleces. She has no real hope for her fuLure, belng born
lnLo a slum famlly, llvlng ln exLreme poverLy, severely dlsabled and
LoLally dependenL on Lhose around her for everyLhlng.
neverLheless she ls one of Lhe mosL beauuful llule glrls l have
ever had Lhe honour of knowlng. 1he very rsL day l meL her, as l
held her uny, broken body ln my arms, someLhlng happened ln my
hearL and l fell ln love. Whenever l goL Lhe chance Lo spend ume
wlLh Paura, l would.
She brlngs a purlLy of llghL lnLo my world. When she smlles, lL
lllumlnaLes everyLhlng around her and Lhe sound of her crackled
llule volce and laugh lls my hearL wlLh [oy.
She has Lhe mosL lncredlble eyes, and as you gaze lnLo Lhem, you
geL losL ln Lhe beauLy you nd Lhere, deep, brown, shlnlng and full
of love. When l look lnLo Lhem, l feel as lf l am looklng lnLo Lhe eyes
of !esus hlmself.
ln Lhe world's eyes she ls damaged goods, broken, forgouen
and worLh noLhlng, yeL Lo !esus she ls a Lreasure. She ls prlceless, a
preclous [ewel hldden away ln Lhe dlrL of Lhe slums.
noL long aer we meL Paura, we were desperaLe Lo do someLhlng
for her whlch would make a dlerence Lo her dlmculL llfe. So we
Look her Lo Lhe besL docLors we could nd Lo see whaL could be
done, buL ln Lhe end Lhey all sald LhaL Lhey could do noLhlng.
Cerebral malarla had done lLs worsL and she was paralyzed from
Lhe neck down and bllnd, wlLh no hope of lmprovemenL.
Cne day as l saL ln our omce, l felL Lhe Lord ask me whaL l could
belleve for Paura. Could l dare Lo belleve for hlm Lo heal her, so
she could be able Lo ll her head, Lo smlle, Lo see, Lo Lalk, Lo walk?
JIL_v3.indd 10 7/17/14 11:36 AM
11
A Journey Into Love
SomeLhlng began Lo sur on Lhe lnslde of me and hope began Lo
ll my hearL, unul l could answer hlm wlLh a slmple yes, yes, yes: l
could belleve.
So we declded LhaL every day a member of our Leam would go
and vlslL Paura's house and hold her, worshlp !esus and slmply love
her. 1o be honesL, Lhere wasn'L much else we could do, we had
noLhlng else Lo oer her. 1here was no medlclne ln Lhe world LhaL
could make her beuer, no wlLchdocLor powerful enough Lo help
(Lhey had Lrled), no alLernauve Lheraples sLrong enough Lo heal her
broken body.
1he only Lhlng we had Lo glve her was Lhe love of !esus, knowlng
LhaL love ls acLually more powerful Lhan any soluuon Lhe WesLern
world could oer her anyway. So we wenL, almosL every day, for
Lwo years. WhaLever Lhe weaLher, wheLher we felL llke golng or noL,
we wenL and poured ouL hls love over her llfe, [usL as lL had been so
graclously poured ouL over ours.
l remember Lhe day LhaL Amy came home from Lhe slum saylng
LhaL Paura had moved her head! lL was a uny movemenL, buL sull
she had Lurned her head Lowards Lhe person who was holdlng her
and Lalklng Lo her. lL was such a small Lhlng, buL lL was real, lL was a
mlracle, and oh, how we celebraLed.
l remember, Loo, Lhe day she came home saylng LhaL Paura had
been smlllng - noL only smlllng, buL also laughlng! lL had been
her second blrLhday and we had gone Lo her uny slum house Lo
celebraLe her llfe. 1he house was packed full of our Leam, her famlly
and frlends and mosL lmporLanLly, love. She had acLually smlled,
and Lhen she laughed! l have never seen my Leam as happy as Lhey
were LhaL day. We were so Lhankful Lo !esus for yeL anoLher mlracle
ln Paura's llule llfe.
So we had seen many wonderful Lhlngs happen Paura ln Lhe Lwo
years we had known her. Llule by llule, hope was belng resLored Lo
her famlly, and ln Lhe mldsL of lL all her Musllm mama found !esus.
JIL_v3.indd 11 7/17/14 11:36 AM
Journey Into Love
12
She was bapuzed ln a dlrLy old waLer Lank [usL ouLslde Lhe slum,
on a very speclal 1uesday aernoon, wlLh Lhe whole communlLy
waLchlng. Paura and her mama were respondlng Lo Lhe love LhaL
was all around Lhem and lL was wonderful Lo be parL of lL.
1hen early one evenlng ln november 2011, l was ln a youLh
meeung ln Lhe uk and my phone beeped. l looked down and Lhere
was Lhe message: 'nlcola - l can hardly belleve whaL l have [usL
seen - Paura ls walklng!' Cnce agaln l was compleLely undone:
undone by love. Paura ls conunulng Lo do well and ls now able Lo
Lake small sLeps wlLh Lhe use of a walklng frame.
lf l have learned anyLhlng over Lhe four years l have been llvlng ln
Afrlca, lL ls LhaL Cod's love really does have Lhe power Lo Lransform
everyLhlng lL Louches. lL ls Cod's love LhaL Lransformed me, resculng
me from my own darkness and paln and pumng me back LogeLher
agaln. And lL ls hls love LhaL l see now Lransformlng Lhe llves of
some of Lhe pooresL people on Lhe face on Lhe earLh.
l have seen !esus. l have seen hls love cause Lhe bllnd Lo see,
Lhe lame Lo walk and Lhe broken Lo be resLored. lL has happened
counLless umes, over and over, agaln and agaln and l know LhaL
scrlpLure ls Lrue when lL says, 'Love never falls' (1 CorlnLhlans 13:8).
So Lhls ls Lhe sLory of my own '[ourney lnLo love,' of how love
came down and resLored me, Laklng me from a place of brokenness,
desperauon and fear lnLo a new world of llfe, [oy and hope. And
Lhls ls how we now have Lhe prlvllege of havlng our llves used by
Cod Lo rescue and see resLored counLless oLhers on Lhe beauuful
conunenL of Afrlca.
JIL_v3.indd 12 7/17/14 11:36 AM
14
./ !0"$1 2 34/
l wanL Lo be one who looks aL lmposslblllues as
opporLunlues, noL sLopplng places.
l wanL Lo be one who dreams Lhe dreams
oLhers are Loo scared Lo hope for.
l wanL Lo allow problems Lo become my sprlngboard
lnLo Lhe glory of Cod.
ueaLh can'L sLop me. ulsease won'L sway me.
1hey wlll only push me deeper, make me run fasLer.
l wanL Lo walk lnLo Lhe darkness and nd Lhe llghL.
l wanL Lo nd Lreasure lnslde Lhe hearLs of
prosuLuLes, drug addlcLs and wlLch docLors.
l wanL Lo see Lhe value ln Lhe hundreds
who cross my paLh each day.
l wanL my oplnlons Lo be formed noL by Lhe world,
buL by whaL Cod says.
l wanL Lo love.
l wanL Lo glve myself, my money, my ume, my hearL.
l wanL Lo surrender everyLhlng.
l wanL Lo run hard.
l wanL Lo go wherever he whlspers.
l wanL Lo see Lhe ones wrluen on hls hearL and brlng Lhem home.
l wanL Lo be unfazed by danger, Lo counL my llfe as noLhlng.
l wanL Lo feel only Lhe longlngs of hls hearL.
l wanL Lo undersLand Lhe cosL.
l wanL Lo see hlm bleedlng on Lhe cross,
hls eyes burnlng for me, for Lhem.
l wanL Lo feel Lhe love LhaL led hlm Lhere,
feel hls ery passlon for Lhem Lo come home.
l wanL Lo see only hlm, Lo care only for hls deslres.
1o glve all l have, so LhaL he can have Lhe reward of hls suerlngs.
JIL_v3.indd 14 7/17/14 11:36 AM
16
l remember ChrlsLmas 2000, when we had all my famlly comlng
Lo sLay. Cur house wasn'L huge buL our vlslLors were many, so
my husband and l ended up sleeplng on Lhe klLchen oor. lL was
cerLalnly noL Lhe mosL comforLable place l have ever slepL and aer
many hours of Lrylng Lo geL seuled l nally fell asleep, unaware LhaL
Lhls nlghL would change Lhe resL of my llfe.
ln Lhe early hours of Lhe mornlng l had a dream...
ln lL my older broLher and l, [usL chlldren, were walklng around
a Loyshop. Cver and over agaln he was saylng Lo me, 'We have Lo
buy you a 8uzz LlghLyear.' leellng frusLraLed, l Lrled Lo Lell hlm LhaL
l dldn'L wanL or need one, buL he kepL on perslsung, holdlng my
hand and dragglng me forward. We were searchlng every shop,
ln desperaLe pursulL of Lhls Loy he was so deLermlned Lo geL me.
llnally we found one and he had a look of Lrlumph on hls face he as
he handed lL Lo me.
lnsLanLly ln my dream l was LransporLed somewhere else and
found myself sLandlng ln a llule dlrLy slum house. ln fronL of me my
moLher was sLandlng, screamlng and shouung aL me, buL l had no
12&3'"4 =,(
* >$.2' =( ?"/"/@"4
JIL_v3.indd 16 7/17/14 11:36 AM
17
A Night To Remember
ldea whaL for. l was scared and confused and knew LhaL my llfe was
ln danger. Suddenly from behlnd her back she pulled ouL a huge
meLal suck and began beaung me wlLh lL over and over agaln.
l knew lf l dldn'L escape l was golng Lo dle, so l began Lo run as
fasL as l could. l ran ouL of Lhe house and down Lhe llule dlrL road
LhaL was full of poLholes, fasLer and fasLer. My hearL was poundlng
and l felL as lf l could hardly breaLhe, buL l could hear her fooLsLeps
comlng up behlnd me. Lvery second Lhey were gemng closer and
closer and l knew LhaL lf l dldn'L keep runnlng, she would soon caLch
me.
l kepL golng, wlLh no ldea where l was runnlng Lo, [usL knowlng
LhaL my llfe depended on lL. My body ached wlLh exhausuon and
wlLh each sLep l felL weaker and weaker, buL l couldn'L sLop. l began
Lo feel a sharp paln ln my feeL, whlch lnLensled wlLh every sLep
unul lL began Lo shooL up lnLo my legs. l sLarLed Lo sLumble and Lhen
l fell.
1he paln ln my feeL by now was unbearable and l grabbed my
fooL and Lurned lL over. 1hen l saw LhaL Lhe soles o my feeL were
noL only covered ln open, weeplng, lnfecLed sores buL LhaL maggoLs
were crawllng ouL of Lhese wounds. 1he sLench of Lhe romng esh
Lurned my sLomach.
As l saL Lhere ln Lhe dlrL, sLarlng aL my feeL, ln Lerrlble paln, Lhe
fooLsLeps of my moLher came closer and closer. ln fear for my llfe, l
shouLed aL Lhe Lop of my volce: 'l Lold you LhaL l dldn'L need a 8uzz
LlghLyear. l [usL needed a palr of shoes!'
1hen l woke up...
lL was ChrlsLmas mornlng and Lhe resL of our famlly were sull
asleep. My husband Slmon was quleLly snorlng and as l lay Lhere l
began Lo weep. lf you had asked me Lhen whaL l was weeplng for,
l'm noL sure l would have been able Lo Lell you. All l knew was LhaL lL
felL as lf my hearL was breaklng. 1here was a paln deep lnslde of me
for someLhlng LhaL l dldn'L even undersLand, a grlef agalnsL some
JIL_v3.indd 17 7/17/14 11:36 AM
Journey Into Love
18
klnd of ln[usuce LhaL wenL deeper Lhan l could comprehend.
l could feel Lhe Poly SplrlL's presence so sLrong, surroundlng me,
almosL as lf he was holdlng me whlle l lay Lhere weeplng. Pe was
holdlng my hearL and enabllng me Lo feel Lhe laLher's hearL abouL
someLhlng, buL l had no ldea whaL.
noL long aer, my llule boy !ames, who was only a year old,
woke. ln Lhe crazlness of ChrlsLmas day l dldn'L geL anoLher
momenL Lo Lhlnk abouL whaL had happened LhaL nlghL, buL deep
lnslde of me l could feel someLhlng surrlng, someLhlng growlng. l
knew someLhlng slgnlcanL was belng blrLhed on Lhe lnslde of me.
A few days aer ChrlsLmas, our famllles le and our house
reLurned Lo normal. We were exhausLed aer all Lhe hosung and
celebraung and cooklng and cleanlng. We declded Lo puL !ames Lo
bed early LhaL nlghL and seuled down on Lhe sofa Lo waLch a movle.
1he movle was poorly acLed, wlLh a weak sLoryllne abouL a
young boy and hls emouonally compllcaLed relauonshlp wlLh hls
dlvorced parenLs. ?eL as lL came Lo an end, Lhe same emouons and
grlef whlch l had felL on ChrlsLmas Lve began oodlng back, unul l
broke down and began weeplng.
AL rsL, my husband [usL looked aL me, shocked Lo see me crylng
so unconLrollably. Pe had no ldea why l was so upseL and wondered
whaL he had done Lo make me cry. 8uL Lhe more l wepL, Lhe more
Lhe presence of Cod began Lo ll Lhe room. lL conunued unul Slmon
also began Lo weep!
1hls was Lruly remarkable. AL Lhls polnL we had been marrled for
seven years and had known each oLher for many more Lhan LhaL.
l probably could have counLed on one hand Lhe number of umes l
had acLually seen Slmon cry. ?eL here we were, weeplng LogeLher
and Lhe more we wepL, Lhe sLronger Cod's presence came. 1he
sLronger hls presence came, Lhe more we wepL.
1hls carrled on for hours, unul aL abouL Lhree ln Lhe mornlng
we found ourselves face down on our lounge oor, compleLely
JIL_v3.indd 18 7/17/14 11:36 AM
19
A Night To Remember
exhausLed and all crled ouL. We quleLly made our way up Lo bed,
unable Lo Lalk abouL whaL had happened or whaL any of lL meanL.
We [usL knew LhaL !esus was up Lo someLhlng and whaLever lL was
he was dolng ln us, we wanLed.
1he nexL mornlng we woke up and wenL downsLalrs Lo make
our son breakfasL and ourselves some much-needed coee. As
we sLarLed Lalklng abouL Lhe nlghL before, lL all began agaln. 8lghL
Lhere ln our llule klLchen, whlle bolllng Lhe keule, [usL dolng Lhe
mosL ordlnary Lhlngs, hls presence came. 1he weeplng began and
carrled on and o for Lhe resL of Lhe day. Aer LhaL lL [usL grew,
from days Lo weeks, unul barely an hour would go by wlLhouL one
of us breaklng down.
As a full-ume mum Lhls wasn'L Loo much of a challenge for me Lo
pracucally handle. My frlends goL used Lo me bursung lnLo Lears ln
Lhe mlddle of Lhe sLreeL or ln Lhelr homes. 1hey would [usL plck up
my llule boy and leL me geL on wlLh lL!
lor Slmon, however, lL was a dlerenL sLory. AL LhaL ume he had
a good [ob ln an l1 company ln 8aLh and many umes a week would
have Lo make an excuse Lo leave Lhe omce lnconsplcuously, when
he would feel Lhe Lears beglnnlng, or dlsappear lnLo Lhe baLhroom
for long perlods of ume Lo quleLly weep ln Lhere. l have no ldea
whaL hls colleagues LhoughL of LhaL one!
Aer a number of weeks l meL wlLh my menLor. We saL ln
her house laLe one evenlng as l Lold her all LhaL was golng on. l
remember desperaLely asklng her, 'WhaL ls Lhe Lord dolng Lo us?
Lvery day l see a chlld ln Lhls sLreeL who ls sad, or l see a moLher yell
aL her baby, or l see a Leenager losL on Lhe sLreeL corner, and l [usL
begln Lo weep. 1he paln l feel ls almosL Loo much Lo bear.'
l Lold her, 'l feel llke l am belng broken lnslde, and aL umes lL feels
llke Lhe weeplng wlll never end. lL's almosL Loo much for me Lo cope
wlLh. l know Lhe laLher ls showlng me someLhlng and l wanL Lo feel
hls hearL, more Lhan anyLhlng. 8uL l need Lo know whaL Lo do ln
JIL_v3.indd 19 7/17/14 11:36 AM
Journey Into Love
20
response! WhaL ls he showlng me? WhaL ls he asklng of us? We wlll
do anyLhlng - buL we [usL need Lo know.'
AL her suggesuon l made my way back Lo my house wlLh my
[ournal, ready Lo ask Lhe Lord Lhe same quesuons l had been asklng
her. My house was sllenL. Slmon and !ames were asleep upsLalrs. lL
was abouL 2am and l saL down, pen ln hand and walLed. As l walLed
for hlm Lo speak, Lhls ls whaL l wroLe:
."$56 7889
As a moLher's hearL aches and groans as she holds her dylng
baby ln her arms, so my hearL aches Lowards my chlldren. As she
waLches Lhe llfe sllpplng away before her, desperaLe for someone
Lo lnLervene and save Lhem, ln angulsh crylng ouL, so l cry ouL: Who
wlll help my chlldren?
Who wlll rescue Lhem from desLrucuon and place Lhem ln safeLy?
Who wlll rescue Lhem from Lhe evll grasp LhaL wanLs Lo rob, rape,
desLroy and klll? Who wlll brlng llfe lnsLead of deaLh, laughLer and
[oy lnsLead of fear and despalr?
My preclous chlldren have been LreaLed as commodlues and
fashlon accessorles. 1hey have been pushed lnLo a corner and only
boughL ouL when cuLe or convenlenL, boLh ln Lhe world and ln Lhe
church. 1haL ls noL my plan for Lhem. lL ls for Lhem Lo be radlcally
beauuful, magnlcenL dlsplays of my glory, splendour and power.
1lme ls rushlng by and all Lhe whlle Lhey are dylng before your
eyes. 1he very llfe and splrlL LhaL l have placed lnslde of Lhem ls
belng crushed. l need someone Lo sLand up and shouL 'no more!
no more wlll we allow Lhls Lo happen.'
l have plans. l have Lhe keys. l wlll show you how. !usL say 'Send
me - here l am.' 1he cosL Lo save Lhelr llves ls your llves - are you
wllllng Lo glve lL?
As l saL aL my klLchen Lable, l knew whaL my response would be.
JIL_v3.indd 20 7/17/14 11:36 AM
21
A Night To Remember
1here was no quesuon ln my hearL. ln Lhe mornlng when l shared
whaL l had wrluen wlLh Slmon, Lhere was no quesuon ln hls hearL
elLher. 1he answer was slmple: yes, yes and yes agaln.
WhaLever lL looked llke, whaLever lL meanL, whaLever Lhe cosL,
whaLever Lhe sacrlce, Lhe answer was undenlably yes. And so Lhe
[ourney Lruly began.
JIL_v3.indd 21 7/17/14 11:36 AM
:60 ;&+, <6= <"'60' >001 2 3?"4
l don'L do well wlLh feeL.
l don'L wanL Lo spend any ume Lhlnklng abouL Lhem.
l can [usL abouL accepL my own, wlLhouL Louchlng anyone else's.
8uL someLhlng crazy has happened Lo me here ln uganda.
1here ls an area of klnawaLaka slum called kaLogo 2.
lL ls exLremely poor.
Whenever we go Lhere, we are meL wlLh more
sLorles of need and desperauon.
?eL kaLogo 2 ls home Lo Lhe mosL fun klds ln Lhe world.
ShorL on [oy?
1he lnvlLauon Lo vlslL my bables ln k2 ls open.
ln Lhree shorL monLhs we have found some
preuy cool new frlends Lo hang ouL wlLh.
We have broughL love Lo klds who have been
shorL-changed ln LhaL deparLmenL.
We have glven away free medlclne and medlcal
advlce aL Lhe Moblle Medlcal unlL.
8uL lrlday was my favourlLe day of all ln kaLogo 2.
We packed up a bunch of shlny new shoes ln our cars.
We broughL a speaker, some dance Lunes and
Lhree [erry cans lled wlLh waLer.
Cur goal was Lo show some beauuful people
LhaL Lhey are cared abouL,
more Lhan Lhey could lmaglne.
8y us and by a klng who was an experL on
Lhe Loplc of washlng feeL.
Pe ls my lnsplrauon for pumng Lo one slde my lssues abouL feeL.
Cur rsL sLreeL club ln kaLogo 2 was a success.
1he klds loved Lhe games, Lhe sLory, and Lhe ume Lo slL quleLly ln
Cod's presence. 1hen we Look a bold sLep wlLh Lhe communlLy
leaders and mamas waLchlng lnLenLly. We washed Lhe feeL of Lhe
chlldren who had gaLhered Lhere.
JIL_v3.indd 22 7/17/14 11:36 AM
MosL of Lhese klds dldn'L have shoes.
1hey llve ln a slum where raw sewage ows
Lhrough Lhe passageways.
uesplLe my dlsllke of feeL, for me Lhls felL naLural.
lL was a propheuc slgn for Lhese people,
seen as Lhe lowesL ln socleLy.
Chlldren are Lhe lowesL of Lhe low, wlLh no rlghLs,
and no one Lo care abouL Lhem.
WhlLe people are Lhe ulumaLe here.
8elng whlLe ls a uckeL Lo any parLy you wanL Lo geL lnLo.
Lveryone wanLs Lo be your frlend,
Lo be assoclaLed wlLh muzungus.
1he conLrasL beLween us and Lhose llvlng ln
slums ls sLark and frlghLenlng.
So we goL Lo our knees and washed Lhe feeL
of every chlld who came forward.
Some older klds had gaLhered and pushed Lo Lhe fronL qulckly.
Some very famlllar faces also appeared.
lL was overwhelmlng Lo look up aL Lhem,
whlle genLly pourlng clear waLer over Lhelr muddy, cracked feeL.
1helr faces were a mlxLure of exclLemenL,
dlsbellef and Lhankfulness.
1owards Lhe end of our ume washlng feeL,
some mamas came forward,
holdlng bables who could noL make Lhelr own way Lo us.
Cur Leam humbly Look handfuls of waLer Lo
wash Lhe feeL of even Lhe smallesL ones.
Cne by one Lhe chlldren came and wenL.
1hey saL down on Lhe maL and Lhen we handed
ouL hundreds of palrs of new shoes.
8uL for me lrlday aernoon represenLed
more Lhan some free shoes.
lL was a sLaLemenL of lnLenL.
lL was a commlLmenL Lo rebalance Lhe
ln[usuces Lhls world has oered up.
JIL_v3.indd 23 7/17/14 11:36 AM
1hese chlldren are no less lmporLanL Lhan Lhose
who go Lo school, or who eaL every day,
or who geL love and auenuon from Lhe momenL Lhey are born.
We won'L accepL LhaL Lhe colour of our skln makes us more
lmporLanL Lhan Lhose who sLruggle every day
Lo provlde for Lhelr bables.
1hese ln[usuces wlll keep brlnglng me Lo my knees before
Lhe leasL of socleLy, washlng dlrLy feeL, resLorlng dlgnlLy.
l'll do Lhls, lnsplred by a klng who has seL ouL Lhe paLh.
JIL_v3.indd 24 7/17/14 11:36 AM
23
l belleve LhaL our hearL responses Lo !esus oen need Lo be followed
by a pracucal appllcauon. ln many ways lL ls easy Lo ll our heads
and our volces hlgh and Lo declare LhaL we wlll do anyLhlng, go
anywhere, pay any prlce Lo follow !esus. 8uL unless our declarauon
ls followed by a pracucal appllcauon, Lhe depLh of lLs slncerlLy ls
quesuonable.
!esus sald Lo hls dlsclples: 'Whoever wanLs Lo be my dlsclple musL
deny Lhemselves and Lake up Lhelr cross and follow me' (Mauhew
16:24). ln oLher words, make your cholce and Lhen acL on lL!
Cur own hearL response Lo !esus ln LhaL season was real and
genulne, buL lL requlred appllcauon. lor us Lhe appllcauon was
Lhree-fold....
App||canon Number 1
Slmon was Lo glve up hls well-pald, sLable, full-ume [ob ln l1 and
we were Lo glve ourselves full ume Lo lovlng chlldren and young
people, whaLever LhaL looked llke. Cod was no more speclc Lhan
LhaL, buL Lhe requesL could noL have been clearer.
12&3'"4 =24""
A4(/ !"%-&4&'$() =(
*33-$%&'$()
JIL_v3.indd 25 7/17/14 11:36 AM
Journey Into Love
26
l would llke Lo be able Lo say LhaL we were so full of falLh and LrusL ln
Cod LhaL as soon as he heard Lhese words, Slmon ran lnLo hls omce
and reslgned rlghL Lhere and Lhen. 8uL no!
Someumes llvlng a llfe of sacrlce and surrender can sound
very romanuc. 8uL when you acLually Lake a good look aL whaL lL
means pracucally, Lhe morLgage paymenLs LhaL need Lo be meL
every monLh, Lhe car loan LhaL has Lo be pald, Lhe chlld who needs
nursery fees, Lhe uullLy bllls and everyLhlng else, suddenly lL all
Lakes on a whole dlerenL llghL...
l have oen read Lhe words of !esus: '1herefore l Lell you, do
noL worry abouL your llfe, whaL you wlll eaL or drlnk, or abouL
your body, whaL you wlll wear' and 'Seek rsL hls klngdom and
hls rlghLeousness, and all Lhese Lhlngs wlll be glven Lo you as well'
(Mauhew 6:23, 33). l have known many people who need Lo 'geL
wlLh lL' abouL Lhese commands, buL suddenly l reallsed LhaL l was
one of Lhem!
AlLhough Lhe Lord Lold us very clearly LhaL Slmon was Lo glve up
hls [ob compleLely, we LhoughL whaL he probably meanL was LhaL
he should [usL go parL-ume.
So Slmon wenL Lo see hls boss and asked for a change ln hls
worklng hours. noL surprlslngly Lhe answer was no, so we had Lo
Lhlnk agaln.
We declded LhaL lnsLead Slmon would qulL worklng Lhere and
nd parL-ume work somewhere else. 1he day he handed ln hls
nouce, l wenL Lo Lhe local newsagenLs and boughL Lhe [ob paper.
8uL when l goL home and saL aL Lhe klLchen Lable, hlghllghLer ln
hand, ready Lo nd Lhe perfecL posluon for hlm, Lhe Lord spoke
Lo me. ln no uncerLaln Lerms he Lold me Lo Lake Lhe newspaper
ouLslde and burn lL!
So aer a few mlnuLes of argulng, l gave up, wenL ouLslde and
seL lL on re. 1he nexL day, however, l wenL and boughL anoLher
one. 1he same Lhlng happened agaln! l saL aL Lhe Lable, newspaper
JIL_v3.indd 26 7/17/14 11:36 AM
27
From Declaration To Application
open, pen ln hand and once agaln Lhe Lord sald '8urn lL,' so l dld.
1hen agaln Lhe nexL day l wenL and boughL anoLher! l really am a
slow learner someumes...
Powever, Lhls ume, before l even goL Lo my klLchen Lable, Lhls
scrlpLure sang ouL ln my mlnd: 'Some LrusL ln charloLs and some
ln horses, buL we LrusL ln Lhe name of Lhe Lord our Cod' (salm
20:7). lmmedlaLely l knew who l wanLed Lo LrusL ln. So wlLhouL
belng asked, l walked sLralghL lnLo my garden and sLruck Lhe maLch.
We had no ldea whaL Lhe nexL sLep was, buL knew we [usL had Lo
choose Lo LrusL ln hlm.
Soon aer, Lhe leaders of our church oered us a posluon on
sLa as youLh and chlldren's workers. 1he salary Lhey could oer
us was way below whaL Slmon had been earnlng before, so our
monLhly lncome would noL even cover our monLhly ouLgolngs, buL
we knew Lhls was Lhe laLher's provlslon for us. As Lhe monLhs wenL
by we began Lo Langlbly experlence LhaL our Cod Lruly ls falLhful
Lo Lhe promlse: 'My Cod wlll meeL all your needs accordlng Lo Lhe
rlches of hls glory ln ChrlsL !esus' (hlllpplans 4:19).
1he number of nanclal mlracles we experlenced ln Lhose seven
years whlle belng on sLa aL 8aLh ClLy Church could ll a book. 1haL
experlence helped bulld a foundauon ln us LhaL has been lnvaluable
ln our llfe here ln Afrlca. AlLhough Lhere really are far Loo many Lo
wrlLe abouL now, leL me Lell you [usL one.
Cne Sunday mornlng we had Lwo weeks Lo go unul payday, only
12 le ln Lhe bank and no food ln Lhe cupboards. AL church, a lady
we dldn'L know came up and sald, 'Lxcuse me, can you Lell me how
much your morLgage paymenL ls a monLh?' l LhoughL LhaL Lhls was
a blL rude Lo ask a LoLal sLranger and replled by glvlng a rough gure
and asklng her why she wanLed Lo know. She qulckly goL ouL her
cheque book and wroLe a cheque for LhaL exacL amounL, gave lL Lo
me, smlled and walked away.
l was so sLunned LhaL l dldn'L know whaL Lo do, buL LhoughL
JIL_v3.indd 27 7/17/14 11:36 AM
Journey Into Love
28
lmmedlaLely enLered my mlnd, '1haL's amazlng, buL cheques Lake
four days Lo clear and l have no money Lo buy food for my son
Loday.' lnsLanLly l was Lapped on Lhe shoulder by a young glrl who
handed me a plle of LwenLy-pound noLes, smlled and sald, '1he
Lord [usL Lold me Lo glve you Lhls. Pe says lL's Lo geL you Lhrough
Lhe nexL few days and LhaL you wlll know whaL LhaL means.' l was
LoLally asLounded!
1hroughouL Lhose seven years we were glven Lhree cars, ve
lncredlble holldays abroad, deslgner cloLhes, 1vs, uvu players, a
brand-new bed, Loys for Lhe chlldren and so much more.
Anyway, back Lo Lhe lssue of 'appllcauon'.
App||canon Number 2
Cod began Lo Lalk Lo us abouL adopung our second chlld. Cur son
!ames was [usL over one year old Lhen and we had already been
Lalklng abouL gemng pregnanL agaln. We had boLh always loved
chlldren and wanLed Lo ll our llves and our home wlLh Lhem. 8uL
adopuon was never someLhlng we had really consldered before
and lL Look a whlle Lo geL used Lo Lhe ldea.
My deepesL fear ln lL all was wheLher l would be able Lo love an
adopLed chlld as much as l loved my naLural one. Powever, l knew
LhaL lf Lhls was someLhlng LhaL Lhe laLher was asklng me Lo do, Lhen
he was more Lhan able Lo fully equlp me wlLh everyLhlng l needed
Lo be a mummy agaln, lncludlng enough love!
1he adopuon process was long and compllcaLed. lL conslsLed of
monLhs of lnLervlews, home vlslLs, assessmenLs and medlcals and
LhaL was [usL Lo geL us reglsLered as adopLers. lL Lhen goL even more
compllcaLed and aL umes palnful as we began Lhe process of belng
maLched wlLh a chlld.
Lvery monLh a magazlne would land on our doormaL wlLh
plcLures of hundreds of chlldren, all ln need of a Mummy and a
uaddy. Cur [ob was Lo go Lhrough Lhls paper and declde whlch
JIL_v3.indd 28 7/17/14 11:36 AM
29
From Declaration To Application
chlldren we were lnLeresLed ln, Lhen phone Lhe number llsLed
underneaLh Lhelr name for more lnformauon.
lL felL llke caLalogue shopplng for chlldren, or even worse, llke
looklng aL Lhe local properLy paper. Lach monLh l would dread lLs
arrlval as l knew lL would mean readlng abouL more of Lhese lovely
chlldren, losL ln Lerrlble clrcumsLance and slLuauons. 8uL aL Lhe
same ume, l couldn'L walL for lL Lo arrlve, [usL ln case lL had Lhe
plcLure ln lL of Lhe llule one LhaL Lhe Lord was golng Lo glve Lo us as
our own.
Words fall me when l Lry Lo descrlbe whaL Lhe [ourney of
adopuon was llke for us. We fell ln love wlLh every chlld who
seemed llke a posslblllLy, Lhen our hearLs broke when lL dldn'L work
ouL. lL was a rollercoasLer rlde of emouon. Aer almosL ve years
of hard work and perslsLence, we began Lo quesuon lf we had really
heard Lhe Lord speak ln Lhe rsL place. Pad we made a mlsLake?
Pad we mlsheard? Why was lL Laklng so long? Where was our son
or daughLer?
8y now !ames was slx years old and asklng why he dldn'L have
any broLhers or slsLers. We had a llule bedroom ln our house LhaL
had been slmng empLy for whaL felL llke an eLernlLy. We were [usL
abouL Lo glve up on Lhe whole Lhlng and Lo Lry Lo geL pregnanL
agaln, when Lhe Lord spoke.
We were aL a leadershlp Leam meeung aL our church where a
guesL speaker had been lnvlLed for Lhe day. We had never meL Lhls
woman before and dldn'L really know anyLhlng abouL her, buL Lhe
rsL words ouL of her mouLh were '?ou Lwo,' polnung aL Slmon
and me, 'SLand up.' We sLood up and she lmmedlaLely began Lo
prophesy over us boLh.
1he rsL Lhlng she sald was, 'Cod says he ls glvlng you Lhe ablllLy
Lo parenL a chlld LhaL ls noL from your own womb. 1he world says
Lhere ls no hope for her, and she wlll never make lL, buL Lhe laLher
says Lhe opposlLe.' She Lhen began Lo llsL all Lhe Lhlngs Lhe laLher
JIL_v3.indd 29 7/17/14 11:36 AM
Journey Into Love
30
was saylng over Lhls llule glrl!
A few days laLer we were aL a Sunday mornlng meeung and
anoLher lady, agaln whom we dldn'L know aL LhaL ume, came up Lo
us and sald 'l had a vlslon of a llule glrl wlLh a sulLcase ln her hand,
and Lhe laLher says Lo Lell you, She ls on her way".' WlLhln a few
days soclal servlces rang us Lo Lell us all abouL a llule Lwo-year-old
Lhey had ln Lhelr care called ChanLelle. Slx monLhs laLer she was aL
home wlLh us.
When Lhe Lord rsL spoke Lo us abouL ChanLelle and Lhe ldea
of adopuon, he sald LhaL her llfe would be llke a propheuc slgn
Lo a whole generauon of whaL he was golng Lo do. Pe would Lake
Lhem ouL of a place of hopelessness and despalr, of lonellness and
re[ecuon and place Lhem lnLo famlly - hls famlly - lnLo love, lnLo llfe
and lnLo hope.
1hls has mosL cerLalnly been ChanLelle's Lesumony. now as she
llves and grows up ln Afrlca and helps us ln Lhe slums, we geL Lhe [oy
of seelng her llule llfe lmpacung many oLhers, as she slLs ln Lhe dlrL
wlLh us and loves Lhe chlldren who have noLhlng and slmply shows
Lhem !esus.
App||canon Number 3
1he Lhlrd appllcauon was Lo glve our llves Lo Lhe rescue and
resLorauon of chlldren and famllles llvlng ln Lhe pooresL conunenL
on earLh, Afrlca! We had no ldea whaL Lhls meanL, or whaL Lhe umlng
was. Should we move Lhere? Should we [usL supporL someone else
who was Lhere already?
We had no ldea, buL knew Lhe Lord would make lL clear ln hls
perfecL ume.
1he lmpacL of Lhese llfe changes would be huge and far-reachlng.
We knew LhaL as we sald yes Lo !esus ln each area, we would once
agaln be laylng down our own agenda for llfe and plcklng up hls.
We knew LhaL wlLh each declslon, wlLh each 'yes,' Lhere would be
JIL_v3.indd 30 7/17/14 11:36 AM
31
From Declaration To Application
a greaL cosL, buL LhaL Lhere would also be greaL [oy. WhaL could
we posslbly lose lf we were glvlng lL all up for Lhe one who ls
everyLhlng?
JIL_v3.indd 31 7/17/14 11:36 AM
A 8eaunfu| Sacr|hce - nannah
l have been back ln Lhe uk for almosL a monLh now.
l've been asked many quesuons abouL my ume
ln Afrlca and why l moved Lhere.
And l'm now sLarung Lo beuer undersLand
why l'm dolng whaL l'm dolng.
1he lasL seven monLhs of my llfe have been Lhe besL l've ever had.
lL ls mlnd-blowlng how lncredlble my laLher ls
and how much he wanLs Lo bless me.
When l moved Lo uganda, l never expecLed
Lo fall ln love so qulckly.
?eL maybe lL was lnevlLable LhaL my hearL
would be wrecked for Lhe broken and unlovable.
Aer all, Lhey are my uaddy's favourlLes!
lf l'm allgnlng my hearLbeaL wlLh hls,
why shouldn'L l fall head over heels ln love?
And yeL l fully reallse LhaL l would never be
dolng Lhls lf lL wasn'L for !esus.
1he llfe l llve has a cosL, even lf l've lmplled
oLherwlse, and Lhls new love hurLs.
lL's noL [usL because of Lhe darkness of Lhe
slums and Lhe harshness of poverLy.
lL's also because of whaL l'm leavlng behlnd.
?es, l'm preuy lucky Lo have Lwo homes.
8uL ln Lhe days before a lghL halfway across
Lhe world, lL all seems preuy unfalr.
When you Lell Cod you wanL Lo glve up your hearL and lay down
your llfe he Lakes lL. 8uL lL's so easy Lo say
Lhe words and have noLhlng Lo show for Lhem.
l'm learnlng LhaL !esus ls Lhe only one
l would glve up my famlly for.
8lghL now l'm reallslng whaL lL ls Lo puL
!esus' hearL above my own.
l mlss frlends and famlly llke crazy
JIL_v3.indd 32 7/17/14 11:36 AM
and my hearL ls brulsed by goodbyes.
When !esus Lold us Lo come and follow hlm,
he dldn'L say lL would be easy.
Pe seL Lhe example by carrylng hls own cross.
So l am cllmblng Lhe mounLaln and en[oylng
Lhe vlew yeL walklng a narrow paLh.
Llvlng ln uganda ls a beauuful sacrlce.
lL has broughL me Lo llfe buL also opened
my eyes Lo Lhe cosL of Lruly followlng !esus.
All l can say ls LhaL l'm Lhankful.
l'm Lhankful !esus ls wllllng Lo cllmb wlLh
me and help me gllmpse hls [ourney.
l'm Lhankful LhaL he loves my hearL ln all Lhe mess lL's ln.
And LhaL's why Lhe cosL ls all worLh lL.
8ecause l'm noL alone.
JIL_v3.indd 33 7/17/14 11:36 AM
173
lor 8 years nlcola and her
husband Slmon were parL of
Lhe Senlor Leadershlp 1eam
aL 8aLh ClLy Church where
Lhey were responslble for Lhe
chlldren and youLh mlnlsLrles.
1helr deep, exLravaganL love
for ChrlsL grew durlng Lhls ume
and pushed Lhem Lo pursue
Cod wholehearLedly.
ln 2009 Lhey and Lhelr Lwo chlldren followed Cod all Lhe way Lo
uganda - Lhe pearl of Afrlca. lL was here LhaL Lhey rsL saw poverLy
from Lhe oLher slde of Lhe 1v camera and Lhelr hearLs broke for Lhe
chlldren of Lhe nauons llvlng ln such awful condluons.
1hey are passlonaLe abouL brlnglng Lhls emerglng generauon
lnLo a llfe-changlng encounLer wlLh Lhelr heavenly laLher. 1hey long
Lo see Lhe people of uganda ralsed up, Lralned and released lnLo
Lhe amazlng desuny Cod has for Lhem.
?ou can nd ouL more abouL Lhelr mlnlsLry by vlslung:
www.revelauonllfe.org.uk
*@(8' '2" *8'2(4
JIL_v3.indd 175 7/17/14 11:36 AM
JIL_v3.indd 176 7/17/14 11:36 AM