And So It Goes: Oh My Goodness

The other day I was riding the free shuttle up the scenic Going-to-the Sun Road. This is the winding road that cuts through the Rocky Mountains of Glacier National Park. The fifteen passenger shuttle was filled with people young and old, all with there eyes glued to the windows ready to take in the grandeur of the park. As we climbed our way up into the mountains, we rounded a narrow curve that opened the bus to a 180 degree view of towering rocky peaks and a sunken green timber-covered valley. A sense of awe and wonder swept over the entire group of passengers. The woman in the seat in front of me whispered to herself, “Oh my goodness.” My friend sitting beside me in disbelief gently whispered under her breath “It doesn’t look real.” The beauty of the landscape out the window of our van was truly indescribable.

I find myself still thinking about that shuttle ride and the two comments whispered a few days ago. Why is the beauty of the landscape so breathtaking? The views literally silenced an entire bus of busy-body tourists and caused everyone to quietly stare. Only a whisper of external processing was deemed appropriate by a few passengers. Perhaps it is because the onlookers where getting just a small glimpse of God. It says in Romans 1:20 that, “since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” Maybe the scenery doesn’t look real because we live our lives so distracted by finite things. Perhaps we find ourselves is disbelief at the beauty because we have not spent time looking into God’s eternal power and divine nature. Just this small glimpse at the complex character of God and his majesty in Glacier National Park is an overwhelming experience for any visitor.

Red Beans and Rice

My good friend and soon-to-be world travel buddy, Shelley Martin, posted on her Facebook a few weeks ago that red beans and rice were calling her name- that is when it hit me. In five weeks I will be leaving to live, work, and play in Kenya for nine months! Many of you know that this adventure is something that I have been preparing for through prayer, God’s word, and discussion since last fall; and I cannot believe it is right around the corner. Many of you have probably talked at length with me about my plans for Kenya and I want to thank everyone who has already encouraged me, challenged me with hard questions, and has prayed with me and/or for me as I have spent the past year discerning my next step in this great adventure. Below are a few details about what I’ll be doing…

The Skinny

It begins with God. He is sovereign, just, and good…among many many other things. He has brought together five recent college graduates that are all passionate about Jesus and want to serve Him and others within His kingdom in Nakuru, Kenya. Amy, Laura, Lauren, Shelley, and I are the five; and it is incredible to see how the Lord has brought us together with different passions and abilities. We will soon be relocating to Nakuru, Kenya where we will work with ROCK Bridge Ministries (Reaching Out to Communities in Kenya for Christ) to communally pursue the calling of international ministry and community development.

While living in Nakuru at ROCK Bridge’s Tumaini Center, we will immerse ourselves in the work of the ministry which holistically ministers to vulnerable populations such as orphaned and special needs children, street women, and families living in the local garbage dump community. Our team will work with the ministries already in place to enhance the existing programs and explore ways in which Christians can responsibly serve in Nakuru in the future. A large component of this pilot program will be working with the Kenyan staff to design 3 to 12 month positions for prospective mid-range volunteers like ourselves, who are interested in health education, economic development initiatives, children and family ministries, and sustainable agriculture. I feel incredibly blessed to be given this opportunity with ROCK Bridge Ministries and I cannot wait to see all that God does in and through our team as we walk into the works that He has prepared for us.

Here is where you avid blog readers come in. Whether you like it or not, this blog has just turned into an interactive communication medium. But before you close the browser window, please read a few more sentences!

Our team needs prayer. I do not think anything can be done for God’s kingdom without his divine power and graciousness at the center of it all. So that is where you all come in. I’ll let you know what needs prayin’ for; then y’all git to prayin.’ Yup, it is as simple as that! Just drop your head and throw up a prayer right then and there when you read it. Your prayers don’t need to be fancy or have any super-religious jargon in them, just throw one up and trust in God’s willingness to answer prayers if we make them known to Him. Check it out:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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

-Philippians 4:4-7

If you really feel the urge, our team would love it if anyone wrote down the prayer requests and prayed daily, weekly, monthly, bimonthly, or tri-millennially. Additionally, if you are feeling really participatory, you could drop a quick comment on the bottom of these blog posts, send an email (pauljosephmoore@gmail.com), or facebook message. Also, you could check out our website for updates, prayer requests, and leave comments there!

While our team first needs prayer warriors, there is a second opportunity for those who are interested in getting more involved. As the “guinea pigs” on this mission endeavor, we are beyond blessed to have a generous commitment from the Beech Foundation matching the first $10,000 our team raises. The hope is that between the matching grant, respective summer jobs, and each of our churches and families, the group will procure the $34,000 we estimate will be necessary to sustain the nine month pilot project for five people. If you feel led to join in this work by financially supporting us, a tax-deductible check may be written to: The Beech Foundation, 2461 O’Neal Road, Conyers, GA 3009 with R.O.C.K. Nakuru in the memo line.

If anyone would like more details about this next step in my adventure, or has some good advice for this bright eyed young lad, please do not hesitate to drop me an email or Facebook message with your contact info. I enjoy conversing with others about this trip and would love to hear from any and all of you! I have already received an overwhelming amount of encouragement from readers and I cannot express how grateful I am for that! In the mean time, here are a few more pics from the MT.