Incredible Days

Here's a little timeline detailing the events leading to a massive deployment of relief workers heading to Pakistan (from my limited perspective:

Thursday, 11/3--I first began to sense that God might be leading me to go serve earthquake victims in Pakistan through erecting shelters. I talked with my boss, and he said that he was also considering going. That afternoon, I sent an email to some people in my church and on my prayer list. Quickly, I began receiving responses from other men who were considering going.

Monday, 11/7--By now, there are 4 men from my church and one other friend who are seriously taking two weeks to go help. It's becoming clear that other men from around the country are beginning to consider this work, too.

Tuesday, 11/8--I sent out an email asking a lot more people to pray about whether I should go. This evening, Zach, John, and I gather for prayer in a small apartment, asking God to confirm or deny our involvement. We agree together that we will fast on Friday, 11/11. We ask God to send an elder from our church along with us.

Wednesday, 11/9--We receive an urgent phone call from the field that heightens our office's awareness of the need and motivates swift response (excerpt below):
"This is an incredible opportunity and a desperate need. WE NEED MEN HERE, NOW, to get into the valleys where all the houses have been destroyed, and where until now no relief people have showed up. We could save thousands of children’s lives. I can’t sleep. It’s 1:30 in the morning. I’m calling all the pastors I know. January is too late. It can’t even wait until Thanksgiving. The winter snowstorms are coming, and we must get there first. This shelter is amazing, far superior to tents. The shelter will last through the winter. And the materials can be re-used to help build permanent homes in the spring."

This email is then circulated around the country, and we begin to receive a host of inquiries by phone and email from different groups desiring to take part.

Thursday, 11/10--Katherine's birthday! Things are starting to get a lot more hectic around here as the phone keep ringing and applications start flying in. Today, one of our church elders sent an email expressing his interest. I talked with my pastor, and he's excited about it--he's been counseling people to take part, glory to God! He wants to help partner with us in prayer and financially, it looks like, too. I'm still unsure about going myself, but two guys from my church seem pretty sure about it. At Katherine's birthday celebration, I get to talk with John, who is nearly committed by now--he has experience in this part of the world already, and he will be extremely valuable.

Friday, 11/11--Our day of fasting. Today, it seems like I never stop working. But I did get a quiet spot to ask the Lord what He would have me do--below are some of the results I came away with:
1) There really is a tremendous need--if I go, there will be plenty of work for me and my teammates to do. The long-term workers who are there have been persistently asking for men to come help them--not just because the manpower is needed, but also because the people there need to be loved by followers of Jesus. This area and these people need prayer and compassion from people who know Jesus and want to make Him known. In the long-term workers' own words: "Our plea for workers is because we have a need to set up shelters. But we want to bring God's people who will pray over these lands, show God's care for the people, and build up [their] vision for this part of the world."
2) So far, there are four men from my church who are looking to me for answers to their questions about this new work they want to begin in early December (finishing just before Christmas), and I'm already feeling some real bonding taking place. I believe there's a definite place for me to serve alongside them.
3) I believe that I'll become much more effective in recruiting others> long-term for this area, if I take part in this effort now. The long-termers have been praying and seeking new laborers for quite a while, and this aid to the earthquake victims is expected to last long past winter--in hope and faith that indigenous churches will begin to spring up among Muslims who will follow Jesus. 4) My pastor and two of my bosses have been very in favor of me taking part in this work. Katherine is standing with me, too, and that means so much.
5) I can't think of anything more pressing for me to be doing than to join with other men in supplying shelter while offering physical and spiritual aid to people whom Jesus loves. I believe this work will bring glory to God, and I want to be where He's working. I'm going on record to say that I believe God has been calling me to go and serve at this time, and my only choice is to obey and move forward until He says differently, whatever the cost.

11/12 and 11/13--Over the weekend, I check my email and see many more people expressing their interest in going--it's almost like a feeding frenzy! Katherine's college friend just married a man who wants to go in a couple weeks. Sunday night, a group of us who are seeking to go gathers for prayer and looks at a map. There are now two more men who are interested. Just before meeting, we've heard a message from our pastor (planned several weeks ahead of time) about disciples being challenged by Jesus to give the crowds something toeat without anything in their hands--about how being a disciple means more than calculating what you have and giving some, but it's more about living beyond our means. On the way home, I pick up a voice mail message from another friend who's considering going.

11/14--There's so much work to be done, but what a great problem to have. We're busy trying to organize who does what, as we now have more than 110 inquiries and roughly 30 completed applications. We're planning to send people out in waves--11/28, 12/5, and 12/12. May God be glorified as we look to Him for strength and determine who is going, how we'll train them, how to support them well over there, and how to help them "decompress" and debrief once they return. Please pray.