Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
While in Nairobi, we had dinner at the home of Lois and Mark Shaw. Mark is a professor on the campus, and Lois—well, Lois is a white-haired wonder woman! She is working on her Master of Divinity degree and heading up the development department at the university where she is in the middle of an $8 million capital campaign to raise funds for a new building and teaching center. In addition, Lois is also on the Board of Directors for Global Bag Project Kenya.
Pam Klein, my pastor’s wife and traveling companion, and I made our way in the dark across campus with the aid of a travel flashlight and stepped into the warmth of a company dinner. Also present were a young American couple from the Shaw’s home church in the States. John is finishing a degree at the school, and his wife, Charlotte, is using her expertise to help out Lois in the capital campaign.
Talk ranged far and satisfactorily wide, but we kept circling round to the Global Bag Project. John and Charlotte expressed interest in what we are doing. He has a concern to train churches do a better job collaborating with NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that are working in other countries. The Global Bag Project would be a prime example of an NGO that needs appropriate church backing.
The evening came to an end, as all good evenings seem to do. Pam and I went plowing through our schedule, knowing that even though our hours were full and gratifying (and exhausting), we would spend the last two days of our Kenyan journey on safari in the Masai Mara. What a treat!
How surprised we were to land at the safari hotel and have John and Charlotte walk over to our table the first night at dinner. “I thought I recognized those voices,” Charlotte said. We made plans to go out on safari together the next morning, then have lunch.
“I just want to pick your brains about putting together a business plan for the Global Bag Project U.S.” So we did go on safari together. We did have lunch. We did do a great job of defining what the strategic role of the Global Bag Project would be. And, John also began to express some of the things that were on his heart for his future work. Altogether our time together provided a most profitable encounter. Couldn’t have planned things better myself, if I had thought to plan them.
As we were saying our goodbyes, I called out to John, “You will be hearing from me. You are my walking business plan, and I need to run past you what I write up from our lunch discussion.”
“Be glad to hear from you,” he called back as the Land Rover took off for the dirt landing-strip where the bush airplane made its safari link, picking up and disembarking guests at a circuit of resorts.
We have been praying about creating a business plan, but everything has felt like it was in so much flux still that I have been putting it off. (And, it is not the kind of writing I feel comfortable doing). Who would have thought that I would find answers to the vision of this non-profit in Kenya, while on safari, with a young interested couple from Virginia?
God is worldwide, isn’t He? And, everywhere, I spy God!
————————————————————————————–
Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.
Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.
Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.
For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. They are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.
Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
