In the Global community, a "Luke 10" is a concept that is spoken of with much excitement, because everyone who has participated in such a challenge, has seen how God provides and how there is a multiplication of miracles when you have only Him to trust in.
"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ "
Luke 10: 1-11
I knew that we were going to do a "Luke 10" somewhere in our training, and I was really excited for this adventure. However, when they informed us at the end of our time in Swaziland that we would be doing our first "Luke 10" from Swaziland, back to Jeffreysbay (a journey that is 1550 km if you take the shortest route) the thought that crossed my mind was one that so many people that we met along the journey expressed: "This is crazy".
Luckily God is not intimidated by crazy. This was, after all, His idea.
Going out with nothing but the clothes on our backs and the promises that God gave us that He would be our protector and provider, we soon experienced a bit of what Paul must have experienced when he wrote: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
Philippians 4:12-13 NIV
There were times when we were hungry and a time that we received three meals in one evening and that we had to give some away. We were amazed by Sifundo in Swaziland, who were willing to drive 80km to give us proper accommodation. We learned to be content with sleeping in a bathroom in Johannesburg. Our prayers were answered for a shower in a student home in Bloemfontein and we had a homey house with a warm meal and warm hearted people in Jeffreysbay to end our journey off with.
We saw God's provision and His purpose everywhere along the way. We spent hours in the sun, hitchhiking and praying for lifts. Even though we were praying for long lifts, having the end destination in mind, God gave us multiple opportunities to share about His love and provision in every short lift. I learned that, when I receive what I pray for instantly, I stop trusting and then stop growing.
On the last day we still had 720km to go, and taking into account how long it took to get lifts the previous day, it seemed almost impossible to achieve. We were praying earnestly for a God to provide so that we could complete the journey. After about 20 minutes of waiting, we were picked up by a bakkie that took us all the way from Bloemfontein to Port Elizabeth, just 80km from our end destination. In the back of the bakkie we had time to reflect and relax. We could only celebrate God's provision.
This journey was just proof for me again that, even when I can't see it, God has already planned the road in front of me and He puts the solid ground under my feet as I step out in f
aith, step by step
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