Pregnancy

9/04/2012 02:04:00 PM sendtheroths 3 Comments

Pastor Ottis Barnett of Omega Youth Ministries, Inverness, Fla., was Amethyst’s youth pastor. He is one of the main people who spoke into existence what she is doing: going to the nations, pioneering reaching the seemingly unreachable.

Two weeks before we went to Congo, he talked to us about our trip objectives for this year. We explained everything in detail. One of our kinsmen, Melanie Pullen (now Brodsky) sat in for the meeting (a total God thing).

It wasn’t long, before P. Ottis began to prophesy. The over-arching message was that the time in Congo is likened to going through a pregnancy.

“How long will you be in the Congo?” he asked.

The answer: nine months. The exact time of a real-life pregnancy.

The Third Trimester  
It wasn’t until recently that we’ve realized this at such a serious level. We left the USA on February 22, exactly. Six months later, on August 22—hell broke lose. It was the day that we got into the car accident. Followed by my passport confiscation and our visa fiasco.

Since August 22, every aspect of the ministry has gotten noticeably tougher on us emotionally, relationally and physically. Everything from solidifying Congolese-led leadership in the organization (GOF-C), getting the last of the government documents signed and stamped; even gathering the information on the demobilized children.

It’s funny, because in some churches, this kind of struggle would be reason to say, “Maybe God is not in this. If He was then He would be working things for our good and things would go smoothly.”

In this case, it has only motivated us more. Satan will not win this battle.

Prophetic Confirmation
We departed on 2/22/12 which coincidentally is a form of prophetic confirmation over P. Ottis’s life: Isaiah 22:22, which refers to the key of David. The number, 222 is often significant of confirmation. With that said, it’s not by accident that all this occurred on the date 2/22.

I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

Postpartum
Postpartum is described as a depression that occurs in women after they have carried a child. Symptoms include sadness, fatigue, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, reduced libido, crying episodes, anxiety, and irritability. It generally occurs in the third trimester.

We are there now.

It has been so lonely.


We see other Christian organizations coming to Congo—ones that we trust, respect and have reached out to for partnership multiple times. Many of them haven’t expressed any real interest in working together.

Andrew and I have never intended to work alone in the Congo. We’ve wanted to pave the way for Christians with calls and giftings to do what they do best with ease. We want to take the blows and do the work so that nurses, social workers and professionals can change this nation with their skills and love.

We are now seeing that it isn't so easy. And while other churches and organizations have God-sized goals—we don’t really fit into them. Obviously, this is all God’s working. But it doesn’t change the postpartum feeling of loneliness and rejection.

So, here we are in the third trimester. And once again... it's a bit tough. I have no complaints. I have no reservations. The promise doesn't eliminate the process.

Thank you to everyone who has been so encouraging throughout our journey. One day, we'll see you in Congo serving (even if it's short-term) with us. And you will know, truly, it was the family of God (in US and in Congo) that built this thing.