Dear Teacher Wendy

Emma Gilliland, Todd Gilliland

Description

A family of passionate dreamers listened to the voice of God, abandoned all they had, and partnered with God to do the impossible. Readers of Radical by David Platt and Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis will find this book refreshing and almost as life-altering as the Gilliland’s decision to move halfway around the world.
Emma and her father, Todd, recount the life-altering journey of their family laying down their will for God's. Their simple “Yes” to God turned into a full-fledged ministry to serve the least of these halfway around the globe in Kampala, Uganda. This is a story of the radical love God holds for his children as they are, not as they should be. Todd goes into detail about how he has wrestled with God over the years and how he finally felt it was time to fully surrender. He shares his ever-present battle with depression and anxiety and how he has fought and continues to fight to let his weaknesses reveal God's strength. Emma paints a picture of life in a developing world and shares insights from the eyes of a child and later into young adulthood. Her thoughts and experiences give a unique perspective into the life of a missionary kid. The Gilliland's journey represents how amazing faith and a faithful God make a pretty great team for transformation.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 25 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664296022
• Langue: English

Extrait

Dear Teacher Wendy
 
An American Dream wrecked by a little girl’s letter
 
 
 
 
Todd & Emma Gilliland
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2023 Todd & Emma Gilliland.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
Scripture quotations marked MSG or The Message are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
 
Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9603-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9604-6 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9602-2 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023905394
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 06/22/2023
 
Dedicated to the best Papa in the world … without your love, support, and encouragement our family could have never stayed the course. You inspired and taught our FNC family more than you will ever know. We long for that day when we will be face to face again, but until then, you will be remembered in the pages of this book and in the depths of our hearts.
 
Nana and Papa in Uganda on Lake Victoria.
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
1The Brown Leather Chair
2I Believe in You
3The Plunge
4Wheels up
5Snow Globe
6The Beginning
7The Fireplace
8Dear Teacher Wendy
9The Great Thing
10Pause and Play
11Sphere of Influence
12Miracle in the Mud
13The Waiting
Afterword
Last Word–An Update
Acknowledgments
Foreword
While serving as a missionary in the Congo for ten years, I would often feel discouraged by the volume of physical and spiritual problems pervading this country. I came to believe the only answer for these problems was a new generation of young people willing to endure countercultural suffering as authentic followers of Jesus. And now, as an Intercultural Studies professor at Lincoln Christian University, I am often surprised by what my students end up doing with their lives—and all the unique ways they continue to be part of this answer.
In the summer of 2013, I was able to visit Todd and Wendy’s ministry in Uganda firsthand. Honestly, my first thought after walking into the FNC Academy compound was: “God is up to something very special here!”
The reflections you are about to read are covered with God’s fingerprints. You will read story after story of a God who challenges, calls, surprises, redirects, comforts, heals, rescues, and sustains.
Frankly, Todd and Wendy inspire me. They would be the first to admit they are not perfect and have made lots of mistakes, but their willingness to adventure with Jesus motivates me to follow hard after him like they do. FNC Academy is pushing hard against the darkness by preparing the next generation of youth. This school gives education, guidance, food, and most of all love. The students who attend are growing into leaders who will make an eternal difference in Africa and beyond. The school is fulfilling its mission to bring hope to the hopeless every day.
Let me give fair warning, this book may wreck your life. It will motivate you to be bold and take more risks. You will be stimulated to listen more closely to Jesus and let him write your own adventure story. Enjoy reading, then put the book down and go be Jesus to those to whom he is calling you.
–Michael Nichols, PhD Lincoln Christian University
Introduction
Emma and I just left Kampala, Uganda—the beginning of the five-hour car ride which will take us to Sipi Falls. This place of great heights is in the eastern portion of Uganda next to the mountain with the largest circumference in the world—Mt. Elgon. If you’re an avid traveler and can appreciate the beauty of nature, Sipi Falls is a slice of Heaven on earth and a place you want to visit at least once in your lifetime. For me, this will be my eighth visit. This will be Emma’s first. Ironically, the rest of the family has experienced Sipi Falls.
A good friend once said to me that if I wanted to build relationship with my daughters, I should take them somewhere for at least two nights and do whatever they wanted to do. This advice has really been a gold nugget for me, especially with three teenage daughters. For Emma, it was learning to snow ski. For Annie, it was the mountain hikes, misty waterfalls, and endless coffee and matooke plantations that made up the spot of Sipi Falls we stayed in. For Lucy, the trip is vastly approaching.
But this trip that lies ahead isn’t just any trip. This trip with Emma will be four nights away from our home of our little spot in Kisaasi. For seven years now, our family has chosen to live life in a culture that is not our own. To some that might sound exotic or exhilarating. Maybe you’re thinking Swiss Family Robinson. But I think before we can begin to recall the story of the past seven years, it’s important that we give you a glimpse of the life we once used to lead.
* * * *
Growing up, my mom and dad always told me that I could never say no to a dare; that if someone told me I couldn’t do something it would only add fuel to my fire. So, I think it’s safe to say that risk-taking has been and continues to be part of my DNA.
At the ripe old age of fourteen, there’s an infamous story about how a friend and I “borrowed” the church station wagon and drove the distance between Wakefield, Nebraska and Vermont, Illinois. The details are endless, but to this day I’ve always ended up on the right side of the bars, oftentimes by the skin of my teeth. But I guess God had a plan for this mischievous spirit of mine.
Brennan Manning once told a story about the wisdom of an old Cajun man. He said, “Son, if you ain’t who you is, you is who you ain’t.” I’ve always appreciated that statement and have shared it often with others, especially those who have lost their way in life and are searching to find themselves. I can honestly tell you, without Jesus and my wife Wendy, the life that I live today would look immensely different. Even as I sit here driving while Emma is writing, the challenges which have made up my life have come from poor choices which can ultimately lead you into a pit.
Emma and I just drove past a safari vehicle which read on the spare tire the phrase, “life-changing journeys.” I’m not sure a safari can change your life, in fact I’m quite positive it doesn’t. But I guess there are worse ways to advertise a safari. That said, some of the greatest lessons that have stuck with me to this day I have learned not on the top floor of life or even the ground level, but the basement.
For the first twenty-six years of my life being vulnerable was as foreign to me as eating a rolex is to you. I’d love to be able to tell you the last sixteen years of my life have been vastly different and in some ways they totally have been. But if I was extremely honest, the battle for inner peace has never been stronger. As a man who’s prided himself on taking risks, depression and anxiety have often gotten the best of me. Blindly uprooting my family to a different world was one of the most naïve decisions I ever made. And to this day I still wonder if it was the right one.
As a family, we often refer to a man who at the beginning of his life made some great choices but toward the end he wrote an entire book on one word: meaningless. There’s a synonym for meaningless and that’s the word hopeless. If I had a dollar for every one of those moments in the last seven years and those dollars compounded themselves, by the world’s standards, I would be a very wealthy man.
Before you read any further you must know one thing. If you’re looking for a book whose purpose is to motivate or propel you to be all you can be, I’m sorry to disappoint, but you’ve come to the wrong place. Just go pick up the latest Joel Osteen. If you want to read a book on the inadequacy of man compared to the magnificence of God, you just might have found the gold nugget or at least a great slice of pie. Any story worth telling isn’t about what we can do, but what God can do through those who are willing.
Throughout the history of humankind God has chosen and continues to choose not the perfect but the willing, from Adam all the way to the Apostle Paul and beyond. There was only one person who ever walked this p