April 2026: Ready for War
- Thaddaeus Alexander
- Apr 29
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 30
As I reflect on this month for myself and may students I think of the movie Stand by Me. Even as I write I can’t help but sing all with;
“Have gun will travel, reads the card of a man
A knight without armor in a savage land
His fast for gun hire heeds the calling wind
A soldier of fortune is a man called Paladin”
(The Ballard of Paladin by Johnny Western)
I really feel that the myself, my co leader, and students are like the boys, they are going on a journey and in that journey that we do not fully understand, and that it is not so much about the destination but the journey. I feel the Lord is going to challenge and put us in difficult situations but we will be able to overcome. I tilted February’s news letter the crucible, and marches the hammer and the anvil and this month is called ready for war. I feel the Lord has prepared us for war, I feel more than confident that the we will be able to conquer anything in our path whether we think we can or not.
If you were to ask me how I felt in January how I felt about going to Burundi I would tell you it was probably my last choice If I had been given one. If you would have asked me in February I would have said that I’m not exactly happy about it. If you had asked me in march I would have said it doesn’t matter and that it is my job to go. An now as the bell tolls on April and out reach is just around the corner I would say that Lord has prepared me and given me the opportunity to do his will on Burundi, and how happy are we that serve the Lord all the days of our lives.
Even now I reflect on the song it is my life and my obedience “Have [the] Gospel will travel, reads the card of a man”.
It is the call of all believers to spread the Good news of Jesus, but will we choice obedience over comfort, will we choice preference over calling? If I have said this once I’ve said this a thousand times “You do not need to go to the other side of the planet to be a missionary, but you may have to cross the street.” And “Simple obedience isn’t always simple done but, you simple have to do it.”
God Blesses obedience! Many of the students felt the Lord tell them to come and do a DTS, even when finances were difficult, there was a point where there was over 55,000 USD still owed for the students, the Lord made a way for it all to be Paid in 24 hours and all the students are now able to go on out reach. There was still a large amount for the some of the staff still needed to go and the Lord provided.
As the month marches to an end, my troops are ready for battle we are going to the front lines of Burundi on a search and rescue mission; to seek and save the lost.
As a final send off before we go on out reach our school leaders, lead us into a time of prayer and worship and in that, they washed our feet, it was a very humbling experience. i feel like one of the disciple Jesus the that got sent out two by two.
The Lord continues to meet me even on the last day of this month, we were commissioned by the base during our morning prayer set and we were prayed for by the community. the Holy Spirit met me deeply with His presence. During the time I felt the Lord show me a vision for one of the student, it was vision of that student and Jesus walking on a road and Jesus tells him to look behind him and they you can see alters/stone of remembrance and I felt the Lord say “Look how far you’ve come my son.” And when I tell the humbling feeling of holding a 25 year old man in arms as he weeps. The Lord has renewed my tenderness.
I am feeling blessed and ready to go to Burundi, this will be my last news letter for a while I will write one about the entire out reach of Burundi and Durban and post it some time in July.
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