Following God's Call

The early-bird weekday Bible study group at my church is currently making its way through the book of Exodus.  This morning, we read and talked about the early days of the Israelite’s 40-year journey through the wilderness after God led them out of Egypt.  I’m always amazed how easy it is for us to criticize the people of Israel, wondering how they, who were direct witnesses to God’s power and love, could so quickly and repeatedly worry and complain.  What we eventually had to admit, though, is how often our own lives reflect the same lack of trust in God’s caring presence.

Fortunately, there are people whose life stories encourage us to hear God’s call and pursue it, placing our trust in Him along the way.  I had the privilege of reconnecting recently with a man who has such a story.  Rev. Maxwell Anokwute is the Executive Director of Rebuilding the Breach Ministries in Gary, Indiana.  I first met Maxwell several years ago when Wheat Ridge Ministries was considering a seed grant for a shelter for homeless men being developed by Rebuilding the Breach.

At the time, their plan required remodeling a building they had purchased.  Remodeling is an understatement … it needed A LOT of work.  I recall having significant doubts about whether this new ministry would be a good seed investment for Wheat Ridge.  But good people like Rev. Jim Wetzstein, who, at that time, served as pastor of a nearby church and is now Associate Dean of the Chapel at Valparaiso University, convinced us to take the risk.

Today, the building houses 25 men who are trusting in God’s love and guidance as the foundation for getting back on their feet.  Shelter residents share management duties as they seek employment and permanent housing.  They are deeply engaged in the study of God’s Word along the way.  They also assist with one of Rebuilding the Breach’s outreach programs, the Bakery House, which provides food and clothing to people in the neighborhood.  Of course, the residents have unique and difficult stories to tell.  On this visit I met Hal, a 61-year-old graduate of Purdue University who spent a significant amount of his adult life in prison.  Currently still on parole, he recently found a full-time job in the community where he is applying his education and managerial skills to very positive effect.

Maxwell’s story is quite amazing.  He was a Pentecostal preacher in Nigeria.  One day, he heard the voice of God instructing him to go to the United States to share the Gospel.  He had never been to the U.S. nor did he know where he would go when he got here.  He, very simply, trusted that God was calling him to go and he dedicated himself to finding a way to get to the U.S.  Doors opened for him in some very unusual circumstances (sort of his version of crossing the Red Sea) and, long story short, he eventually made it to the U.S.

According to Maxwell, the miracles continued once he arrived.  A U.S. citizen from Indiana that he had met in Nigeria invited him to stay with him for several weeks until he got oriented to his new surroundings.  Again, long story short, he met the pastor of a Lutheran church near Gary who, not long after, asked him to serve as the director of a new ministry the congregation was supporting called Rebuilding the Breach.  A few years later, Maxwell went through the colloquy process of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and today is an ordained LCMS pastor.  Eventually, his wife and children were able to join him in the U.S.  His children are graduates of Luther High School East in Lansing, Illinois.  Two of them are now physicians and one is in medical school.

Maxwell leads Rebuilding the Breach Ministries with the same trust in the Lord’s guidance that led him to the U.S.  He approaches their budget and strategic plan with the simple confidence that the Lord will provide.  And, for the past 10 years, God has provided.  Maxwell says that people literally “just show up” at times when they have need.  This is how the facility got repaired, how many of the men are able to find employment, and how other volunteers get involved.  Recently, just after the board had concluded that their dream of opening a second shelter for homeless women was out of reach, someone donated a nearby building!   Of course, Maxwell doesn’t just sit around waiting for these events to happen.  He works very hard to tell the story of the Bakery House and to build relationships with people in the community while God’s Spirit works in their hearts.

As we travel through the coming Advent season, we will read and hear again the stories of Mary and Joseph who, long after Moses led the children of Israel through the wilderness and long before Maxwell made his journey of faith to the United States, listened to God’s call for their lives and obeyed Him.  What a blessing that God is with each of us as we hear His call to the manger and to the journey of faith and hope that lies ahead!   

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding.

(Proverbs 3:5)