My last day of ministry. We traveled to a village called Nizilonga. Patrick had been telling us that this village ministry would be very different from anything we had experienced. I know now what that means. These people are very influenced by wiftcraft and spirits. One family we visited actually had 2 witch doctors there with their sick daughter. The funny thing was that we didn't really know they were witch doctors until we had been there for quite a while. I realized later that the enthusiasm and strength went right out of the group while we were there. I felt kind of hopeless at the time which we really strange. One of the men had very creepy eyes, but really they looked pretty normal. No costumes or dancing around. They had a large bundle of herbs with them. Brian said that we could pray for the girl, but that this family had given authority to the witch doctors and until they relinquished that authority, God's healing could not come through.
The other ministry group saw a demon manifest. Justin said he went to pray from a man and as soon as he touched him, the man stiffened up and his face and eyes changed and he would no longer talk to them. The spiritual world is more apparent here than anything I have ever seen.
Before all of this happened, God really worked on my heart. Pastor Malala came to pick me up to deliver the money we raised to the woman I spoke about yesterday, Silvia. We drove to Magrimondi and we ended up driving across town to pick her up from a house where she was doing laundry. On the way there, she was telling him that she can no longer squat in the brick building because the owner wants to charge rent which she can't afford. How awesome is our God? His timing and His plan are perfect. We got back to her house, the one she is building and I asked Pastor Malala to interpret my words to her. I tolder that we loved her and may God use this money for her roof and anything else she needs for her family. I didn't really know what to say at first, but God gave me words. I handed her the money, more money according to Pastor Malala, than she had probably seen in 10 years. She cried and I hugged her and after, when I was back at the orphanage, I told the team about it. Only after I told them did I really feel God pressing on my heart and I cried and cried. The team prayed over me. One of them, I'm not sure who, thanked God for breaking my heart. When Pastor Malala and I pulled away, Silvia waved and put her hand on her chest, still crying. In that moment, I felt as though I would give up everything I have to give her so much more. I keep seeing her face before me, her little baby strapped to her back, her face so sad as though there is no time to stop and smile. I hope someday I will see her smile. I hope someday I can see her again.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Entry 14- 7/9/08
Tonga: Ba-lesa Ba weme, Mama yo yo yo, Ba-lesa Ba weme, Mama yo yo yo
English: God, He's good, Awesomeness, God, He's good!
Today was another incredible day of ministry. We spent the entire day with children who will soon be members of the orphanage. I played with many children, but one in particular touched my heart. A little boy named Mike! He first appeared to me as sad and unsure. So I picked him up and hugged him. I spent time loving him. I spun him around and made him laugh, I tickled him, I held him close. He was just a beautiful child in so many ways. And he was so happy to be loved.
After an exhausting and joyous day here at the orphanage, Pastor Malala and his wife met me in town. I went with Simeon just to walk and get some snacks and just sort of think things out after such a wonderful experience. We met up with the pastor and he took me to Magrimondi again. I met a woman HIV positive with 3 children. Her husband has been deported and he is not able to come back. She currently has no home. She is squating in a partially built house which was very cramped and primative. Every day she goes out and gathers grass. She puts it in bundles and makes brooms which she sells for a small amount to make a living. On top of all this, she is building a house out of dry mud, shaped with a paint can and stacked up to build walls. She has no roof and can't afford it. The roof needs to be put on by a man and the total cost is about 390,000 Kwacha. I asked the team to help me raise the money which is about $100 and we raised $122 dollars. I've seen strong women before.. Like mom and Judy Conrow. But this woman was so special to me. She's lost her husband and is taking care of 3 children and her elderly mother. The baby she carries around in a sack on her back, and breast feeds when she needs to. Because of this, the baby is also HIV positive. I also learned that the government wants to develp this area. so they are selling land plots to people who can build nicer houses, like those we have been seeing made of bricks and consisting of more than one room. That means that people like this woman who can't afford that type of housing will eventually be forced to leave and their houses or huts will be destroyed. A life filled with such turmoil and yet she just keeps on going, looking towards brighter days.
God truly gives us strength. He will not forget this woman and neither will I.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Entry 13- 7/8/08
Yesterday was a truly amazing day. We spent the whole day ministering in a village called Magrimondi. There must have been over 100 children there. We split into small groups and went door to door to preach and invite people to come to a meeting. The first house we came to was a man and his family and they invited us into their home. It was one of the more spacious ones, but still the amount of poverty was indescribable. Mud huts with sparse furnishings and no windows. We talked with them, prayed, and went to the next house. The village was very spread and so we did a lot of walking. Before we knew it, there were swarms of children around us! They wanted us to hold them. At one point I was holding the hands of 5 or 6 children at once. They were pulling me laong the dirt paths, barefoot, covered in dust and sand and laughing and smiling, purely full of joy. At one house, we met an HIV positive woman suffering from pain. We prayed for her, Rachelle laid hands on her and she was healed. That happened a lot yesterday. It's amazing...these people I am traveling with have such a great faith. They believe with all their hearts that God will heal and does heal and then it happens! I even got a chance to pray for Kaley's ankle last night with Rachelle. I actually saw the swelling recede from her ankle.
At about 3pm in the village, we had the meeting and did three skits which were a big hit. Chelsea and Michaela preached and then Brian preached for a long time. He called people up who wanted prayer and I prayed with one woman. I prayed so hard that after, I just felt exhausted. There was one little girl that we had seen while doing village ministry. Her feet were severly deformed and she had great pain in her legs. She was an orphan in the care of her grandmother. She was so very sad and I think we were all heart broken over her. Simeon really ministered to me. We had met an orphan named Richard in the village. Again, he was filled with sadness. But Simeon and he somehow connected. They spent the entire day together and seeing the way Simeon cared for him and loved him was just incredible. By the end of the day, he looked happy and at peace. They stood together at the service, Simeon's arms draped around his shoulders and chest and Richard's holding onto Simeon's forearms.
After church and dinner, we had a fireside chat with Pastor Malala and his wifte and he spoke for a long time about Jesus and the Spirit and then he prophesyed to Charnay that she would prophesy to others and he also told me that I need to come and see where the orphans sleep. He said that my heart is there. Many more things happened that showed me how God is working, both here and in my life. I can't praise him enough nor can I begin to understand the extent to which he has affected my life. All I can say is that I am changed and I want to be so much more than I was. And I want to go home with this fire burning every second of every day!
At about 3pm in the village, we had the meeting and did three skits which were a big hit. Chelsea and Michaela preached and then Brian preached for a long time. He called people up who wanted prayer and I prayed with one woman. I prayed so hard that after, I just felt exhausted. There was one little girl that we had seen while doing village ministry. Her feet were severly deformed and she had great pain in her legs. She was an orphan in the care of her grandmother. She was so very sad and I think we were all heart broken over her. Simeon really ministered to me. We had met an orphan named Richard in the village. Again, he was filled with sadness. But Simeon and he somehow connected. They spent the entire day together and seeing the way Simeon cared for him and loved him was just incredible. By the end of the day, he looked happy and at peace. They stood together at the service, Simeon's arms draped around his shoulders and chest and Richard's holding onto Simeon's forearms.
After church and dinner, we had a fireside chat with Pastor Malala and his wifte and he spoke for a long time about Jesus and the Spirit and then he prophesyed to Charnay that she would prophesy to others and he also told me that I need to come and see where the orphans sleep. He said that my heart is there. Many more things happened that showed me how God is working, both here and in my life. I can't praise him enough nor can I begin to understand the extent to which he has affected my life. All I can say is that I am changed and I want to be so much more than I was. And I want to go home with this fire burning every second of every day!
Entry 12- 7/708
Today is going to be a wonderful day! Today we start ministry in some of the outlying villages. We will be going door to door and working with children. Some of them are the orphans who will soon be housed in the place we are staying now. Yesterday afternoon, Simeon, Courtney, DJ and Rebeka and I walked to town to do some exploring and to get some Cokes. It is a small town and just about every store was closed, but we did find one open. It was also great to see the different people and the signs. There are signs around that talk about HIV. There is a furniture and coffin shop. And the hospital, called Kalomo surgery, is like a small shop, much smaller than the house we are staying at. A six pack of Coke was about 18,000 Kwacha.
God is changing me in such a drastic way and yet He is doing it so gently. Michaela reminded me last night that He meets us where we are and I'm just praising Him for that because other people here are experiencing things so intensely (like yesterday at church) and God know that I could not really handle that. It's so hard to explain. The people here are so much more spiritual than we are in America. They know the Father and the Son, but they also know the Spirit more than I have ever known anything in my life. Everything here is a mixture of beauty, sorrow, joy, and spirit. And God is only allowing me to understand glimpses of His truth in all of this. But I feel eternally changed, like a new person in Christ, empowered, emboldened. I've also been reading the Word like starving person!
After we got back from the town, there were children playing with Chelsea and we joined them. They taught us many games and I got some great pictures and video. They are so much fun! They love to just be kids, be touched, and laugh and run. God is so good! I can't praise Him enough for what He is revealing to me!!!
God is changing me in such a drastic way and yet He is doing it so gently. Michaela reminded me last night that He meets us where we are and I'm just praising Him for that because other people here are experiencing things so intensely (like yesterday at church) and God know that I could not really handle that. It's so hard to explain. The people here are so much more spiritual than we are in America. They know the Father and the Son, but they also know the Spirit more than I have ever known anything in my life. Everything here is a mixture of beauty, sorrow, joy, and spirit. And God is only allowing me to understand glimpses of His truth in all of this. But I feel eternally changed, like a new person in Christ, empowered, emboldened. I've also been reading the Word like starving person!
After we got back from the town, there were children playing with Chelsea and we joined them. They taught us many games and I got some great pictures and video. They are so much fun! They love to just be kids, be touched, and laugh and run. God is so good! I can't praise Him enough for what He is revealing to me!!!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Entry 11- 7/6/08
In Kalomo, sleeping in unfinished orphanage:
What a great day!
Started very early with a semi warm shower...or rather a splash bath since the shower head didn't work. We got ready to go to church. Justin bought a guitar for the truck and I played a little on the way to church. The church was very different from anything I have ever experienced. Great worship music and dancing. To some, it may have been inappropriate, but that is just the way they dance here. A lot of emphasis on the hips and legs. Two things happened that really scared me. But first, let me say that I truly believe these people have a sincere heart for Jesus and worship. The pastor called several members of another mission group forward. They are all Africans. There was praying out loud. Then suddenly, they were just falling to the ground, many were crying and screaming and shaking. There were like 10 or 11 people on the floor and people were praying and yelling and all sorts of things. I was really really frightened by it all. The second thing that scared me was shortly after, the pastor asked to pray for a man. Everyone was praying out loud and I was praying softly as well and suddenly, I began to pray in another language. It was scary and yet beautiful too. I'm still confused as to what this means. I've spent some time talking with several people here about my doubts about speaking in tongues. Several leaders and pastors have told me that there is a difference between the speaking in tongues (which requires an interpreter) and praying in your prayer language. Whatever I did today, I felt comfortable. It was a gentle pulling of the Spirit on my heart, intense but not so intense that I was breaking down. It just sort of swept in, washed over me like a blanket of warmth and love. I felt bad though because I talked with Courtney, DJ, and Simeon and they are clearly struggling with the tongues deal. I am too, but now I have experienced something in which God has opened a part of me. I see the doubt and sadness in their eyes and I almost feel responsible or at least sad that I have left them behind in some form. Of all the people on this trip, Courtney, DJ, Simeon and Kaley are the ones I feel most connected to spiritually. They are the ones I can see myself connecting to after the trip is over.
What a great day!
Started very early with a semi warm shower...or rather a splash bath since the shower head didn't work. We got ready to go to church. Justin bought a guitar for the truck and I played a little on the way to church. The church was very different from anything I have ever experienced. Great worship music and dancing. To some, it may have been inappropriate, but that is just the way they dance here. A lot of emphasis on the hips and legs. Two things happened that really scared me. But first, let me say that I truly believe these people have a sincere heart for Jesus and worship. The pastor called several members of another mission group forward. They are all Africans. There was praying out loud. Then suddenly, they were just falling to the ground, many were crying and screaming and shaking. There were like 10 or 11 people on the floor and people were praying and yelling and all sorts of things. I was really really frightened by it all. The second thing that scared me was shortly after, the pastor asked to pray for a man. Everyone was praying out loud and I was praying softly as well and suddenly, I began to pray in another language. It was scary and yet beautiful too. I'm still confused as to what this means. I've spent some time talking with several people here about my doubts about speaking in tongues. Several leaders and pastors have told me that there is a difference between the speaking in tongues (which requires an interpreter) and praying in your prayer language. Whatever I did today, I felt comfortable. It was a gentle pulling of the Spirit on my heart, intense but not so intense that I was breaking down. It just sort of swept in, washed over me like a blanket of warmth and love. I felt bad though because I talked with Courtney, DJ, and Simeon and they are clearly struggling with the tongues deal. I am too, but now I have experienced something in which God has opened a part of me. I see the doubt and sadness in their eyes and I almost feel responsible or at least sad that I have left them behind in some form. Of all the people on this trip, Courtney, DJ, Simeon and Kaley are the ones I feel most connected to spiritually. They are the ones I can see myself connecting to after the trip is over.
Entry 10 7/5/08
Words can't explain the joy God has given me. This morning I found out that I wasn't going to be able to go to Kalomo. I was trying not to be disappointed because I wanted to be there and show the students where their money went. Then just now, Ryan came in the truck and we have had a change in plans. God is sending me to Kalomo! I burst into tears! Answered prayer I didn't even ask Him for! I wish I could jump for joy! He is amazing!!!!
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