Amazing Love...

Hey there! Week two is in motion and I continue to see the Lord at work but also seeing the enemy busy as well. There have been some ups and downs but overall and most importantly, God is being glorified through it all. I don’t even know where to start to tell you all that is going on around Alabanza and out in the community. I will start by telling you that I got to experience my first African wedding and let me tell you it was intense….in good ways. It was during Sunday church service which was interesting and then after singing and dancing before the Lord we waited for the bride and groom to arrive. When they arrived, the bridesmaids literally danced up the aisles and then came the ring bearer and flower girl behind them. The whole church went crazy when the groom walked in and when the bride and her family came in, everyone in the place started dancing and shouting. It was the best thing I have seen in a long time and it was so much fun. Steve and I got tickled because the bride’s uncle who escorted her in went out during the wedding to take a call and after the vows were exchanged, the pastor called for the tithes and offering to be taken up for the church. I thought it was hilarious. It was sweet and so good to be a part of such a great occasion though. I decided that when I get married I want everyone to dance up the aisle as well. It makes me laugh just thinking about it. Seriously, it was beautiful to see a body of believers dancing before the Lord and thanking Him for the marriage. We will all be attending another wedding in June and I can’t wait to see what that one will be like. Steve and I also attended Matheong Primary School this week. We will be taking teams in to do assemblies for the children, teach in the classrooms and it will be the location for one of our kid camps. It is great to serve in a place where they have a God-fearing principal who allows us to preach the word. The children love when we are there and the spirit of the Lord is very present. I look forward to our first assembly with the children and seeing what God has in store. I also got to do something I have waited to do since I have been back. I went to the squatter camp I ministered in while I was here in 2006. Mamma Janetti is the lady that I spent so much time with and our team helped her start a preschool. There are over 30 children that attend daily. The Lord is at work and using Mamma Janetti and those children to reach a lost community in Eskom squatter camp. When I saw Mamma Janetti at church she was excited to see that the Lord had brought me back after being away for so long. I told her I would be coming by to see the children and help her while I was here. As I was driving up the dirt road that leads you into the squatter camp, the Lord overwhelmed me with that same feeling I had the first time I went. I can’t get over how blessed I am in the states with all that we have and so little that these precious people have. I drove on the dusty, hole filled road and made my way through the rows and roads of shacks to Mamma Jannetti’s. It was so different. The Lord blessed her with a new room added on for the children. They now have a place to get out of the weather and shelves to put their tiny backpacks, crayons, paper, books, etc. I was so thrilled to see how the place had changed for the good. We praised the Lord for all he had provided. She also had a place to cook for them as well. They went from eating sandwiches to eating rice, beans, veggies, etc. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Amen. When I walked in I was greeted by thirty 3-5 year old children. Ha. Can you imagine the joy I felt? There were some familiar faces and many new ones. They welcomed me in and we connected immediately. We sang, laughed and I took tons of pictures. They love that camera! I listened to them recite Psalm 23 and other things they had been learning. It blessed my heart to sing some African worship songs with them. We came together and it wasn’t about black and white…it was about offering up the praises to Jesus. One of the children pointed to my eyes and said “green and white” and then pointed to her eyes and said “brown and white”. I thought about this and saw that she realized the differences but it didn’t matter. She and I were together. Loved the same. Loved by the same God, the same Heavenly Father. What a beautiful day it was indeed!
A few things to be in prayer about… The enemy has come to kill, steal and destroy but our Lord has come to give life in abundance. I hold onto to this passage because the enemy has nothing for us but to cause harm and stir things up. He has no idea whose children he is messing with. We are covered by a mighty God who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Since I stepped off the plane I could feel the heaviness of the enemy. I believe this territory will be taken back by God. We all know that the power of our risen Savior brings peace. So when the enemy brings junk to the table, we know how to fight. It started with the deception of one of our youth girls on into the fire that came in the fields to a team coming in to rest for a night before making a long journey to Zimbabwe. Thieves got onto our property and broke into their vehicles and stole clothes, laptops, cameras, etc. A sense of fear came over this place but we know we must stand strong in the Lord because He is fighting for us. Please be in prayer about this and our first team that will arrive around May 15. We are excited and ready to dive into ministry with all of our teams coming from the states. It is so awesome to experience them showing up to Africa expecting to bless the people and the people end up blessing them so much more.
I wanted to say thank you for everything. Know you are being prayed for as well. The Lord is present and moving. Stand firm in your faith!
“Look at the nations and watch---and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
Habakkuk 1:5