April 24th….
Today will be a wonderfully full day…..we will go to church in Nasedegu this morning and then visit a church that has met under a tree for the last 2 years in the afternoon. Also known as a house church. Two years…….that is a long time under a tree. The Pastor is one of the graduates from the Tom Gentry Bible School here at Hope for the Future. We pray for discernment today, to seek Gods will, to be obedient to His will……
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Philippians 4: 6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
James 1:5. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
All tucked in at the mission house…….what a great day! We started off at Nasedegu for our 1st church service of the day….Samuel would explain what the meaning was behind each song that was sung. Beautiful voices praising the Lord and speaking truths. I don’t think I will ever get tired of hearing their voices. Karey and Samuel got up and sang a song together as well. Ed preached from 1Thessalonians with Stanley as his interpreter. Watching the two of them….2 men who seek the Lord and have been obedient to the call to make him known…..my heart became overwhelmed at times at the goodness of God! Ovi preached afterwards as well from the woman at the well…..how she went and told people about Jesus…..she didn’t stay quiet. Both encouraging and convicting- both a gift. Ed gave an altar call for repentance, sickness and salvation. We had the opportunity to pray over the men and women for their individual needs. We then had our offering time- Ed and I have had a few conversations about offerings over the last few weeks. Sometimes, I think it is missed- what a beautiful opportunity to worship the Lord with our offerings- both individually and corporately. While apart of the offering today, as different people came up to place what little they had in the plate, a smaller older woman came up. Walking was a bit more challenging for her and she was bent over a bit. I watched her walk up to worship our Lord her offering. I am sure, I am positive it was sacrificial. They have nothing here, and yet she wanted to put out ever she could as a sweet aroma to the Lord. I got crocodile tears watching her……conviction while watching too. Checking my heart for sacrificial giving……do I give as I should? Yes, I tithe…..but is it sacrificial? When we give, is my heart in a place of worship? Let’s be real, it’s His resources, His money not mine. I desperately want to be obedient. Pastor Jonah had us come up for the church to pray for us. Just being real, Ed and I had tears……we love these people in a way I just can’t explain……maybe……BUT GOD. As I watched Pastor Jonah stand in front of us and pray as the rest of the congregation prayed as well…..it was just overwhelming. The prayers of believers, many voices as one voice…..Gods grace poured out on us……Lord, my words seem so simple……thank you.
After service, we had the opportunity to take some pictures. Pastor Jonah came up and said to “send Gabby blessings” from them.
We had a yummy lunch at “Steers” with great conversations in Zomba and got to chill for a little bit at the mission house.
Stanley, Ovi, Ed, Karey and myself then headed out to a new village, Salima. We were excited to have church service with them for the first time……under a mango tree. There were about 8 men there and the rest women and children……their singing beautiful. I loved seeing all the children singing with the adults…….these new little eyes and cheeks. Ed preached from 1John this afternoon with Stanley as his interpreter. He gave an altar call afterwards for repentance, sickness and salvation. We again were able to pray over each one’s individual needs. Ovi gave all of us words of wisdom to remind them….while we were praying, they could pray too. Our prayers were not more powerful, we did not have more of an access to God……important for them for us to remember that.
Tonight was a delicious dinner and an adventure with jackfruit! Ovi took video and pictures…..he says he is making a video. Stay tuned……I will say it was delicious! Good conversations afterwards on ministry work, funny stories and house renovations……always refreshing and encouraging!
Good night from Africa……