In Malawi, our ministry host, Moses Singini, was a great guy with a good sense of humor. One thing I quickly noticed about him was the ways he talks about food. Every night, he would walk over to the church (where we were staying) from his home (which was on the same property), and have a great way to let us know food was ready. For your entertainment (as it was also mine), I present, a list of 11 ways Moses talked about food:
- "Are you ready for a stomach revival?"
- "The good sign is here. . . because when you see me, you see food"
- "Are you ready to cross over?"
- "Let's have a time of fellowship, and a time of swallowship."
- "We've had a spiritual awakening, now it's time for a stomach awakening"
- "Are your stomachs ready to recieve food?"
- "Beautiful are the feet of those who bring good tidings."
- "The sign of hope has come."
- (while singing and dancing) "Food's not ready, so you can dance"
- "Let us hurry, before I get in trouble with my wife."
- (after chatting for a few moments) . . . "Are you guys not hungry?"
The month in Malawi has been a great month. Most of the time, we were with the youth (which really means 20-somethings), doing door-to-door ministry. They call it "evangelism," but most of the time, it consisted of giving a simple encouraging message from The Bible and praying with people. Unlike America, almost everyone is either Christian or willing to hear what you have to say.
It's been cool to watch. At first, when we started this kind of ministry last month (June) in Zambia, I had a strong dislike of the ministry. It felt awkward, forced, and an awful lot like embracing something that's seen as a bit of a taboo in the States. But when the rubber hit the road, I had to believe that God wanted to do something through these outreaches. So each time we'd go out, I'd pray that God would do what He wanted that day — that He'd organize some devine appointments with people. And surely enough, I saw it happen.
Each day, there would still be the awkwardness, the forced conversations, but each day this month, I also felt like some conversations were meant to be. We would walk up to a person with a scowl and walk away from them with a smile. People would come up and stop us, asking questions about the Lord. People would rededicate their lives, convert from their Muslim faith, come visit us at the church, and otherwise receive the ministry of the Lord in a powerful way. I've come from a place of disliking the ministry, to a place of almost enjoying it. It's become a time to meet and love people in a way that feels satisfying, and I thank God for it.
