El Shaddai is absolutely amazing!! I didn't want to get myself worked up when I heard rumors of how awesome it is here but as we arrived into Swaziland I was speechless; taken by the beauty and lushness of this beautiful country. The first thing the guy at immigration said to me was, "Welcome to the Kingdom," and now I know why. As we climbed up into the mountains, up steep hills where one of our chappas got stuck (a common occurance on the race), and past rivers and lakes I could see God folding his arms, lying back on a lawn chair, sipping a virgin pina colada, and saying, "yeah, I did that."
The view from our dorm is amazing and is on the best possible part of the property; overlooking Piggs Peak and the Komati River. This place is a stark contrast to Dondo where we showered with buckets and endured heat rashes, sunburns, near heat strokes, malaria, and ate nothing but beans and rice all month. (Not complaining it was an amazing month, but whoa what a difference it is here!).
So yeah, it is awesome and beautiful here. Also, the kids are amazing. I have quickly bonded with them. There are a few older girls, Lindo & Wendy, who love to sing. Everyday we do an hour of tutoring where we help them with their school work and hang out and we always end up staying late and singing or talking. They speak English which is a huge blessing and allows us to get to depths with them that we could not with the other children at Well of Jacob. I am excited to see where these relationships go and what is taught and discovered in them. Today I went to Chapel with them. This is another hour everyday where they sing and talk and tell stories about God and Jesus. I showed up today and they wanted to learn a song and hear a bible story so me and Mary tag teamed teaching them Power in the Name of Jesus and the story of Jonah. My first Bible lesson. Don't know how well I did and I think they knew the story better than me but it was good to hear either way.
Another thought. When I left the U.S. I thought I was going out to bless people and spread the love of Jesus all over, and it is not that I am not. However, as I continue day after day on the race, I am realizing more and more how much and how deeply God cares about and wants to teach ME. I often feel like I am learning more than I am teaching. Between new languages, foods, cultures, children, songs, places, and people everything is constantly new; changing and evolving.
Patience has been the tough lesson this last week. Patience with myself, others, and with God. I get so stuck in my thoughts sometimes. I will be reading, singing, soaking, or just trying to spend time with the Lord when all of a sudden my thoughts start roaming to lightyears ahead of where I am; day-dreaming about what is to come after the race and wishful thinking. Last night I went out to the rock in front of the dorm that overlooks Piggs Peak and the river and started processing with God about some of these things when my thoughts started wandering. I layed back and let my mind roam. Then, right in front of my eyes, a flash of light that looked like a star appeared and disappeared. It was as if God was saying, "I am here right in front of you! Stop thinking about endless possibilities and the future. I am doing amazing things right in front of your eyes. Appreciate me! Stay present and let me work!"
A popular song I have been listening to a lot lately is called "House of God", by John Foreman, and the first lyric says "God is my shepherd, I won't be wanting." WON'T BE WANTING. It talks about this very thing and reminds me to stay present.Also, I am learning more about the depth of relationship that God wants with us. He wants our hearts, our hurts, our fears, and our triumphs. Everything we crave is in Him. Don't allow yourself to be distracted by the world around you. This is not easy, I know. Even here I find myself getting distracted at times by food, dramatics, talks of going to town, and exciting tourist stuff, but it is so worth it to focus on Him, but He doesn't withhold anything good from us.
My Father's House:
It's a big big house, with lots and lots of room!
It's a big big table, with lots and lots of food!
It's a big big yard, where we can play football!
It's a big big house, it's my fathers house!
(A song the kids here taught me)
More news is that have two teams here, N'Pursuit and Rooted Waters, plus one of our squad leaders Renee. So there are 13 of us. This is also very different as we have been constantly with the whole squad of 47 until now. Definately quieter with more time to read, soak, and write. Yay! I have pretty much been sanctioned as mom in the kitchen here. I make sure all of the meals are planned and prepped for the 12 of us and that we are all getting fed and taken care of. We cook for ourselves here which is a nice change after eating the same meal for a straight month. We are loving the variety and getting creative in the kitchen!
We are exercising a lot. There is tons of hiking to do. We also have a licensed pilates instructor with us, we work in the garden, etc. Life is good. Miss you all and think of you often. Hope all is well over the Atlantic and that God is blessing you in everything you do. He loves us all so much!
Blessings and love from the Kingdom!! 🙂
-Dez
P.S. That song has been on my heart lately and thought I would share it with you all. It's amazing and I challenge you all to take a listen. It reminds me to be appreciative of where God has me right now and to not get into a mentality of WANTING. Take, appreciate, and grow in the season God has you in.
Jon Foreman- House of God, Forever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoXWIK1lfyo
