Cliche as it may sound, I really do believe in the old adage, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Throughout my life, my Dad has been a prime example of this in the way that he finds such great joy in giving to others. He could never wait until Christmas or birthdays to give special gifts, often because I think he was too excited about the prospect of giving and blessing the recipient. Patience in that respect was never one of his strong suits, but that's another story.
Nine years ago, my Dad's love for giving took on a slightly different appearance. That was the year I travelled to Africa for the first time, carrying two Harvest guitars that he had designed, and with which he had but one request: to pray that God would reveal to my team who the guitars' recipients would be.
Calling the guitars his "missionary special," Dad had designed them to be strong and sturdy, outfitted with a backpack case and extra set of strings. The vision behind creating the guitars was that they could withstand travel and be used on the mission field as a worship tool. Cheap guitars with poor sound quality are quite easy to find around the world, but each Harvest Guitar was designed with durability and quality in mind, and coupled with prayer, love, and blessing.
On that first trip to Africa, God faithfully revealed the two recipients to us; it was such an incredible blessing to watch them give God all of the praise and glory when they each received their new guitar. Two years later, I was able to bring another Harvest Guitar to Africa, praying that God would yet again reveal to whom He wanted the guitar to be given…which He did.
Knowing that we were encouraged to minimize our belongings because of hectic travel days on the World Race, I initially wasn't sure if bringing a guitar with me was going to be a good idea. But God wouldn't let me forget the joy of delivering the other three guitars, and I knew He had yet another recipient in mind for one more guitar. The question was FOR WHOM?
I kept my eyes and ears opened to God's leading throughout Africa, but I kept hearing Him say, "Not yet." Meanwhile, we would use the guitar to lead worship at our different ministry sites across Africa and our first two months in Asia.
Our first week in Cambodia, one of our translators, fifteen year-old David, picked up the guitar and started playing. In that moment, seeing how beautifully the guitar fit in David's arms and seeing the joy-filled worship upon him, I knew in my spirit that David was to receive the guitar. Still, I asked my teammates to join me in praying for God's confirmation, which He did faithfully give.
Several days before I presented the guitar to David, I had the opportunity to sit with David and learn more about him. He shared that his dream is to one day attend a Youth With a Mission Discipleship Training School and lead worship there. His one challenge, though, was that his own guitar had been broken due to faulty craftsmanship. He had been borrowing Vuthy's (our ministry contact's) guitar in the meantime, but David could only use it when he was at Vuthy's ministry site.
I could see David's heart and passion as he shared, and I began feeling that same excitement I'm sure my Dad must feel when he has the giving itch. I knew that God had great plans for this young man of God, and, like the Biblical David that he was named for, our young Cambodian friend has a heart for ushering others into God's presence.
We were able to present the guitar to David on our last night in Cambodia. The joy from David's face, coupled with the excitement from the rest of the students there, was truly one of the best moments for me on the Race.
We were able to surround David in prayer, asking that the Lord would continue to grow and develop his gifts in worship, and that He would use David to release Kingdom worship in Cambodia.
I love that God gives us good gifts so that we can give those gifts to others. Thank You, Lord, that You are going to use this simple guitar in the hands of one of Your children to bring worship and praises to the hearts of Cambodia!
