Pastor Abraham asked if any of us wanted to go on a hike to
see some more of Isibania a few days ago, so I obviously jumped on the
opportunity. I love adventures and exploring new places. A few minutes later
Daniel, Justin and I were venturing out into the bush, following closely behind
our trusty leader. We started following a dirt trail that led up to the top of
a massive hill sprinkled with boulders of every shape and size. After passing
multiple mud huts and running into some locals along the way (a drunk man, some
builders, a pastor and his family who are friends of Abraham’s), we made it to
the top where we saw a group of people working on the rocks. There were people
of every age, babies swaddled in cloths held by six-year old siblings up to
frail grandmothers sitting on the ground with hammers, all trying to make a
living. They were chipping away at the boulders and continuing to hammer all
day until they formed small stones that could then be sold. It was just
surprising to see a seventy-year old woman sitting on the ground in a pile of
rocks with a makeshift hammer, striking away at the stones with swift, steady
motions that she had probably been repeating for decades. That is dedication.
We greeted them all and then chilled on the rocks for a bit,
gazing out into the panoramic view of raw landscape right before our eyes. We
soon attracted the attention of some local children as they came running up to
us, wondering what planet we were from. We were probably the first mzungus
(white people) any of them had ever seen. After navigating our way off the
rocks, we ran with the little ones down another path to a stream that we then
leaped over into a massive field. Oh this is Africa. 🙂 We stopped to greet one
of their relatives who was washing clothes in the stream and as we stood there
all I saw were dozens of big brown eyes looking up at me in wonder. They are so beautiful, I thought to
myself.
Pastor Abraham then asked if we wanted to go back the same
way or try a different path, and we instantly agreed that we wanted to see some
new scenery. We said goodbye to the children with handshakes, waves, and smiles
and continued on the unknown journey that lay ahead. The pastor wasn’t sure
where the original path intersected with the new direction we found ourselves
in, and I was immediately invigorated as I realized we were slightly lost. YES! I thought to myself in pure joy, it’s gotta happen at least once in every
country. We literally began forging our way through a corn field as we
followed in Abraham’s wake; I was tempted to look up at my surroundings in awe
but was instead forced to step directly in the footsteps of the pastor, or else
I would be swallowed up by the thick dirt all around me. Our makeshift path
finally intersected with another dirt trail that led in the right direction, so
we jumped on it.
About a minute later we ran into a small mud hut on our
right; there were two children wandering around outside and a little farther
away we saw a young woman lying on a mat in the dirt. We greeted them and were
about to keep walking when the pastor began talking to the woman; we had no
idea what they were saying but her voice sounded weak and faint, which matched
the look of her frail body. After some small conversation Pastor Abraham looked
up at us and told us the woman was sick; he said she hasn’t been able to eat
anything because she throws up whatever she puts in her body – the remnants of
such were surrounding the small mat. It had been this way for a month. Her husband
was in town and she was forced to remain there, with no energy to get up, let
alone look after her own children. After explaining the situation he said to us
in confidence and faith, “There’s a
reason we came this way. Let’s go
pray for her.�
Yup, this is what it’s
all about, I thought to myself. Let’s
do this thing. We walked up to her and introduced ourselves; her name was
Emily and she looked no more than a few years older than me. Exhaustion and
helplessness exuded off of her, and my heart instantly longed for her to be
well. I told her I was glad we were there and asked if I could put my hand on
her to pray; Pastor Abraham translated for me and then gave the go-ahead. “I believe Jesus can heal people,� I
said. “I’m gonna pray for you.� We
all placed a hand on her small body and allowed Jesus to speak words of LIFE
into her; we prayed for restoration, encouragement, and complete healing for
Emily, entrusting her into the arms of our loving Father. She looked at peace
as we finished and thanked us for our prayers. Daniel then offered her a drink
from his nalgene and she gulped it down voraciously; it was clear she had gone
for an extended period of time without any water. We then said goodbye and told
her we would continue praying… and we have been. Nothing externally drastic
happened from this interaction with Emily, but I believe the Spirit was at work
and led us directly to her that day.
We sow in faith.
This is a concept I began learning about and experiencing in Ireland as we did
street ministry; we would simply walk around Dublin trying to tell people about
the hope and love of Christ. Many of them listened to our words and walked
away, but I believe seeds were planted in their hearts and that Jesus is
cultivating that growth. Ultimately, it’s not up to us – it’s up to the Lord.
If we really understand that concept and relinquish our own control, there’s so
much freedom in that. But so often we want to see the fruits of what we do; we
want to see people healed, the dead raised, demons cast out, and people come to
Christ. Yes, these things are all amazing and God-willing, we will be able to
see them occur as we continue walking with the Lord. But ultimately, we need to
give up control and trust that HE is at work – whether we can see the results
of that firsthand or not. We don’t have the full picture on this earth – we are
human, finite, and therefore can only catch a glimpse of God’s divine plan. But
we are called to be obedient. We are called to be His hands and His feet. We are
called be Jesus to the world. Regardless of the outcome. We sow in faith, trusting that what we sow others will someday
reap, and consequently what we someday reap will be the product of what others
have sown. We’re all just pieces in the grand puzzle; we’re all parts of one
body in Christ, and we’re all working
together for KINGDOM to come.
