Got to see the king of the jungle, the fastest animal in the world, wild animals on the safari, labored on a play park for day camps, had all squad month, bungee jumped 111m off of Victoria Falls Bridge, and dealt with an enormous healing within my own heart.
This month our whole squad was together doing ministry in Livingstone, Zambia. Our main focus was working on the play park that our ministry host had a vision for called JZone. It took a lot of hard work cleaning up the area. I will never complain about mowing the lawn back home! They gave us slashers to cut down tall grass which left me with gnarly blisters and calluses on my hands. But we were able to finish it in time to conduct kids’ camp. The first week there were 60 kids ages 2-12 the first week, and I couldn’t have imagined it going any smoother than it did. The second week we had a camp for ages 12 and up that were orphans from an organization called SOS.
We got to build relationships with some of the kids the first week we got to Livingstone at SOS, an orphanage, through weekly visits before we were able to do camp for them. The girls were excited to braid our hair. It hurt so badly!
Our weekly schedule was Monday as our rest day, Tuesday & Thursday we worked on play park all day, Wednesday was a bible study for widows and AWANA for kids, Friday work on the play park and afternoons spent with SOS orphans, Saturday was a fun day and Sunday we would prepare for a church service and in the evening go to a youth service who are walking in different walk of faith.
So amongst our busy and hard labor this month, it was the hardest month for me spiritually. In my previous blogs I’ve mentioned about how I have heard the Lord speak to me in Mozambique and about giving my whole heart to Him. I really thought I did, until He showed me directly the ways that I haven’t. But no matter what the circumstances in life, I know the Lord is faithful. He knows the depths of my heart, He is jealous of ME. He is teaching me a lot about trusting and being faithful to Him.
We preached a lot about the prodigal son in our first two months in Africa. Of how we Christians can relate to the son who didn’t leave, and eventually became bitter and numb living with his father, and also the son who left the father and came back. But God showed me the story in a different way. He asked me to take the position of the father in the story. To reflect the fathers heart. To pour out love and grace to those who have hurt me, to those who don’t care about me, and to those who don’t deserve it. I’ve asked to be more and more of a reflection of our heavenly Father’s heart. We have either ran away from Him, or grown numb to Him with our religious acts and have ultimately forgot that He is a relational God. It is a beautiful place to be at. Painful, but beautiful.
I want my heart to break for what breaks His.
Day by day my heart is understanding the depths of His heart. To bear an underserving cross for me. He never sugar coated for us that if we decided to follow Him that it would be easy. In fact, He blunted stated that we WILL suffer. Mind blowing that I would still want to follow Him. Right? But I’m protected and have peace overwhelming my soul. For He is a good, good Father.
So our time has come to an end in Africa. I can’t believe we are leaving the first continent! I have been taught and have seen so much in these three months in Africa. It’s still a lot to process, but I am so excited for the things the Lord has prepared for us in our ministry and in our spirits in Asia. Please be praying for our flight this Saturday!
Hakuna Matata
