Just a quick update… children’s camp is going great this week. We are working at a Christian elementary school outside of Pretoria, South Africa. There are a lot less kids this week, but we look at it as a blessing to be able to have more one-on-one time with the kids.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Jesus’ words in Mark 2: 27 have been taking on a whole new meaning for me over the past few Sundays: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Last week at Refilwe was tough physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We could all sense that there was a spiritual battle being fought on those grounds, but I could not tell how much it was affecting me until today, the Sabbath.
While we are only 20 minutes away from Refilwe, the scenery is completely different. Even though it is winter here in South Africa, we are surrounded by beautiful landscape. It almost seems like I am living in a painting. Several fields of tall, amber-colored grass surround us. The north side of the property is bordered by large, rolling hills. Being from Missouri, I would call them small mountains, but I have been corrected several times that they are really just hills. The flowers from their autumn season remain, bringing a much-needed pop of color. Around 6 o’clock every night, the sun sets on the far west side of the hills and creates the most amazing sunset I have seen to date. The deep oranges and pinks fade behind the mountain, as God prepares to dot the sky with the Southern constellations.
We enjoyed the Sabbath all day as we basked in His beautiful Creation. This morning after a hot shower, we enjoyed a breakfast of cereal, fresh milk, bread, and fruit. We had about an hour and a half before our church service began in the barn, so many of us took chairs outside and sat in the sun for some quiet time with God. Even though I’m on a mission trip, it is really hard to find extended periods of time to just sit and be with Him. While it’s cold in the early mornings and evenings after the sun has gone down, the bright sun provides some much-desired warmth. During this time, I wasn’t in full prayer and I wasn’t reading the Bible, but it was some of the most quality time that I’ve spent with God in a while. I was able to just rest in Him.
As we were finishing our quiet time, several families arrived for the church service. Alabanza knows how to do what I consider real church. There is no pastor, but rather everyone is expected to actively contribute to the service. We were told that if we had received a verse, word, or song from God, we were to share it with the group. One by one, people began to share what God was speaking into their lives. It was amazing to see what evolved. Through multiple people, God spoke that He just wants to sit with us and be our friend.
After church was over, we sat and talked with one another, and romped in the grass with the many dogs that live on the property. We were then treated to a Sunday dinner with fried chicken, cheese potatoes, salad (a rare-find here in Africa), coleslaw, and apple cobbler! We took a walk around the property and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.
I have written so much about today because our Sabbath today was so refreshing for me and for many of my teammates. As I mentioned earlier, living at Refilwe was tough. I now know how much of a spiritual battlefield we were living on. There was a spirit of oppression that hovered over the property. Being here, many of us were able to gain perspective of what was going on last week. Many of us feel so much lighter and more alive just in the couple of days that we have been here. Alabanza is truly a place of rest.
What a blessing to be able to recharge our batteries and enjoy a Sabbath as we gear up for another week of children’s camp on Monday.
