We arrived at Kedesh in Chamba, Mozambique at the perfect time. Friday night is typically bible study but being our first night here John, the founder of Kedesh, shared his history, wisdom, and vision for this sanctuary for 26 abandoned boys including his observance of Shabbat Shalom, which he explained as a time of rest to experience the peace and fullness of God.
We listened while savoring several varietals of wine and a spread of fine (by WR standards) cheeses, and sharing a HUGE pot of salty buttery popcorn with the kids – all norms for a Friday night. Shabbat Shalom starts Friday evening and extends through Saturday evening and not only is it meant for rest, but also for "putting out the fires", literally and spiritually. Literally it is the day off from all work including cooking because likely you need a fire so they bake bread the day before. John explained spiritually the day of rest means taking a break from, stopping or putting out our internal fires or the fires of sin that can burn within us like anger, lust, greed, pride, etc.
I know the bible calls us to take a Sabbath, typically a Sunday for most believers of Christianity. I usually go to church but I must admit I usually don't make a point to slow down and enjoy "the peace of God" all day long. Today was different. Today I observed a Sabbath on Saturday and took time to turn everything off, to "put out the fires", to live in the moment, and to enjoy all God had for me including:
waking in my mesh tent without the rain fly to see the sun rising between the large mango trees (see pic below),
�
enjoying a juicy ripe mango that had fallen during the night,
discovering and cracking open a bottle of the ice coffee John makes and pours into individual re-sealable beer bottles and froze the night before,
appreciating a breakfast of homemade (by the boys the day before) flat bread with crunchy peanut butter and jelly
invigorating conversation with John and teammates about the translations of the bible
dancing with the boys to hip hop music blaring on the outdoor speakers
getting drenched with sweat while playing Ultimate Frisbee with the boys (thank God for some cloud coverage)
holding my own in a game of Frisbee Golf which also acted as a tour of the large property here at Kedesh
eating more mango that fell during the day
walking on water, well actually large floating grass pads, in a lake on the property to retrieve my Frisbee
It is only 4:45 and now I understand why everyone here goes to bed when the sun goes down around 8PM. Although I'm incredibly dirty my heart, mind and soul feel refreshed. I truly experienced the fullness of God today here at Kedesh and have a feeling this will happen everyday and not just because we observed Shabbat Shalom.
