So our third month the men of X Squad came together for a month of ministry. We headed deep into Zambia to the town of Serenje. We partnered up with a pastor, his wife and their ministry. We stayed with the pastor at his house along with many who were part of his ministry team. We spent part of the month in Serenje and in a nearby village doing community outreach. We would go door to door visiting with locals in the area and sharing with them the Good News of Christ. We had some really great encounters with locals completely guided by the Holy Spirit. For those of you who may not have Facebook or did not see my post about Thomas, I want to share with it with you. For those who did see the post, I apologize for the repeat. It was such an amazing afternoon so it is worth the repeat.
“This is my friend Thomas. When his wife called and told him we were walking the community, Thomas told us he immediately left the garden he was working in, went home and waited for us. Once he saw us, he literally waved us down and quickly invited us into his family’s home. He was so eager to listen as we spoke to him with words guided by The Holy Spirit, words of truth and words of encouragement. Thomas was so grateful that we visited and so were we. We prayed together giving thanks to our Father for arranging this divine encounter. Everyone involved left that moment better than we arrived. This is the power of God. A lot has happened in these first three months. Too much for me to comprehend at times and at the moment, too powerful to put into words. I hope and pray that the words will come to better describe these experiences. As these experiences keep happening, maybe my brain will start to catch up to this reality, the reality that I am living what I have read in the Bible. God is present, God is active and God is so good.”
Another really cool moment happened one day while in Serenje. We broke up into small teams of about three or four. We were walking down a trail when all over a sudden a younger man yells and starts walking towards us. It looked as if a party was going on and the man appeared to be intoxicated. When someone intoxicated approaches you, it is very easy to dismiss them because for obvious reasons the situation can get out of hand quickly. This situation was different, this guy knew what we were there for and came running to us. He expressed his desire to be free of his addiction to alcohol and wanted us to pray over him for his freedom. All this seemed very genuine and it was such a cool moment to be a part of. I have know idea what God is doing with that man at the moment, but for sure seeds of truth were planted in that gentleman and I’m sure our Father will lead him gently into the peace he seeks. The peace that only He can provide.
After a bit of time in Serenje our team relocated further into the African bush to assist in church planting. Moving further into the bush at times reminded me of scenes we see on National Geographic, except, and I can confirm, our clothing donations do in fact reach Africa. Living was difficult in the bush for sure, no electricity, no running water and we could not take a cab to a convenience store to purchase any items of comfort. Thankfully we had amazing ministry hosts that ensured that we were as comfortable as the situation would allow and they really went out of their way to serve us. So we had them, ourselves and our Bibles for comfort. That was it amongst super hot days with little food (except for a ton of Nshima) and water. Honestly though we had all that was needed. During our days there, we did community outreach and planted a church that we named Corner Stone. This church will be a light for an area in which multiple forces of evil are present. Our team assisted in breaking through some strongholds that have enslaved people in this region for years. I pray God continues to bless the church we helped to plant there in Zambia.
Wrapping up the month, apparently it was my turn to take a ride on the malaria train. We returned to Lusaka a few days early for some much needed rest and relaxation……I spent the whole time in the hospital. But, it was not with out purpose. I ended up witnessing to the nurse that was assigned to me. Even though I was straight feeling like death covered in crap I somehow still found the strength and was urged to share major parts of my testimony. Maybe that nurse needed to hear a message within or maybe not. That isn’t for me to dwell on, this I do know, there is power in our stories of redemption through Christ our Lord. He was doing something in that hospital room for sure. She was interested in what I was saying and wasn’t in a hurry to leave. It would have been very easy to have just laid there for the three days and not said much to anyone, and to be honest that was my plan when I got admitted, however He had a different purpose for that hospitalization. He was to be glorified in that situation and He was. Amen.
