{AFRICA}
For those of you who know me well, it isn’t uncommon to hear me say “I LOVE Africa!” In fact, on a mission trip to Kenya in the summer of 2012, God broke my heart for the nations (specifically Kenya) and revealed to me His purpose for my life, namely declaring His praises throughout the world.
The passion the Lord planted in me to make Him known has only grown these past eight months, and I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to proclaim Him here in Zambia. The ‘Elect Exiles,’ my team, and two other teams are ministering in the city of Livingstone. We are partnered with a ministry called J-Zone, and we do a number of ministries including a widow’s Bible study, village outreach and construction, park development, Awana’s, leadership training, and several local church ministries. Our contacts, Sandy and Lweendo, are amazing people who love the Lord and want to see Him made famous in their city.
God has sovereignly placed us in this ministry and I know He will use us for His glory. I want you to be a part of that by praying for us! One of the biggest challenges we face here is Zambia is that many people are either believing or claiming a false Christianity. I have been here for over a month and, with the exception of one Jehovah’s Witness, have yet to talk to one person who does not claim to be a Christian. The tragic reality is that most of these people are living a nominal life, going to church when they’re “suppose to,” but they do not have a life-giving, soul-saving relationship with Jesus. There are also those who have bought into the false teachings of the prosperity gospel that claims that if you love God, do good things and, in some cases, give the church enough money, God will give you materialistic blessings here on earth. In both cases, people need to hear the truth of the gospel! Pray that God would do redemptive work through us and that we would present the truth in love, humility, boldness, and authority!
{MANISTRY}
For the last two weeks of March, the men of Gap A did “manistry” in a small town called Kabwe, about 2 hours outside of the capital, Lusaka. I went into manistry expecting to do fun manly things, eat a lot of meat, and grow in Christ together. All of the expectations were met, and in some cases, surpassed.
Our ministry was a first for me on the race, door-to-door evangelism. This is a popular way of sharing the gospel here in Africa, and I was very excited, though admittedly a little nervous, to share the love of Christ and the truth of the gospel with our neighbors.
Our house of 11 men split into teams of two, and while one team went out to evangelize, the other stayed home to intercede and worship. It was an incredible experience to be a part of those two powerful ministries, both of which are essential to Kingdom expansion.
Every time we went out, God used us to declare His excellencies to others and edify and encourage our brothers and sisters. When we stayed home to intercede, our hearts were filled by the love and faithfulness of God, and we had sweet, intimate moments with our Father while we prayed for our brothers. Manistry was an awesome time of spiritual and relational growth for me, and I am thankful to have had that experience with my brothers on the squad!
{GOD’S GOD-CENTEREDNESS}
A truth that the Lord has been revealing to me for quite some time now, and continues to reveal to me here in Zambia, is that He is relentlessly jealous for His own glory. In Deuteronomy 4:24, Moses declares to the Israelites, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” In the verse prior, Moses strictly forbids the people to make and worship idols. Why? Why would God care so much about people worshipping Him alone? Is God an egotistical maniac who needs the attention of others to feel self-worth? No!
The reality of this beautiful characteristic of our Father is that in God’s command for us to worship Him alone, we do not find a whining child who is desperate for the care of others- on the contrary! We see a fountain of living water, the giver of life, who knows that He alone is worthy of our praise, and He alone is the source of genuine joy and satisfaction.
May we leave behind the destructive worship of false idols, and run with joy towards our gracious and loving King!
Thank you for your prayerful and financial support of this mission trip! I am excited to announce that the Lord is calling me to return to Mattaw Children’s Village in Kenya this summer for two weeks! I volunteered at this ministry in 2013 and I’m overjoyed to return! Please prayerfully consider supporting me financially! If you are interested in making a donation, please contact me through Facebook, or email me at [email protected]. Thank you!
