The average individual
lives for approximately 25,567 days. How many of
those days do we
actually live to the fullest? The sad news is that as human beings, no matter
how driven or committed we are, we will never be able to achieve perfection in
living a life of greatness. The good news is that we don’t have to.
This past week, our
team took a 4-day trip to Northern Mozambique to minister to a few villages and
visit the site of Africa on Fire Ministries. We faced several challenges and
discomforts, but the Lord showed up in many unexpected ways.
The first day, we left
at 4am and traveled for about 10.5 hrs. in the back of an over packed flat bed
truck. We arrived exhausted and sunburned, but we pitched our tents and watched
as the Lord graciously provided us with energy and strength to do His will in
the beautiful village of Inhambane. We spent 2 days encouraging the people in
their faith and inviting others to join. Older men and women walked long
distances in the dark to come to our night of devotion and worship, and they
left that evening encouraged and miraculously healed.
The second night, we
drove around for a few hours looking for a safe place to set up our tents. We
finally laid down to sleep around midnight, and awoke about 3 hours later to
head to Chibuto. It was a cold, rainy morning, and everyone tried to catch up
on their rest in the truck, but I was too enthralled by the beauty of the
sunrise to sleep. To us it was just another day, but the Lord had great plans
in mind.
stopped for some breakfast and a quick visit. Our contact was meeting an older
man that he had converted many years before who was now a pastor in that town.
We prayed for the pastor and jumped in the truck to leave. As we finished our
goodbyes, a woman from the market came up and asked if the prayers were free.
We spoke with her for a few minutes, prayed over her, and when we finished, I
opened my eyes to see all of her friends surrounding us. They wanted to be
prayed over as well. Before we knew it, people from all around town were coming
to receive prayer. They wanted to be healed and receive blessings, but more
importantly, they were hungry for this God that we knew and served. They kept
asking, “When are you coming back? When are you bringing this church that gives
prayer for free?”
I have never seen so
many people so HUNGRY for the Lord, and I have certainly never seen so many
people HEALED! The word spread like a wildfire and men and woman of all ages
even began to run in from far away villages. They kept coming, so we just kept
praying. My favorite part is that the revolution of this town had absolutely
nothing to do with us. We didn’t wake up that morning ready to conquer the
world. Let’s be honest, we probably didn’t even have the energy to change our
underwear that day. We simply stepped out in faith and willingness to let the
Lord work through us, but the story doesn’t end there.
were prayed over and healed than I could count. Phone numbers were exchanged
and the word continued to spread even days after we left. A Muslim gentleman
phoned Felito, our contact, and told him that he had heard about what happened,
and he wanted to know where he could learn more about this living God.
Another man who had
been healed approached us and said that he wanted to start a church in his own
village nearby. After we left the town, we immediately drove to his village to
see the land. In the pouring rain, we met his family, the people of his
village, and began the plans for a church plant there. We prayed for each of
them and counted our blessings as we drove away. It wasn’t even 1:00pm, and I couldn’t
believe how much the Lord had already done in just one morning.
As humans, and even
Christians, it is a guarantee that we will all fail at some point. Isn’t that
why our Father sent His son? We aren’t called to a life of perfection, but
rather willingness, faith, and love. It isn’t the amount of faith in a man that
allows the Lord to work through him or perform miracles, but rather his
willingness to serve and love others.
“I tell you the truth, if
you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move
from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing
will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:21