One of my goals during our time in Nsoko, Swaziland was to train the teachers at the care points. The world race teams that proceeded us in Nsoko trained the teachers in fundamentals – various learning styles for kids, how to use repetition, how to maintain structure and routine. My goal: to equip these teachers with materials for them to use in their classrooms.
As I visited the various care points, the teachers cried out for more songs. But why end there? I wanted them to know the deeper meaning behind the songs I taught them. And not teach them more than just songs? There’s so much basic training that we have taken for granted that these teachers would benefit from.
On Thursday, August 16, 2007, we held an all day teacher training for the teachers at the four care points nearby. We taught them short Bible stories, including a main theme and memory verse from each story. We also taught them different ways of using their flash cards (provided by the previous WR teams) in order to help the kids learn letters and simple words. Many of the songs and Bible stories also had basic teaching aspects (spelling B-I-B-L-E; learning colors red, yellow, black, white; etc). Also we taught simple games that would be good for children’s motor skills, memory, and other key skills, such as red-light green-light; an alphabet clap game; long jump; etc.
When I first arrived, I swept the room, set up tables and chairs, and laid out notebooks, pens, and booklets of materials we had prepared for the teachers. I had coordinated transportation and lunch for the teachers in advance. Remember, TIA, so it was a little nerve-racking to see if the transportation and lunch would smoothly come to fruition.
The highlight of the day was the miracle God performed. Teachers came to the training hungry and were complaining about not having breakfast. We promised them lunch for sixteen people at noon. When we first arrived, the food was not present, firewood needed to be chopped, the cooking fires needed to be started, and heavy cauldrons needed to be cleaned.
At 11:04 a.m., the first fire had just been started. I had just finished teaching the songs and other lessons to the teachers. Mark was teaching them Bible stories. So I checked on Katey and Sarah cooking lunch.
On location, we only had supplies for half the food (the pap—a porridge-like side dish). The meat had yet to arrive. Water had just been put on the fire. It looked like no food would be ready for the noon lunch time.
So I prayed, asking God to miraculously prepare the food for the teachers by noon. My prayer was short and simple. We needed God to act. It was impossible without Him and would give Him glory. Amen. The task sounded impossible. Yet God is so faithful! At 11:06 a.m., immediately after I prayed, God began to answer our prayers—the cold water began to boil! We began to cook the pap, pouring the heavy bag into the cauldron.
While waiting for the meat to arrive, we began to gather wood to make a second fire to cook the meat. That’s when our friend and local contact Nicolas showed up with the meat (today’s special – warthog, a local delicacy, it tastes like pork). He helped us build the fire, telling us to let the blaze burn down before cooking the warthog. So we waited until what seemed to be “the final hour.” Just minutes before noon, Katey and Sarah put the warthog on the fire. I was back in the schoolroom teaching.
Lunch time! Each teacher received a plate full of pap and warthog, with seconds. Once all the teachers had been given their food, I grabbed a plate and joined the teachers (who were already gobbling down seconds) in the schoolroom. I glanced at my watch. It was 12:08 p.m. God miraculously provided the teachers with food at noon!
Lessons/reminders from this miracle: 1) God is faithful! He answers our prayers, giving Him glory. 2) God is so powerful! He can do anything (like make water boil in no time). 3) God often uses us to do His work – not because He has to but because He wants to and gets glory from us. For instance, Katey and Sarah put the water in the pot. I prayed. Mark chopped firewood. Lauren and I gathered it.
God wants us to pray! Keep praying! And He also wants us to act! My challenge to you—get involved! Don’t just sit around waiting for God to answer (unless He’s urging you to “Be still and know that [He] is God” – Psalm 46:10). Instead, “be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves…Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” James 1:22, 27.
Food for thought: What prayers for miracles have you prayed this week—things that God alone can do and thus He will get the glory? What actions have you taken today to work for the Lord, allowing Him to use you for His purpose and glory? You don’t need to be in Africa (or Asia) to work for Jesus. Come, just as you are.
Thanks for your prayers and support. Love yal.
