so why was prison ministry my favorite in mozambique?? let me tell you a little bit about it.. i wish i could have taken a picture to show you this place but i wasnt allowed. now in mozambique its opposite than the states in the fact that you are guilty until proven innocent… annelisa was one of the girls from the base we went with, and while we were there one of the women completely confessed everything to annelisa which was huge because that had never happened before (and she has been visiting the prisons now for 2 years), not only did she tell her everything she gave her life to Christ right then and there.. now thats a miracle.. for someone to really get it.. for someone to really understand their need for a savior.. that is the work of the holy spirit and i will never forget the smile she had on her face and the tears that were rolling down her cheeks… how beautiful for her to know she is completely forgiven in Christ.. it was a great reminder that Jesus wants us even though our hearts can be so wicked, that he died for the ugly stuff we keep locked inside.. and i was reminded that i need to give forgiveness like that as well.. big lesson! lots of humility in learning that lesson.. who am i to receive such a wonderful gift of forgiveness and grace and then turn around and not bestow that on other people.. just one of the things the Lord is walking me through right now.. did i mention how much i miss mozambique??
im currently in joburg.. they say its like the new york city of south africa and i have to be honest i miss the bush, i miss the bucket showers, i miss the no electricty after 8 o clock, i miss going to bed with the sun and rising with the sun, i miss the simple.. so what do i do with that?i find myself thinking about the people in assumane village and the people back at base.. luckily my friend just recently wrote me an email and there hidden in between two paragraphs were some words written just for me and the way i am feeling right now.. he said ” I love how when we leave what we know we are able to hear and see things we were previously blind to. Like the stars, when we leave the comfort of the big city and the beauty a wonderfully and colorfully lit skyline presents at night and venture out into the country we see stars, galaxies, and wonders we would have never known if we had never left those lighted streets. Here on this side of the world it’s hard not to envy or become jealous of your interaction. My mind begins to think that God is only speaking there. His beauty is only displayed there. But then I drive around Dallas at night and pass over a bridge to see the beautiful Dallas skyline and think about Ezekiel 31:9. God makes the nations, cities, and kings great and power. He’s the one building and creating things in this world, not man. So I begin to find Him here and think He’s not far away in just Africa. He doesn’t just want the hard working and beautiful Africans. He wants the religious people here in Texas, the atheist in Seattle, and the progressive and liberal Europeans. He wants all the nations to see Him as greater right were they are.” so in reading this email i’m reminded that yes i have been so blessed to be in the bush and see and experience God in new ways.. but like my friend said above.. his beauty is displayed in the city as well, he wants everybody!!!!! so yes ministry here in joburg might look a bit different then my last two months in africa, but im ok with that.. i know our team is here for a reason and that there is purpose for us here!!!
with that said i am pleased to present the ministry God has us doing here in south africa.. we are working with a website called forgood.. their entire mission is to get people of the community involved and serving.. each church and non-profit has a profile with a live news feed of how you can get involved.. as you become members you join interest groups and are consistently up to date with ways to be connected!! it operates a lot like a facebook page does..
so for the next couple of weeks we will be out in the city promoting the website, vamping up profiles, taking pictures at events, writing interviews, news stories, and more for the churches and non-profits.. basically doing whatever we can to attract and draw people into the website and ultimately serve one another more !!! everything about this ministry feels foreign to me, but im excited to see how God shows up.. i am always up for a little stretching too.. write again soon!!! cheers* (something they say here after saying bye.. im bringing it back to the sates with me : ) !!!! )
