I know it might seem a little weird that two months into Europe I’m still writing about Africa but man did that continent leave us with great stories. For some reason I don’t quite yet understand, the Spirit moves so much more freely there or maybe it is just easier for us to recognize Him and join in His working.
So, on with it. It is morning in Malawi and we are about to head out to ministry which consists on helping at a local nursery that has about 20 kids with ages ranging from 2-6 years old. That month we struggled with punctuality, you know, TIA (Time in Africa) is highly contagious.
That being said, I was about 5-10 minutes late to meet my teammate at the top of the stairs of our hostel to walk to the nursery together. When I got there I found out she had left without me and I let it sink under my skin very easily, even though I was responsible for my own actions.
It was probably so easy for me to get offended due to the unadressed tension that had built between us during that month. Yes, we missionaries sometimes get angry at each other and have conflict between us. We are still human but nonetheless God loves us so much. That’s the beauty of our God.
So now I find myself walking to the nursery by my own. In my mind I was fighting with my teammate. I was building up my case as I usually tend to do to prove how I was right and how she shouldn’t have left me behind. In the middle of this God calls my attention to Him and shows me how ridiculous I’m being and tells me to drop it. After a few back and forths I take heed to what He’s saying to me and my mind and soul go back to a restful place. Now my undivided attention is in His goodness and I’m praising Him as it is good for me to do.
Not two minutes later I walk pass a house and see Joseph sitting outside with a friend. Now, I know I haven’t introduced you to him yet. Hold your bearings, I’ll continue to do just that. Since we got to Nkhata Bay we ran time after time into Joseph and every time he was very heavily under the influence of alcohol. Every time he was very loud and getting into trouble with everyone. Sadly, if you are not focused and intentional in not doing so, it is very easy to rapidly develop a certain distance or avoidance towards people that behave in this way. Which in turn only sustains and deepens the cycle they are in.
Back to the story. I walk by him and give him a quick wave of hello and just continue walking. I knew I had to be somewhere and was already late. Being honest, in my mind I did not see the use of investing in him more than that. Seconds later, I feel the full force of the Spirit turning me around and compelling me to go confront this man.
As I get to where he is sitting, I ask him: “Do you enjoy being an alcoholic or do you want to change?”. What? Where did that came from? That was my immediate thought. I was surprised with what came out of my mouth. You don’t need to know me to know how contrary to my nature speaking like this is. I say this because I believe that doing something like that is completely opposite to the way culture has taught me to behave.
His answer surprised me as well. He said that he did not enjoyed his lifestyle but that he didn’t know how to change. I immediately jump to sharing with him the Good News of Jesus, how much He loves him and everything He did and achieved for Him on the cross. I also shared with him the story of how God transformed my own life and everything He has done in me since then.
By this point in the conversation I feel that he is ready and so I ask him if he wants to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior and receive His freedom and blessings. He stands up, as well as his friend, and both say that they are ready and they want to take the step. A step that morning they would have never imagined themselves taking. A step that would mark a before and after in their lifes. The glorious step of salvation and entering into communion with God.
But God isn’t over yet. As we are praying, I notice a man that was walking down the street that stops and stares at us. Being so invested in what is happening right in front of me I pay no attention to him and continue praying for repentance, salvation, and deliverance for Joseph and his friend. As soon as we are done, this man approaches me and says: “I have no words!”. I take this as a good sign. It ends up that he was a local pastor and was thrilled to see a foreigner/tourist doing the work of God and couldn’t just keep walking.
I feel God leading me to introduce the two young men to the pastor I myself just met and to commission the pastor to disciple them. A task which he is more than thrilled to commence. They exchange information and set up their first meeting for that same day in the afternoon. Only God could orchestrate something so perfect! What a day!
A couple of weeks later, before we left, we noticed that since these conversations, every time we ran into Joseph he was sober, functioning, and happy. We weren’t the only ones that noticed this for even his friends came up to us to talk to us about the change they saw in his life and how he was telling everyone what had happened. This was a true encounter the Father had with one of His children. It has all the marks. The transformation, the joy, the freedom, the power and the witnessing.
A day that started less than perfect was unexpectedly changed into a glorious and eternal one. To me, it was a true testimony of how God wants to have a relationship even with those considered the least of us and is prepared to use our brokenness and weakness to His glory if we are willing to engage with Him and receive His love and guidance. Oh, what a wonderful thing! Oh, what a wonderful God!
