As we say “Ciao” to Month 4 and Mozambique, I find this time of reflection quite hysterical. This really is my life!
This little girl fell asleep in my arms for over an hour on New Year's Eve and changed my perspective on my month in Mozy. So thankful for this sweet moment!
This month in Machava, Mozambique, we have been:
- plowing a field from sun up to sun down in the middle of the African summer (approximately 108 degree heat and no shade)
- scraping the walls, ripping up a rotted wood floor, and repainting the bedrooms in the Beacon of Hope house for the ten boys who will be moving in just a few days after we leave
- truly living without running water for 36 hrs and rationing out what water we had left for purifying, washing dishes, and bucket showers
- sleeping on our sleeping pads on the cement floor for 30 days straight under a bug net
- sharing ONE bathroom with 20+ people (24 when our squad leaders visited)..imagine how fun this was when the water was out
-
watching an African semi truck back into our septic tank and get stuck, seriously stuck, in the ground.
- eating a diet of bread and jam, rice and beans, and our new favorite dish Yangana (greens, crushed peanuts, and coconut milk..mmm!) with a couple of speciality nights like Mexican homemade tortillas and cheddar potato soup! Oh, and the occasional runs to the market for the always necessary diet coke and chocolate.
Team Sound (minus Kat) on our walk to the market
- living in community 24/7…really…the only way to get alone time is either climbing a tree or putting in your Ipod and pretending no one else exists. (you may be thinking, “what about the bathroom?” Oh no, dear friends. There is no privacy in a house of 20!)
14 people in the back of the buckie!
- being flat on our faces before the Lord, absolutely desperate for His provision, protection and restoration of our spirits.
It is this last bullet point that I hope leaves a lasting impact on my life forever.
Never have I felt so desperate for the Lord’s presence, ever.
It is said that Americans believe in God, and the rest of the world depends on Him.
Being an American out here in the rest of the world, I am learning what it means to truly depend on God.
When there is no running water and we are out of drinking water (which comes from purifying tap water with our emergency pumps), I find myself praying with my sisters over the tap and commanding water to flow, in Jesus name.
When the heat is absolutely too much to bear, I find myself circling up with my brothers and sisters declaring a blizzard over Mozambique and watching the clouds roll in for a rain storm.
When our Ipods, computers, chargers and hard drives decide to malfunction, I find my team circled up praising God and asking Him to restore our electronics. (This was one of my favorite moments with my team so far…we laughed SO hard, but we were so serious!)
When my sisters are sick, I find myself laying hands on them and joining the rest of my family here in prayer, declaring healing and binding the attacks of the enemy.
This month, we have FOUGHT. We have fought for joy, we have fought for one another, we have battled it out to see Jesus’ name lifted high in these fields of Mozambique. It has NOT been easy. But today, as we gathered together as a broken, messy, exhausted family to worship our God and speak words of truth and LIFE over one another, we were reminded of this truth – THE BATTLE HAS ALREADY BEEN WON.
Our God is victorious. The attacks of the enemy are feeble attempts to drag us down, but we walk as more than conquerors through Him who loves us. (Romans 8:37, right Dally?) Because we are His sons and daughters, no longer slaves to fear, we walk in His victory. We are thirsty. We fight, confident that our God will come and rescue.
1 “But now listen, Jacob, my servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 This is what the LORD says—
he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will help you:
Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.
5 Some will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s,’
and will take the name Israel.
[Isaiah 44:1-5]
Just for fun…getting my hair braided! 2 weeks in and still going strong…maybe I'll bring this look back to the states!
