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It’s my 11th and last month on The World Race….

 I rarely blink an eye when I notice a goat sharing the taxi-bus seat with me.  My feet have a distinct chaco dirt line as I climb into my equally-dirty sleeping bag.  Western toilets are now considered luxury. Street food, which was once appalling, has become appetizing.

Needless to say, after 10 months, the third world is no longer foreign to me. Things that once were photo-worthy, are now so normal that I rarely take notice.

My prayer for this final month in Malawi is that God would refresh me. Lord, refresh my eyes to see the people and places you’ve created in a new way. Give me a fresh heart that passionately longs to bring Kingdom.

Today, God answered my prayer.

Today…I think…maybe….was my favorite day of ministry. (There I go, talking like an African!)

Tressa, Renee and I had the opportunity to visit a widow’s and orphan’s ministry in a nearby village outside of Lilongwe, Malawi.

We traveled along bumpy dirt roads (by car, then by foot) to a small concrete building in the poorest area I have ever seen. The children who ran to shake our hands were covered head to toe in dirt, with recent tears marking clean streaks down many of their faces. Small mud huts surrounded the area, with women sitting on hand-made straw mats outside. Everything was an even shade of red-brown as dust was blown into every nook and cranny.


The sweet kids who followed us around the village saying "Azungu" and shaking our hands.

 

When we walked in, ladies of all ages greeted us with songs. They were wrapped in colorful African fabrics and sang in Chichewa, the national language of Malawi. The widows took our hands and we danced with them in a circle to their rhythmic claps. As we sang, I realized this day of ministry would be a day unlike no other.

I could sense the Spirit filling my heart. As I preached encouragement to my new African sistas, I felt the Spirit fill my mouth with anointed words. The ladies nodded and clapped as I spoke, confirming that their hearts were touched by words from their Heavenly Father.

Renee briefly shared her testimony of God’s faithfulness, which was quickly followed by a number of testimonies from the women. We then sang and danced once more, in both English and Chichewa. For lonely widows, these ladies sure had a lot of joy and love to offer!

 


Smiling with the joyful village widows during ministry.

 
Before our visit was over, we collectively prayed for the women. At the end of the prayer, Renee noticed one of the widows had lost her voice. She asked if we could pray healing over her. As soon as we said, “Amen,” ladies were lined up along the front of the group, with their hands up eager to receive prayer. Each lady would silently point to something that needed prayer – her head, stomach, throat, child, etc. – and we prayed fervently over her. Although no immediate miracle was noticed, the room was full of the Spirit of God. It was everywhere. I could sense it in my hands as they tingled when I touched each widow. I could feel it overflow out of my heart and form words on my tongue. These widows, who had all experienced more poverty and brokenness than my mind could fathom, were filled with a joy that could only be explained by the presence of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.

At this point, it is easy to count down the days until my return to America. It’s also easy to approach ministry as if it were just another day on the Race.  However, my heart desires to finish strong, soaking up each refreshing moment God has to offer during my 11th and final month on the Race.
 


 
“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 1:27
 

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:14