Capitalize
on every moment you have to make a relationship and share in the joys of faith
and life with someone, especially when you’re frustrated with your situation
and question if it’s worth your time. This month in Malawi was all about making
the most of imperfect situations, as I started explaining in the last blog.
Every crusade we did, I had to make the choice of a positive attitude that operated
in this faith, that God unveils unforeseen opportunities to marshal His/Her
blessing into the lives of the people around us. I would go as far as saying, God
never fails to interject His/Her hand of grace into the circumstances in which we
activate this “faith-full,” positive mindset. Laying that as the groundwork,
let me give you a story that illustrates this spiritual reality better than any
I could have written.
For
the second week of this month, we did our longest crusade (3 days) in our
pastor’s home village, called Homba Homba. Not only was it the longest crusade
time wise, but it put us on the longest, most grueling ride of the month,
probably of the Race so far. We had 8 of us in half of the bed of a small
Toyota pickup (the other half was jammed with luggage etc.), with an enclosure
over the bed. To top it off, we got stopped and had to pay a bribe to the
police because we had too many people in the back. Don’t let me fool you, it
was an unforgettable ride in many good ways too. Nevertheless, the point is,
all of the time, effort, and money that it required to get us there seemed like
it was going to be terribly “overpriced” for the fruit that was going to come
from us Americans being there.
To
clarify, the ministry we worked with consisted of 10-15 Malawians who did
almost all of the worship service that we would give on the crusades. 1 of us
13 World Racers would give a message at each service, while the rest of us had
no defined role, leaving us to find ways and opportunities to minister on our
own. Don’t think I’m saying we need to be told what to do all time, because I
actually think we seriously need that challenge. It’s just frustrating to feel
like we are more of an attraction as the “white people” than servants of God’s
kingdom. As I’ve already declared, however, moving into the stance of
positivity unfailingly allows God to employ us as His/Her servants and
transform all situations into sacred moments of kingdom work.
The
second day we were in Homba Homba, I met the legendary King Arthur. Y’all know
the story of King Arthur, the disputed historical or legendary King with his
Knights of the Round Table from medieval England, right? Well, my man Arthur,
that was really his name, was just as mysteriously noble and honorable in his
character and faith as was the legendary king I’m associating him with here. I
met him on a walk around the village and he blew me away with his welcoming
attitude and desire to grow in his faith. He eagerly asked to meet with me
later and read the bible together and share about our understanding of God. I
was ecstatic, seeing the potential for a relationship that could truly have
long lasting (relatively speaking, in the context of these crusades) influence
on Arthur’s life.
That
night, Arthur came around and we went headfirst into the Bible. I shared with
him some stories and teachings that are paramount in my life, and we battled
through some of the most difficult texts in the canon (Bible), assailing them
with some really hard questions, about the stories themselves and who God is
and how we read His/Her Word. His eyes were as big as watermelons, as he
engaged the text and our conversations about faith and Scripture with
full-bodied passion and enthusiasm. It was by far the best opportunity I’ve had
to put the education I’ve received from seminary into action, and I couldn’t
have painted a better picture of what using it could look like. It was obvious
from his reactions and responses that he won’t ever read Scripture the same
again (don’t read that as a naïve exaggeration; the things we shared about were
certainly small but still significant). If only he had a Bible to read with his
new insights and lenses of perspective… We closed the night with a powerful
prayer together and planned to meet the next day.
In
the morning, while everyone else went to speak to kids in a school, my friend
Kyle and I went to spend time with Arthur, part of which included helping him
build his house! We talked about life, music, the Bible, his past, his family,
and then chopped and laid the wooded logs for his roof! From there, we went
with him to see the fields where he grows crops and learn about his daily life.
On the way back, he and his friend couldn’t wait to sit us down and play some
worship music for us. I was sad to see the battered, old guitar with only 3
strings that his friend had, wishing I could give him a better one, but when I experienced
the indescribable joy and beauty that arose from it and their songs, I couldn’t
praise God enough for the blessing he had given to them in this broken
instrument. What a joy it was later when we gave them our teammate Kameron’s
guitar to play their songs for everyone at the crusade…
The
more I got to know Arthur, the more I scratched my head in disbelief at the
extraordinary faith, character, and integrity that God has been forming in this
young man in the most remote, undeveloped village I’ve ever seen. He takes care
of and loves to pieces his grandma who raised him because both of his parents
died when he was around 4 years old. When I asked him why he was late getting
to the crusade, he said it was because he had a meeting about the drama he is directing
to promote education and awareness about HIV/Aids with students from the
community. And when I told him how much I loved the mangoes in his village, he
later brought me a bucket of about 20 choice ones that he had gone and gotten
off the trees himself just for me. Now do you see why I’m affiliating him with
the renowned King Arthur? And this is just what I learned of him in 2 days!
On
the final night, we shared in more deeply challenging conversations about
Scripture and worshipped together, neither of us wanting to night to end. He
opened up to me about his hopes and dreams, making himself vulnerable to
someone he just met the day before and knew he would probably never see again.
I was a fire of compassion and gratitude, striving to give everything I had in
brotherly love and encouragement to him. I filled him with every ounce of
positive hope and faith that I know. I expressed over and over again how
important our time together had been for me. How could so much happen in a
friendship and ministry experience like this in 2 days? And in a way I never
saw coming, God slammed the door on my frustrations with the imperfect
structure of the crusade and our inability to do something that would be
sustainable in people’s lives. Kyle had brought a Bible in their native
language (chewa) to give to someone who God would lead him to, and, no
surprise, that person was Arthur. I know without a fraction of doubt that God
will sow long lasting blessing into Arthur’s life from the Spirit-filled time
we had together and the Bible that God gave to him through us. If only he knew
how much his life and friendship will impact me and my approach to ministry,
and life as a whole. Although I still hold true to all that I said and believe
in the last blog about the need for sustainability in ministry and community development,
I will never again question that God can do things far above and beyond what we
think possible in every form of ministry. It just takes faith tied to
optimistic thinking to trigger the boundless force of God’s merciful love and
transformation into people’s lives, no matter how constricted the parameters
may appear.
