This last week
has been exhausting. We rolled
into Malawi on the back of a flat bed truck after nearly a 40 hour ride and
have nearly doubled that time over the past week. My tailbone is beginning to hate me, but it is getting very
familiar with the ridges at the bottom of the flatbed and the sweet feeling
that each dip the dirt road brings.
I can’t imagine what a short commute to work must feel like, much less
driving.
I make jokes, but
the past week has been incredible.
We are working with a ministry out here that connects churches
nationwide. Churches of all
different backgrounds and denominations come together under this umbrella to
help each other out through prayer and support. With this country being so poor, it’s very hard for a church
to make it on its own, so these churches must work together. So over the past week, we have been
traveling to different hub sites where several churches are represented by
their pastors and leaders and we have been given the opportunity to teach and
share our testimonies.
Everyday for the past week we have been traveling a couple of hours to these
different hub sites and we have each been called to speak every day. We are all asked to share a part of our
testimony each day and one person is asked to teach a lesson. I’m working with
Team Bamboo, and I honestly expected to do a lot of teaching this month, but
have only gotten the opportunity once.
This team has done an incredible job of hearing from God and not allowing
fear to keep them silent. Everyone
has spoken everyday and no one has preached more than once. Knowing how this team started the race
and the fears that have been around, it’s truly something to celebrate each day
as someone new steps up and doubts are silenced.
Unlike the
majority of this team, teaching has become something that I have taken a lot of
pride in and never seem to hesitate turning down an offer to use this
gift. Over the years I have
developed this gift but somewhere along the way I began to hide behind it. I longed to be a good communicator and
often put that above actually learning anything from the Word or spending any
quality time with God. I got
pretty good at this, but fortunately God has this way of calling us out when we
try to hide behind something (it’s almost like He’s everywhere or knows
everything…crazy thought).
I’ve spent the
last several months just waiting for my opportunity to teach again but never
really getting one. It’s been
tough. Do you ever feel frustrated
because you feel like God won’t let you use your gifts? I guess I never really realized how
much pride was in that question until I just wrote it down. This time of silence has been an
interesting opportunity to grow and the humbling lessons are always
“enjoyable”, but I’m thankful that God continues to use me.
I’m thankful that
He’s given me the opportunity to share His word this week and shown me the
difference between thirsting for His thoughts instead of lusting for mine.
