Day Eleven. God and Tea

It’s currently Sunday July 12, 2009 at 19:14 and my cup of tea and I have had a restful weekend, and have thought about you restless natives a lot today. So, it is only fitting that I create another little update for you folks who continually bless my life, even though you’ll see this a day afterward, and I just posted a somewhat out of date one.

The youth team left on Friday, leaving Taylor, Jodie and I to the rest of our time. We went to an all day meeting for Holiday Camp in a neighborhood near to the church where we prepared the dramas, art, and other things for the week. We’ll do that all next week in the mornings and a variety of things in the afternoon, depending on transportation and such.

We all finished up the week well going out to Khula club in the mornings to see pastor Joseph, the well, and all 170 of those precious kiddos, runny noses and all. The last day there, Jacob presented the gospel and about 30 kids raised their hands to ask Jesus to take control of their lives! It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. After that we were singing a song in Zulu that says there is no one like Jesus and how we were walking, walking, searching, searching and there was nothing, nothing and there is no one like Jesus. Hearing those kids and our team all singing that was moving in and of itself, but I looked at this one girl, Nancle, and she was singing in a different way than she had been the rest of the week. I could just tell in her happy hands and dancing feet and glowing smile that she understood and I just saw Jesus dancing with her. And as if that wasn’t enough to make me all misty, these other 9 year old-ish boys, that I can never remember their names, were holding my hands and were kind of sad we weren’t coming back. So I asked one if he knew Jesus in his heart and he looked up at me and said “I love Jesus, I love Jesus,” in a serious, but knowing tone, and the other one got my attention and replied the same. It was the sweetest thing ever! And what a privilege to be able to see that physical tangible (audible) fruit that I had prayed for two days ago. A welcome blessing to say the absolute least.

So that was Wednesday morning. We went to Murchison (neighborhood where new community centre is going up) and did bible club there. The first day we had 70 kids and by Wednesday we had over 150. God provided miraculously with food one day, giving us just enough to feed every child exactly (see www.419missions.blogspot.com/southafrica for details), and just really pushed our team physically, but rewarded us with relationships and joy. A 15 yr old boy name Magnificent translated the Bible story into Zulu and helped me teach the craft time by translating which was a huge blessing. He is so smart and such a gentleman and was just a joy to have around. His 14 yr old sister Lady helped us too. Beautiful, both of them.

Thursday morning, we went to Genesis Care Centre for their chapel service. This was a hallmark of our trip. The patients slowly and softly filtered in with a few nurses to aid them, and then this man started to play his accordion and sing with such passion and joy and sheer gratitude that it brought tears to my eyes. He told us God had given him the gift of song, and it was his joy to use it to praise God. Boy, did he. Then Terri Hoover on our team got up nd shared a powerful testimony of redemption and forgiveness and Greg Presented the gospel (all through a translator). Five patients accepted Christ that morning. Five more terminally ill, dying patients will now be rejoicing in heaven in new complete bodies because Jesus called them that morning!! We sang and danced for another 30 minutes as the pastor prayed and sang and nurses danced and cried and screamed (literally) praises and prayers and songs to their Savior King. I think that’s what will be the hardest about coming back…No beautiful Zulu voices filling in the silences and musical breaks and everything in between with sound. So we went from that place, wet with tears of joy and gave some gifts to patients and nurses then went back out to Murchison In a glorious, holy nutshell, about 18 or so kids ages 10 and up gave their hearts to Jesus as well! I was overcome at this point.

I had done a devotional for the team Sunday night and voiced the conviction to pray for physical fruit and all, and God had answered so enormously! We served in one body and of one mind and our reward was His name being glorified beyond our dreams of bringing Him fame. Souls were saved, lives altered, and I felt like I had done nothing, but was so thankful for that feeling. Pride is always one of my biggest shortcomings, and to feel like God had done everything through our futile hands was such a relief and a victory over the Evil one; that we could rejoice in our inadequacies and dance on our insufficiencies! Oh, what joy.

It was hard to see the youth team go, because our hearts had been so connected for so long and so joined through obedience. But at the same time, it was encouraging to know that if the month and a half was kicked off with such a bang, there’s no way God is finished! I got a little homesick this afternoon, but not too bad. I liked it almost. I do have a heart!! But just a shout out to my family: Dad, Mom, Michael, Shannon, Nana, Blestel’s, Savages, and any other Krikorian’s out there, I love you guys and miss you and have been praying for you! Be powerful in New Orleans and eat some beignets for me. And Michael, hold down the Big Apple. And my man Brady holdin’ down Kenya!! OK that’s all I got. I’ve been a little sick the past couple days (Don’t worry mom, just a cold, I got medicine!) and I need some rest and another cup of tea, which I’m up to about 4 cups a day now, so I’ll post this tomorrow and see you all soon!

Be bold, but courageous!

7/13/2009

Holiday club went fantastic! sitting now at the church and internet-ing a bit before we go back to the Apartment, which is absolutely fabulous, by the way. Complete with rockwork and stained cement and wood floors. Beautiful.

Katy

P.S. Reggie Rocket and JCON, I watched those videos you guys left on my photo-booth while I was in Cayman and laughed so much. Kind of made my day ☺ Love you, my boo’s!!! I got some sweet stuffs for our African room too, get excited