It started with seeing the property where the Pothawira Orphan Village will be located. Consisting of approximately 50 acres, it is our hope that this beautiful parcel of land will one day contain 32 homes, a medical clinic/birthing center, a church/primary school, and a boarding secondary school. We prayed over the land and celebrated the gift from God that it is and will be.
We then engaged in the "Salima Spiritual Life Tour," where we visited 5 of the 12 churches that Peter Maseko oversees. (We had stopped by 2 of the churches yesterday enroute from the airport). Each church provided a special blessing through the encouragement and fellowship with their members. Some of these churches were in extreme remote locations, accessed through a maze of dirt roads washed out by the seasonal rains and rutted by the wheels of oxen carts. Goats and chickens scattered in every direction through fields of cotton and maize as we rolled into each tiny village of straw huts and a simple church.
That's when the pandemonium would begin. One child would yell to announce our arrival and what seemed like the entire village would run to the church to greet us in song and celebration. This experience was repeated over and over, each time in a slightly different manner, but always with the same effect. We were honored and humbled to receive such a welcome.
As we left one village, the children sang a beautiful song. We asked Peter what it meant and he replied "When we get to heaven, there will be manna."
This expression of faith is not taught in seminary or found in a how to book. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit, such that despite their meager possessions and limited opportunities, they have found contentment and joy in life. So even if they don't have daily bread here on earth, they understand that their Heavenly Father will provide manna in heaven.
I pray that we might have such an understanding of God's love and compassion.
What a powerful message - contentment and joy in life, with a trust in God for even greater blessings in heaven. If only we would all take this lesson to heart and learn to be content with less here on earth, knowing that our greatest blessings are yet to come.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying over the requests in all of the blogs and trust that God will hear the prayers of Colonial and the world beyond and help us to act, according to His will.
Thanks so much for all of the blog entries - it's a blessing to follow this trip!