Ok, I have been meaning to get on here and write for a while now. So many thoughts swirling through my head. I hope I can get it all down!
First of all, I want to thank each of you personally. I want all of you to know that you have played an integral part in the healing of my heart and returning joy back to my life!! I feel like I am alive again. For the first time in 2 1/2 years, I feel like I have joy back in my life. I use to wake up in the morning and tell myself, "you will be happy today...you will feel joy." Now, I wake up in the morning and the joy is there....without me forcing it! Oh my goodness, it is so refreshing. You all have used your God-given gifts to minister to me and to help me heal. We all know that God is big enough to do things on His own. But, we also know that God likes to use His people, the Body of Christ, to reach those who are hurting and broken. Michelle, I know why God prompted me to go to you that morning in church. He knew that I needed you and the rest of our group! Michelle, your gift of prophesy amazes me. You have told me things, through God speaking through you, that have completely swept me off of my feet! You are speaking to my soul. Please continue using your gift. The results of you using your gift are like ripples in water....so many lives will be changed! I am one of them!
It doesn't stop there! I witnessed the gift of encouragement through Jen G. The gift of faith through Andrea. The gift of mercy through Mary. The gift of encouragement through Allison. The gift of encouragement through Tammy. There are so many others. I could write a book about this! But, I just want you all to know, that it works! When the Body of Christ is united, and people are using their God-given gifts, amazing things happen. Healing happens. Hope and joy are restored. Hallelujah!!
Friday, September 30, 2011
MALACHI!!!!!!
This morning the Lord took me to Malachi...from a cross reference verse in 2 Cor 5:20 our ambassadors verse...( hee hee hee) so I began to read Malachi and found pieces of many of the things He has been teaching us. Last night I posted about a rememberance timeline. Well I became giddy with excitement when I read these verses because it sounds like us!
"Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of thsoe who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name. And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him. " Mal 3:16-18
And I can't resist showing you this one too although it has nothing to do with rememberance....
" But unto you who revere and worshipfully fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings and His beams, and you shall go forth and gambol like calves (released) from the stall and leap for joy. And you shall tread down the lawless and wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this says the Lord of hosts." Mal 4:2-3
I could go on and on but girls, GO READ THAT BOOK!!!!
Hugs and Kisses in the Lord, PRAISE HIS MIGHTY HOLY POWERFUL NAME!!!
"Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of thsoe who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name. And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him. " Mal 3:16-18
And I can't resist showing you this one too although it has nothing to do with rememberance....
" But unto you who revere and worshipfully fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings and His beams, and you shall go forth and gambol like calves (released) from the stall and leap for joy. And you shall tread down the lawless and wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this says the Lord of hosts." Mal 4:2-3
I could go on and on but girls, GO READ THAT BOOK!!!!
Hugs and Kisses in the Lord, PRAISE HIS MIGHTY HOLY POWERFUL NAME!!!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
One evidence of God's orchestration of events
I have shared this with some of you but wanted to post it on our blog to highlight God's awesome-ness!
Background information:
On Saturday mornings I've been gathering with a group of girls to seek the Lord. We spend time praising Him together, talking about how amazing He is, thanking Him for things, admiring His character and singing. Then we separate and have quiet time to confess things to Him and listen to Him. And then we come back together and share what verses we were reading, what understanding we gained, what we heard Him say. Countless times, some of us will have read and pondered the SAME VERSES or the SAME THEMES during our quiet time alone with Him. It's so encouraging to hear that He is working out the same issues in lots of us at once!
OK here's the story:
When I was in college (about 14 years ago!), I remember having a really really down time. I was despairing over something (don't remember now what it was) and I was crying in my dorm room. I remember thinking "Nehemiah". I was like...what in the world is nehemiah? a book in the bible? a character in the bible?? I'm telling the truth, I wasn't even sure if Nehemiah was a biblical thing. But I grabbed my bible and journal, drove to a deserted road in the dark, found Nehemiah and read and cried. God spoke to me in a way that I REALLY needed.
In the past 1-2 weeks, I've been reminded of Nehemiah. I had been thinking that I really ought to read it again and see if there is anything important in there for me to learn now. I didn't take the time to sit and read it until our girl time on Saturday. I opened my bible and wrote the entire first prayer in my bible. I prayed as I went along and asked God to reveal important aspects to me. I was struck by the importance of confession - confessing for ourselves, confessing for our children, confessing for our nation and our world.
On Sunday, I sat down in church and worshiped God. Then our pastor stood on the stage and announced, "open your bible to the book of Nehemiah". I just about fell out of my seat!! He preached from Nehemiah chapter 1 and read the entire first prayer that I had written in my journal. He again highlighted the importance of prayer and confession.
I do not believe this was a coincidence. I believe that the message in Nehemiah is a very important one right now - I would not be at all surprised if others had been drawn to the book recently too! I also believe that this experience was a gift from God to me :) I've sought Him but often wondered if I'm really perceiving his prompting correctly or if I'm just "making things up". This experience made me giddy because I think it says that, at least in that moment, I was in tune with the Lord's heart and what He's doing in His people right now.
Never give up seeking Him. He is amazing and so worth knowing! He wants to be known by us and to have a relationship with Him. If your eyes are open and you're talking with Him frequently, He will make Himself known to you. I think He reveals Himself in lots of ways every day and we just miss it because we're not looking.
Let's open our eyes, "wake up from our slumber" and experience relationship with HIM!
Jen
Background information:
On Saturday mornings I've been gathering with a group of girls to seek the Lord. We spend time praising Him together, talking about how amazing He is, thanking Him for things, admiring His character and singing. Then we separate and have quiet time to confess things to Him and listen to Him. And then we come back together and share what verses we were reading, what understanding we gained, what we heard Him say. Countless times, some of us will have read and pondered the SAME VERSES or the SAME THEMES during our quiet time alone with Him. It's so encouraging to hear that He is working out the same issues in lots of us at once!
OK here's the story:
When I was in college (about 14 years ago!), I remember having a really really down time. I was despairing over something (don't remember now what it was) and I was crying in my dorm room. I remember thinking "Nehemiah". I was like...what in the world is nehemiah? a book in the bible? a character in the bible?? I'm telling the truth, I wasn't even sure if Nehemiah was a biblical thing. But I grabbed my bible and journal, drove to a deserted road in the dark, found Nehemiah and read and cried. God spoke to me in a way that I REALLY needed.
In the past 1-2 weeks, I've been reminded of Nehemiah. I had been thinking that I really ought to read it again and see if there is anything important in there for me to learn now. I didn't take the time to sit and read it until our girl time on Saturday. I opened my bible and wrote the entire first prayer in my bible. I prayed as I went along and asked God to reveal important aspects to me. I was struck by the importance of confession - confessing for ourselves, confessing for our children, confessing for our nation and our world.
On Sunday, I sat down in church and worshiped God. Then our pastor stood on the stage and announced, "open your bible to the book of Nehemiah". I just about fell out of my seat!! He preached from Nehemiah chapter 1 and read the entire first prayer that I had written in my journal. He again highlighted the importance of prayer and confession.
I do not believe this was a coincidence. I believe that the message in Nehemiah is a very important one right now - I would not be at all surprised if others had been drawn to the book recently too! I also believe that this experience was a gift from God to me :) I've sought Him but often wondered if I'm really perceiving his prompting correctly or if I'm just "making things up". This experience made me giddy because I think it says that, at least in that moment, I was in tune with the Lord's heart and what He's doing in His people right now.
Never give up seeking Him. He is amazing and so worth knowing! He wants to be known by us and to have a relationship with Him. If your eyes are open and you're talking with Him frequently, He will make Himself known to you. I think He reveals Himself in lots of ways every day and we just miss it because we're not looking.
Let's open our eyes, "wake up from our slumber" and experience relationship with HIM!
Jen
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Echo
Forgive me because this is the second time I have typed this, not sure what happened to the first one. I tried to comment on your post Andrea and poof, gone! I could echo your entire post. I think Vince described it honestly and boldly when he said I was acting as if I had suffered a severe trama and has PTSD symptoms. That is kind of how it felt deep in my heart and soul. I don't think God wants us to forget what HE did in and through us. Let him be glorified in everything. I just want to lay it all down for Him. There is so much I want to share but I need time to process it before I spill it out onto paper as a "blog". I thank God for each and everyone of you and your openness. The words unity and reconciliation keep coming into my head.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Battles of remembrance
Hi ladies,
I am anxious to share and hear from each of you as God continues to reveal His heart to us! I have already shared this with some of you, but it is hard to express the battle this is going on in my heart now. It is quite an adjustment returning home from a life-changing mission trip. There are lots of questions (mostly about myself, my way of life, my priorities), countless prayers (God please remind me of my purpose here, my family, my kids...), and a letting go that has to take place.
But most of all every day I have to fight to redeem the acts I have done in faith for Christ's glory. The enemy would like nothing more than for me to think that going to Ghana has not/does not make a difference for the Kingdom. The time we have there is so short, and we do so much during that time that much of it is a blur. Now that I am in the midst of processing through the trip: what I saw, what I heard, what I experienced, I must claim those memories for the glory of God. It isn't just for me...it's for God's glory and His purposes for me to REMEMBER!
In Scripture God puts a high importance on remembering...that is why He gave us the Holy Spirit. Jesus said He was sending us a Helper to..."remind you of everything I have said to you." God spoke to my heart countless times during the trip, and I am desperately longing for those powerful Words to be redeemed! I am reading Joshua right now and after the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, God told them to pick up twelve rocks from the riverbed and set them up at their first camp as a remembrance. This is what He told the twelve men appointed for this task, "Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." (Josh. 4: 5-7)
God is telling me to "take up a stone" of remembrance from this trip to Ghana and place it down firmly in my "camp" as a testimony of what He did and what He is going to do in my life, in Ghana, and in the World. I was actually able to share with Ella about my stone of rememberance today. We were looking at pics on Facebook of the trip. One of the team members had posted a pic of me praying in the clinic. (Alicia and I prayed in the clinic most of the week.) I held Ella on my lap and told her that I was praying for people who came to see the doctor and get medicine. She said, "I want to hear you (praying)." I said, "It's just a picture, sweetie, you can't hear me. But this is what Mommy said." I told her very simply the prayer I prayed over the woman and her daughter. It was a victory as I laid down a stone of remembrance in her heart and mine, claiming what the Father had done in and through me.
The battle coming back from Ghana is not just to "adjust back to life as usual", but to claim victories for the Kingdom in my own heart and tell others about what God has done! And that is what God calls each of us to do, no matter how small the victory...We must CLAIM the victories and PROCLAIM the mighty things He has done! II Peter 2:9. We must go forward in victory and on to future victories for Christ's glory. I pray only that I am faithful steward of the blessings He has already given.
Giving thanks to God for each of you!
Andrea
I am anxious to share and hear from each of you as God continues to reveal His heart to us! I have already shared this with some of you, but it is hard to express the battle this is going on in my heart now. It is quite an adjustment returning home from a life-changing mission trip. There are lots of questions (mostly about myself, my way of life, my priorities), countless prayers (God please remind me of my purpose here, my family, my kids...), and a letting go that has to take place.
But most of all every day I have to fight to redeem the acts I have done in faith for Christ's glory. The enemy would like nothing more than for me to think that going to Ghana has not/does not make a difference for the Kingdom. The time we have there is so short, and we do so much during that time that much of it is a blur. Now that I am in the midst of processing through the trip: what I saw, what I heard, what I experienced, I must claim those memories for the glory of God. It isn't just for me...it's for God's glory and His purposes for me to REMEMBER!
In Scripture God puts a high importance on remembering...that is why He gave us the Holy Spirit. Jesus said He was sending us a Helper to..."remind you of everything I have said to you." God spoke to my heart countless times during the trip, and I am desperately longing for those powerful Words to be redeemed! I am reading Joshua right now and after the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, God told them to pick up twelve rocks from the riverbed and set them up at their first camp as a remembrance. This is what He told the twelve men appointed for this task, "Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." (Josh. 4: 5-7)
God is telling me to "take up a stone" of remembrance from this trip to Ghana and place it down firmly in my "camp" as a testimony of what He did and what He is going to do in my life, in Ghana, and in the World. I was actually able to share with Ella about my stone of rememberance today. We were looking at pics on Facebook of the trip. One of the team members had posted a pic of me praying in the clinic. (Alicia and I prayed in the clinic most of the week.) I held Ella on my lap and told her that I was praying for people who came to see the doctor and get medicine. She said, "I want to hear you (praying)." I said, "It's just a picture, sweetie, you can't hear me. But this is what Mommy said." I told her very simply the prayer I prayed over the woman and her daughter. It was a victory as I laid down a stone of remembrance in her heart and mine, claiming what the Father had done in and through me.
The battle coming back from Ghana is not just to "adjust back to life as usual", but to claim victories for the Kingdom in my own heart and tell others about what God has done! And that is what God calls each of us to do, no matter how small the victory...We must CLAIM the victories and PROCLAIM the mighty things He has done! II Peter 2:9. We must go forward in victory and on to future victories for Christ's glory. I pray only that I am faithful steward of the blessings He has already given.
Giving thanks to God for each of you!
Andrea
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The service of mommyhood
I have been thinking a couple of days, what can I share with my precious friends? They are so wise, so "full of the Spirit", what I could I do to encourage, love and express my love for the Lord all at the same time (really easy task :) ) The only thing I could think of is something that has been burning on my heart for awhile and that is our service as mommies (and wives) As we are in this season of wiping noses, kissing boo-boo's, training children, and feeling like we do the EXACT same thing over and over again, I think "I cannot do this anymore...ugh is this making any difference, who cares if the kitchen is swept for the forth time today...seriously what impact am I making in the world?" Well then I am gently reminded that I am doing this because I was made for such a time as this. My children were made especially for me. No one else could love them like I do, no one could train them like I do and no one else can be their mommies. Ladies, we have a special, wonderful calling on our lives to mommies and wives. We have a wonderful calling to clean, cook and serve our homes. No one else can do it like us, and no one else was made for it but us, and we are doing it to not only serve them, but serve our Lord. There is a reason God spent an entire chapter on being wives, moms and women..it is important to Him. And I am learning that we aren't called to be perfect. In fact we are to be exactly opposite, for it says in His Word that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. We don't have to have it all together we just have to rely on Him.
There is a song out there by Steven Curtis Chapman called Do Everything and one time I was really throwing this pity party and these verses came across the radio:
You're picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We'll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you
Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do
Yep that was me and that reminded me...it's not about me. It's about Him, it's about my babies, it's about my honey...it's not about going from task to task with resentment in my heart, rather it's singing and dancing through my days knowing I am serving my Lord, serving my children and being blessed through it all.
Ladies, I love you so much and please know that I am so blessed to walk this season with you, and the seasons to come.
Allison
There is a song out there by Steven Curtis Chapman called Do Everything and one time I was really throwing this pity party and these verses came across the radio:
You're picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We'll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you
Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do
Yep that was me and that reminded me...it's not about me. It's about Him, it's about my babies, it's about my honey...it's not about going from task to task with resentment in my heart, rather it's singing and dancing through my days knowing I am serving my Lord, serving my children and being blessed through it all.
Ladies, I love you so much and please know that I am so blessed to walk this season with you, and the seasons to come.
Allison
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
WAKE UP
I am blown away by the Lord.
I've walked around this world in a slumber, oblivious to The Lord's presence, deaf blind and numb, unable to perceive His promptings. I've been focused on my little world, my little family, my little office, my struggles, my friends, my money, my hopes, my dreams...
All the while, HE IS. My God, the Creator of All, the One who formed me and my little world, my little family, my little office, the One who orchestrated my struggles, who created my friends, who blessed me with money, who INSPIRED my hopes and dreams. HE IS. He is working, He is moving, He is loving, He is providing. I've been in a slumber and I am WAKING UP again. I've been here before, in this place where my awareness is suddenly sharpened to reality. A reality that is so much more phenomenal than what I see before my eyes. A reality that provides meaning to my life and the lives of the people that I love.
I'm totally digging Need to Breathe's new song - Slumber.
My favorite lines are:
Glory's waiting right outside your window
Hearts are stronger after broken
All these victims stand in line for the crumbs that fall from the table, just enough to get by
All the while your invitation, Wake on up from your slumber, baby open up your eyes!!!
Please go listen to the song, it's awesome!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIMt-omB8Ck
The One who created you and I, who created the ka-jillions of people who have lived before us, offers us so much more than what we see in front of our eyes. His offer is real life. Life that has meaning and purpose that far outweighs the sadness, grief, pain and loss of this world. I don't want to slumber anymore. We (the writers of this blog) are waking up! We're not weird, religious freaks. We're real girls who have experienced God, often in the really really really hard stuff of life, and have found Him to be trustworthy, faithful, kind, gentle and good. Wanna join us? If your heart is stirred by the things you read here, ask yourself WHO is stirring you? Join us in this exciting journey!
With Love, Jen
I've walked around this world in a slumber, oblivious to The Lord's presence, deaf blind and numb, unable to perceive His promptings. I've been focused on my little world, my little family, my little office, my struggles, my friends, my money, my hopes, my dreams...
All the while, HE IS. My God, the Creator of All, the One who formed me and my little world, my little family, my little office, the One who orchestrated my struggles, who created my friends, who blessed me with money, who INSPIRED my hopes and dreams. HE IS. He is working, He is moving, He is loving, He is providing. I've been in a slumber and I am WAKING UP again. I've been here before, in this place where my awareness is suddenly sharpened to reality. A reality that is so much more phenomenal than what I see before my eyes. A reality that provides meaning to my life and the lives of the people that I love.
I'm totally digging Need to Breathe's new song - Slumber.
My favorite lines are:
Glory's waiting right outside your window
Hearts are stronger after broken
All these victims stand in line for the crumbs that fall from the table, just enough to get by
All the while your invitation, Wake on up from your slumber, baby open up your eyes!!!
Please go listen to the song, it's awesome!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIMt-omB8Ck
The One who created you and I, who created the ka-jillions of people who have lived before us, offers us so much more than what we see in front of our eyes. His offer is real life. Life that has meaning and purpose that far outweighs the sadness, grief, pain and loss of this world. I don't want to slumber anymore. We (the writers of this blog) are waking up! We're not weird, religious freaks. We're real girls who have experienced God, often in the really really really hard stuff of life, and have found Him to be trustworthy, faithful, kind, gentle and good. Wanna join us? If your heart is stirred by the things you read here, ask yourself WHO is stirring you? Join us in this exciting journey!
With Love, Jen
Ambassadors
This is for Alicia and Andrea......I was writing scriptures this morning and came across this passage and it made me think about the two of you. Eph 6: 19-20 "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." Yes, this is Paul writing from prison, but his obedience and faithfulness! Alicia you said that at one point you could not even hear yourself praying, but this scripture encourages us to ask for the words to be given to us and how awesome that we can pray with boldness the message of Christ. God wants to accomplish His plan through us no matter where we are (here, Africa, etc.)! And Andrea, you mentioned how humbled you were to be laying hands on mothers and children and praying for their healing not just on this side but for eternity. I am in awe at His love, mercy and faithfulness. I am honored and blessed to see Him working through us! I feel like I have a front seat at the best show on earth....are you laughing at me now?! It's ok, I'm smiling too.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Beginnings...
Wow, ok, the first post. No pressure. I want to share the background from where this started,very briefly. In Spring of 2010, the Lord told me to call my sisters in Christ to battle. As I sought Him for meaning, He showed me that He wanted us to seek His face in prayer, in being still before Him, and listening. Off like a herd of turtles, a few of us answered the call that summer. God was amazing! But Fall came and we fizzled out. Faithful Father, reminded me of the call this summer and brought Andrea into my path, who had also heard the call. So we put the word out and began to meet together,seek His face,and listen. And boy did He respond!! He is so good to us and all that is on this blog is an outpouring from Him and His faithfulness to His children and promises! What has He said or shown us? Stay tuned to find out...
"When Thou didst say, "Seek My face," my heart said to Thee, "Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek. "
Psalm 27:8
"Yes, let us know (recognize, be acquainted with, and understand) Him; let us be zealous to know the Lord (to appericiate, give heed to, and cherish Him). His going forth is perpared and certain as the dawn, and He will come to us as the heavy rain, as the latter rain that waters the earth." Hosea 6:3 Amp
"When Thou didst say, "Seek My face," my heart said to Thee, "Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek. "
Psalm 27:8
"Yes, let us know (recognize, be acquainted with, and understand) Him; let us be zealous to know the Lord (to appericiate, give heed to, and cherish Him). His going forth is perpared and certain as the dawn, and He will come to us as the heavy rain, as the latter rain that waters the earth." Hosea 6:3 Amp
The Hands and Feet of Jesus
Hello sisters in Christ!
I am so thankful for this blog, a place to share our hearts and celebrate the work of Christ in the world! Thank you, Michelle, for following the Lord's leadership in starting it! I just wanted to share one story with you. I returned just this Saturday from my second trip to Ghana, West Africa. I had the privilege of traveling with 18 other Godly men and women and ministering in the name of Jesus to the men, women and children in the bush villages. This year we traveled to the central region, a more heavily Muslim area of the country.
We visited four different villages in the region and while there set-up medical clinics, dedicated fresh water wells, and shared the love of Christ through prayer, preaching, singing, and loving on the people there. In the first two villages, we were able to "greet" the tribal chiefs. These "greetings" were very ceremonial and formal. The chiefs would line-up long rows of chairs and would sit facing our group. They would welcome us to their village and would then respond to our request to have clinic, start a pole barn church, or simply be present preaching in the name of Jesus. In these meetings, I truly felt as if we were representing the Church, ambassadors going in Jesus' name to offer these men an invitation to receive Jesus in their village.
Our group was received and embraced, but more than that, the love of Christ was tangible. One chief said that he was "overwhelmed by the kindness and grace of our group", and stated that we had brought "light" into his village. The other chief, which was representing a divided community (many factions including Muslim, Christian, and traditional religions) said that the whole village (over 4,000) would now turn to Jesus Christ. What a privilege to see the response of these chiefs!
But one of the most meaningful and heart-rending times I experienced was at the end of the second day of clinic in the village of Zabrama. That day Alicia and I were in the prayer station where we lifted up the physical and spiritual needs of each person. The last few patients were being seen by the doctors and the day was drawing to a close. Suddenly it started to pour, and I mean POUR rain outside. All day long we had trouble keeping the crowds of people outside, but when it started to rain, everyone began pouring inside the walls of stone building and into the clinic. We had to allow the doctors to continue seeing the last few patients, so we set up a "barricade" with plastic lawn chairs. Several of us "stood guard", so the doctors could finish the clinic peacefully.
At first the crowd looked like just that - a crowd. Loud, bustling, trying to push through our temporary barricade. But then Alicia came to me and said, "I feel so burdened for the needs of these people. They came here hoping to see a doctor and now we are leaving and some of them may never get to see a doctor the rest of their lives. Should we pray for them?" Immediately I agreed that we could not offer them medicine, but we could offer them something better - the blessing of Jesus Christ. We began reaching out our hands, past the lawn-chair barricade and touching children, elderly women, and pregnant mothers begging God to bless these people who were so desperate to be seen! It was overwhelming as women began grabbing my hand and placing it on their foreheads, or their child's head. My eyes filled with tears as I imagined my Savior, Jesus, confined to a human body being confronted with desperate pleas and cries, people reaching out their hands for help as He walked the streets. How He must have ached for them.
The compassion of Christ is a overwhelming thing - it takes over your whole heart and consumes you until you think you might explode with aching for the needs of another human soul. But His compassion is the only thing that would compel me to leave my family to share His love in an African bush village half-way around the world.
Love,
Andrea
I am so thankful for this blog, a place to share our hearts and celebrate the work of Christ in the world! Thank you, Michelle, for following the Lord's leadership in starting it! I just wanted to share one story with you. I returned just this Saturday from my second trip to Ghana, West Africa. I had the privilege of traveling with 18 other Godly men and women and ministering in the name of Jesus to the men, women and children in the bush villages. This year we traveled to the central region, a more heavily Muslim area of the country.
We visited four different villages in the region and while there set-up medical clinics, dedicated fresh water wells, and shared the love of Christ through prayer, preaching, singing, and loving on the people there. In the first two villages, we were able to "greet" the tribal chiefs. These "greetings" were very ceremonial and formal. The chiefs would line-up long rows of chairs and would sit facing our group. They would welcome us to their village and would then respond to our request to have clinic, start a pole barn church, or simply be present preaching in the name of Jesus. In these meetings, I truly felt as if we were representing the Church, ambassadors going in Jesus' name to offer these men an invitation to receive Jesus in their village.
Our group was received and embraced, but more than that, the love of Christ was tangible. One chief said that he was "overwhelmed by the kindness and grace of our group", and stated that we had brought "light" into his village. The other chief, which was representing a divided community (many factions including Muslim, Christian, and traditional religions) said that the whole village (over 4,000) would now turn to Jesus Christ. What a privilege to see the response of these chiefs!
But one of the most meaningful and heart-rending times I experienced was at the end of the second day of clinic in the village of Zabrama. That day Alicia and I were in the prayer station where we lifted up the physical and spiritual needs of each person. The last few patients were being seen by the doctors and the day was drawing to a close. Suddenly it started to pour, and I mean POUR rain outside. All day long we had trouble keeping the crowds of people outside, but when it started to rain, everyone began pouring inside the walls of stone building and into the clinic. We had to allow the doctors to continue seeing the last few patients, so we set up a "barricade" with plastic lawn chairs. Several of us "stood guard", so the doctors could finish the clinic peacefully.
At first the crowd looked like just that - a crowd. Loud, bustling, trying to push through our temporary barricade. But then Alicia came to me and said, "I feel so burdened for the needs of these people. They came here hoping to see a doctor and now we are leaving and some of them may never get to see a doctor the rest of their lives. Should we pray for them?" Immediately I agreed that we could not offer them medicine, but we could offer them something better - the blessing of Jesus Christ. We began reaching out our hands, past the lawn-chair barricade and touching children, elderly women, and pregnant mothers begging God to bless these people who were so desperate to be seen! It was overwhelming as women began grabbing my hand and placing it on their foreheads, or their child's head. My eyes filled with tears as I imagined my Savior, Jesus, confined to a human body being confronted with desperate pleas and cries, people reaching out their hands for help as He walked the streets. How He must have ached for them.
The compassion of Christ is a overwhelming thing - it takes over your whole heart and consumes you until you think you might explode with aching for the needs of another human soul. But His compassion is the only thing that would compel me to leave my family to share His love in an African bush village half-way around the world.
Love,
Andrea
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