worship

Sunday. Your day.

Rise and Shine. That's exactly what I did and also went to church there.
Rise and Shine Ministries.

In a Zambian school room, blue, white, and worn, with all the windows open I had a unique and very initmate time to worship.

To my Father, from my journal:

"Many hours with little English and I knew no other time I've spent in church in Zambia connected me more to your heart.

I've never held you or been able to touch you with my praises.
Today you saw me, she saw me.
A little lady no more than four.
As she entered the room, down the aisle she went.
She saw me and continued to her pew, stumbling in awe backwards down the row.
She couldn't take her eyes off me.

Little by little, she inched closer, hoping that I didn't notice.
Maybe she could touch me without catching my eye.
And she did.

A little hand on my leg, a tiny face straing up at me.
I didn't hesitate to find out if she wanted to be held, I just picked her up.
I've missed out on so much by hesitation.

Halleluia is the same in every language. And I sang.

Halleluia.
Her little cheek pressed hard against mine.
Halleluia.
Her eyelashes kissing my face.
Halleluia.
Her tiny fingers clasped in mine.
Halleluia.

You met me in worship. On a day that belongs to you. You saw me, were captivated by me, and were drawn to me. You rested in my arms while I sang to you.

mosey

I have done absolutely less than nothing to deserve the gift I received today.

A note from Moses:

Dear Aunt Mary,

I love you and God loves you.

Whatever u do God loves you. What ever you need just cry to God or the Spirit and they will go to open the heavens.

I say thank you that you are alive.

I never stop praying to God. I am going to pray to you that when u are going back to your country. I want God to protect u.

God loves all. God bless all.

From Moses to my sister.




sweet boy.

idah

Lately we have not been doing very much as far as working or ministry goes...we have done a lot of creating things for ourselves to do.

This down time has been a little frustrating, but through it several very good things have happened. One of the best was seeing Idah. She was my Zambian partner from my time spent at Camp Life last summer. It's hard to describe what I felt when I saw her, but here is a try:

I can't explain what it was like to see Idah today. I think about it and I can't help but smile. She was so beautiful, my sister. The love that I have for her is so deep that I know it is from God. There is no way I could ever love someone that much with such little interaction between us.

I scanned the field of Camp Life groups with their little children huddled around them eating their bread for lunch. I had already passed her once, but wasn't looking for her yet and didn't see her. I was hoping I could recognize her from a distance out of all the Zambians around me. As I walked outside, I looked up. She was the very first face I saw and I knew.

Almost exactly when I spotted her turquoise bandana, she looked up and straight into my eyes. From a considerable distance, it caught me off guard. It was like she just knew I was there and that does not surprise me one bit about her.

When our eyes met it took all of a few seconds for her to assess the situation. She scanned my face. A look of disbelief was followed with a smile and she jumped up from the ground. I couldn't help it, I just started running. And she started running. We ran.

The best part of this meeting, I can't explain, but you would have to be me. You would have to see Idah through my eyes. I can't explain how she has changed, how beautiful she is. I can't describe the feeling that welled up in me when I saw her. Or how scared I was that she had changed so much in a year that I wouldn't recognize her. Even that I wouldn't remember her face. Hugging her was like hugging someone in my family that I hadn't seen in too long. Like the sister I've never had. Like being reunited with a life-long best friend. My Idah, how special.

Soon she will be taking me to see my girls and that will be another post enitrely.