Africa: Overall Impression

As promised, here is the first of many memories I have from my adventures in Africa. While we were in Africa, I encounterd so many different experiences. In South Africa, we helped out at a local home for children called Footprints. We did a lot of work projects around the base, as well as had the joy of playing with all of our new little friends on a daily basis. Those beautiful children and staff at Footprints completely changed my view of family. Their love for each other was so contagious and beautiful. The staff at Footprints never ceased to amaze me with their servant attitudes. They serve with such joy and selflessness. I was so encouraged to see people truly living like Jesus! While in South Africa, we had the opportunity to do some door-to-door evangelism in a local squater camp(a slum). We ran several church services at traditional African churches, and we got to share Jesus' love with everyone we met!

At the end of our time in Johannesburg, we took a twenty eight hour bus ride up to Dondo, Mozambique. This is when I truly encountered culture shock. Johannesburg is a very westernized country; Mozambique is an entirely different story. For the first time in my adult life I was surrounded by a hot-climate culture that didn't know the meaning of personal space. This was a challenge at first, but I soon became accoustomed to the daily bubble invasions.:) The language barrier was also a new challenge. We crossed the boarder into Mozambique and suddenly we couldn't understand a thing. Portuguese is the primary language in Mozambique and though we had a few lessons in the language before we left, it was still very hard to communicate with the locals. Everything worked out though, because God's love breaks through ever barrier! Mozambique is where my comfort zone shattered. I did things there that I could never have imagined myself doing! The first week was a little rough. I couldn't understand how people live in those kinds of conditions on a daily basis. My heart broke for them and I couldn't do anything but love them. Mozambique was were we really dove in and had the oppoutuity to do a lot of ministry times. We stayed at an Iris Ministries base that was run by a family from Missouri. We were able to do many awesome things while there! On Easter Sunday we had the honor of Baptizing about thrity people in this little pond. It was AMAZING! After that, we ran an Easter service. It was so powerful! God was always so faithful to show up at the services we did.

One of my favorite experineces in Mozambique was when we led a service at a local pastor's church. We traveled about thirty minutes to a larger city outside of Dondo called Beira. We arrived at Pastor Mario's church to find this huge outdoor coliseum packed with about 5,000 people. We found our seats withought having any game plan or ministry schedule set up. During worship our leader passed a schedule around that contained who was speaking and what dramas we were going to do. To my horror, I saw that my name was on the list to speak and to close the ministry time. I about died, because I had never spoken in front of that many people, and I felt that I had nothing to say to them. Instead of fretting about it I continued to press in to God during the rest of worship. As I laid everything aside, He was faithful to put His words in my mouth. He reminded me of times in my life when He showed up and pulled me out of the mirey clay. I knew that I had something to say that they could actually relate to. Before it was my turn to speak someone gave me a Scripture verse that really hit home. It was Exodus 4:10-12 which reads, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
The Lord said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” I then got up on the stage confident in the Lord. The words poured from my mouth and I knew that it was God who was speaking. God is so good! After that, the Pastor got up and spoke for a minute about what I had been talking about. Then it happened. I saw at that moment the thing that us Americans are lacking and that the Africans have in abundance: desperation. The Pastor said that if anyone was wearing a sign around their neck(going off of a drama we had performed for them) that was not from God such as: depression, lust, abuse..etc to run to the altars. And that's when I saw it. Hundreds of people leaped out of their seats and ran as fast as they could to the altars. That's what we need in America! We need to be so desperate for Jesus that we run to Him with all that we have. God meets us in a place of desperation. God met every single person at that altar. Lives were changed that night because the people weren't afraid to step out and show their need. After awhile Pastor Mario prayed over them and then dissmissed them to their seats. After the altar was cleared there were about a dozen people still up there on the ground manifesting demons. It was crazy! They asked if us visitors would come up and pray for them. I couldn't believe it! One of things that God had spoken to me prior to outreach was that I was going to see captives set free. I truly felt like that was a big moment in fulfilling that. Our team went to the front and laid hands on them. Every single one of them was delivered that night from the demonic and many were filled with the Holy Spirit. I always thought that casting out demons would be a scary and unnerving experience but it wasn't. It was the most natural thing in the world. It was also very peaceful. I had no fear and as soon as the name of Jesus was proclaimed there was a such a beautiful peace unlike anything I have ever experienced. God is SO faithful!

In the end of outreach, I fell in love with Jesus and the beautiful people of Africa. South Africa and Mozambique will forever hold a dear place in my heart. I went into outreach knowing that God was going to do crazy things, but He completely shattered all of my pre-concieved expectations and hopes. You could say that Africa changed my life, but the truth is that God changed me IN Africa. He took me to a place with Him that I had never dreamed I would go. He is my lover, my friend, my Father, Mother, and Lord. He is everything to me, because He is all I need. He is always enough.