Beautiful Epiphanies of God

        “I have a Maker, who formed my heart. Before even time began, my life was in His hands.

          I have a Father. He calls me His own. he’ll never leave me. no matter where I go.

          He knows my name. He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls, and He hears me when I call.”

-‘He knows my name’ by Tommy Walker

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“Let peace like a river attendeth my way. Let sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well. It is well with my soul! ”

“It is well. It is well. With my soul. With my soul. It is well with my soul!”

-‘It is Well’ by Horatio G. Spafford

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“When I found you...I found somebody who cares.  When I found you...I found love. When I found you…. I found the rest of my life. When I found you….I told all others good-bye. When I found you I saw my fears fly away like a dove. When I found you I found love”

-“I found love” by BeBe and CeCe Winnows

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“All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live…..All to Jesus I surrender; Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now……All to Jesus I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine; Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine…..All to Jesus I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me….All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame……I surrender all,
I surrender all;All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.”

-“I Surrender All” by Judson W. Van DeVenter

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           These are the songs that I am listening to in the office. These are songs that I have heard a hundred times before, but never have they impacted me like they have today. Listening to the African instrument accompaniment, and even just hearing them while I am serving my Lord over here, gives them a new meaning for me. Today these songs touch me as they never have before. The first two pierce my heart as they remind m that I’m not alone. That my Heavenly Father is here with me, looking out for me, and loving me through everything. These songs remind me that this summer was planned long before my birth,  and that He has held my heart since before the world began. 

           The last named song, sets my heart on fire as I once again think about the work God has ordained for me, and once more “surrender all”. Listening to this song, I have once more vowed my life, love, and faithfulness to Him for as long as I live.  This song is an epic reminder to me of Who I am serving, why I am serving Him, and what I need to do with my life.

         This song also reminds me that life is short, but eternity is everlasting. The way I live my life determines the way I live my eternity.  As a Christian, I need to live for eternity. I need to live as though each day were truly my last. I need to live I such a way as to prepare myself to meet my Maker in the blink of an eye. So once more, that brings me back around to my call; because I vow to live for eternity, I also vow to serve the Lord in Africa for as long as He has need of me! Whenever He calls me back, I know that I will once more leave all that I have to come kneel before the throne of my King.

“For the glory of God!”

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own”

1 Corinthians 6:19

Day 4: Lusaka houses 1-2

            Well, today was day 4 in Zambia. Apparently Tuesdays-Fridays are the ‘real’ work days while Mondays are slower days that are used for running errands, grocery shopping, taking inventory, and bookkeeping. So we interns didn’t have anything to so all morning. Finally, around noon, we went and did our own grocery shopping while we waited for the kids to get out of school.

            So, after we got back to the office we waited around until the kids were out of school, then we all heading down to meet some of our Lusaka kids.  Seeing these kids struck a totally different feeling in my heart.  The Chongwe houses are out in the country with plenty of space, and they appear to be a little more well off then these sweet children in Lusaka. The part of Lusaka that homes 1 and 2 (the one’s we visited today) are located in, is the more run down, poor, part of town. Walking through the streets there is litter, glass, and dogs everywhere. Children run ramped through the streets, children in dirty, torn, occasionally oversized cloths, children who look like they have not had a bath in months!

            Then when we met our kids they were shy, and hesitant to open up. Behind their smiles I sense their pain and sorrow. This pain and sorrow I did not see in the long term Changwe kids. This is the pain of their loss and all they've been through since. Seeing such deep pain in the eyes of these children..and some of them being very young, yanks on my heart strings and makes me ache for them! I just want to take them in my arms and wash away all that pain, but I know that only God can do that.

             Today I saw first hand the hurt, impoverishment, and need that these people have, and it made me all the more resolute in my promise to follow through with God’s call, and reach out to the needy in Africa. Clearly God has called me to work with African orphans, and nothing can be more clear to me then that the only thing for me to do with my life is be here among these people, on the continent of Africa for as long as I can be of service to my King and the orphans. God has given me my marching orders and as a soldier of Christ, I go. Into the battle, into the fray, wherever He deems, lead me He may!

                                    “For the glory of God!!”

The heart of God’s plan

          Sitting at the café today and looking out the window at the market square, I was filled with love for these people and this culture. For 9 years, I have dreamt and prayed about this day. I have asked God a hundred times over to please give me the strength and the courage to leave all that I have and go to Africa.

          I have always loved this land, and have known from the start that because He called me here He would sustain me, but never in my life have I felt such a covering of peace, love, comfort, and protection over my life as I do here in this country. God truly is with me; leading me and guiding. Though I am in a strange place, I know that am in the country that God created me for, serving the people He has ordained me to serve, loving the orphans He has called me to love, and embracing the culture that He has predestined me to be part of.

That is why Africa is part of me. Ever since my call, I have been African down to the very core of my being. For years I have longed for and prayed for this day, and now that I am here, I know that there is no other place in the world that I would rather be this summer, then here. For here in this little country of Zambia, is the heart of God’s plan for me. The first stepping stone towards His ultimate plan for me. I have taken the first step, and am now on a winding pathway towards my destiny. There is no turning back. So here I am now, embracing His will, following His plan, fulfilling His call. I have embarked on the journey of a lifetime, the first trip of many. The final step towards complete submission to His will…..Zambia.

                                 “For the gory of God!!”

“Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;”

Isaiah 60: 5

Day 3: My first Sunday in Zambia

         Well, today was my first Sunday in Africa, and due to not being able to find out what time church starts, we elected to go to the café instead while we search the internet to find the right time. We asked a couple people, and each of them said a different time so rather then walk in late, where everybody will already notice us since we’re Americans, we all went to the café where I was again able to Skye my family.

        My sweet parents and sister have gotten up at 1am for two days to see me, and this morning my grandma and one of my brothers joined them. It has been so sweet and special to me to get to see their faces again. I am so blessed to have family like them who are wiling to get up at 1am to see me.

           One of the things I discovered today, is that it’s not uncommon for the public restrooms to run out of toilet paper. Something that seldom happens back in the states, yet the workers did not seem surprised or taken aback but it. They acted as though that is a common occurrence. Then I discovered that some people leave their bathroom stalls unlocked, so that people like me think those stalls are vacant! Very embarrassing!

         After we left the café, we went to the Mandahill mall where we walked around for awhile, looking at all the stores. When we were ready to head home for the night we called our taxi driver, only to discover that he had forgotten he had to pick us up and was headed out to Changwe…which is about a 30 minute drive from Lusaka.

              After our Zambian director had called anther driver for us, we sat around waiting nearly an hour for him. When he finally got to Mandahill mall, we went through several calls trying to help him understand where we were. Finally, during the last call he abruptly hung up and my fellow intern Christina was angrily telling us he had hung up when we turned around only to find him standing there. Apparently while he was talking he had see us standing there and had hung up since he’d found us. Then while he was taking us home, we got him so confused on where to go that we had to again call our director for directions to the college where we are staying. So that is how my interesting day in the city of Lusaka went today.

           I have to say, I found it really neat to see how far God has brought these people, and how much technology has impacted their lives. God is such a huge part of these people’s lives, and it has been amazing for me to witness first hand how some of my fellow Christians in Africa worship our Creator. I now know that I will potentially learn a lot from these people, if I will just sit back and let God teach me. This summer is going to be a huge growing process for me, and I eagerly await each new lesson that the Lord is going to teach me.     

                                    “For the gory of God!!”

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”

Isaiah 60:1

Day 2: God’s little blessings…and a day at the cafe

          My sister Shaylah once told me that my blog posts are always long, and I have to say she’s right. Even being here for just 2 days, there is still too much to write about to do a short post. So hang with me, and enjoy this little glimpse of Africa

           Today is my second day as an EOH intern, and my first free day in this beautiful country.  I started the day by sleeping in till 9, and waking to the sounds of Africa. Waking up to these sounds both mornings since I’ve been here has been wonderful! I think these are some of the most beautiful sounds in the world!  Each morning, after I’m ready for the day, I have loved being able to walk outside and breath in the cool African breeze, and take in all the scenery of the college campus where we are staying.

         During these past 2 days God has pointed out so many simple, yet precious little blessings to me. So here is a ‘multitude Saturday’ about my life in Africa thus far.

        1. Waking up to the sounds of Africa right outside my door

        2. smiling children eagerly grabbing for my hand

        3. The peace and joy that God has given me

        4. The ever present feeling of God’s presence with me

        5. The way the sun’s golden beams peek through the silvery clouds and bask the distant mountain terrain in their light

        6.  The local café where we have internet….and consequently Skype!!!

         7. My sweet parents and sister getting up at 4am to Skype me

                             (Thank you guys!!! It was wonderful to see your faces and hear your voices again!! I love you bunches and bunches!!!! xoxoxo)

           8. My funny sister and her Facebook posts

               (You are too funny an ornery Shyloh!!)

        9. God’s loving hands and daily comfort

        10. The feeling of God’s satisfaction and joy in me..nothing like it in all the world!!!

           After we got up, we headed to the street mall ‘Arcade’, where we spent the rest of the day on the internet, Skyping and updating everyone back in the states. Overall, it was a really good day. I greatly enjoyed getting to see the city, the people, and the culture a little bit more. That is how we spent our first free day. Hopefully next time I blog I will have pictures for you. Blessings from Africa!

                                       For the glory of God!!

Day 1: a day in Changwe

           Earlier today, I had the privilege of meeting the sweet Changwe children that I will be working with this summer.  There are 56 children in the Changwe ‘My Father’s House’s’, but only 17 of them will be under my care.
           Hanging out with these precious children, I was struck by how attention seeking and love thirsty they are, when the sad occurance  came to e]me that these children have hardly ever felt the love of a real parent. For many of them, their parent’s died when they were very little, so that they have no recollection of  that kind of love at all. With this thought, arose a deep desire within me to show them a love more powerful then any earthy love; to show them God’s love.
         All of us interns spent the rest of the afternoon, running and playing with these sweet children, and overall getting to know them a little bit. All of my favorite things that happened today, happened in Changwe with those children. One of these memories was playing volley ball with the big kids while they attempted to teach us their karate movies, all while keeping the ball in the air and chanting this awesome Nonga chant every time the ball hit the ground within the designated circle. That was super fun!
        Shortly after we arrived Obed, one of the older boys in the group, came up to Kate and asked her how it was possible that Christiana ( both of these girls are 2 of my team mates), could be both black and American. So it was after lot of confusion, that Obed went up to Christina and proceeded to ask her if a heavy amount of snow in Texas was what made her skin a lighter color then his. Later on, he again came up to Christina, and this time asked her if his skin would be lighter if he lived in he states too.  That boy is too funny! Of course, the whole team got a kick out of that. Even Christina.
             Later on, towards evening, I was sitting with some of the little girls when one of them, Precious, asked me if she could cut my hair. Of  course, I promptly and politely declined, and instead we all went and played “My Pony”.
      Hanging out with these sweet orphaned little ones, made my heart soar  to think that I was doing to very thing that God had called me to do: work with the orphans. My heart was filled to overflowing with the joy, peace, and love that was quickly flooding in. And the overpowering sense of God’s presence was amazing. It is absolutely incredible to know that we will be caring for the very people group that God solemnly promises to protect and preserve.
       To know that God’s special presence dwells with these very little ones that we will be ministering to makes me stand in awe. To think that we will be “partnering” with Jehovah Jirah this summer, totally makes all the sour emotions, and hard times that we will go through absolutely worth it %100!! So again, it is with eager expectations that await the works and the wonders that God will perform through us and in us!!!  For the glory of God!!!

“I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.”

Ecclesiastes 3:14

The beautiful side of love…loving with all your worth

         “Auntie Katy, auntie Katy!” The children all screamed as we pulled into the Changwe ‘My Father’s House’ community. 56 children surrounded the van in a screaming haze of excitement, all eager to hug ‘auntie Katy’.  By the time I was able to get out, the children had become aware of the new interns’ presence and were just as eager to meet us as they were to see Katy again.
        Stepping out of the van, I found myself surrounded by beautiful,smiling faces, and outstretched hands, and my heart immediately melted. As I gave out hugs, and shook hands, my heart quickly filled with love for these precious children who are obviously still hungry for love. From that moment on, I knew exactly why the Lord saw fit to place me here at this time in my life. I am here to love these children with the love with which Christ loves His children. I am here to show these children God’s love; a love that some of them may have never known before.
      God has shown me many things today. For starters, He has shown me how to love with all that I am worth, to rejoice with other’s joys, and to ache for the sufferings and losses of other’s.  Through all this, He has shown me a whole new side to the beauty of His creation. He has shown me how He is in all nations, planting churches in all cultures, with followers of all nationalities. But most of all, He has shown me the beautiful side of love.  He has shown me His love more vividly then ever before!

“The Lord has made all for Himself…..”

Proverbs 16:4