Father, You have a way of speaking profoundly to my heart, but mainly in the shower. I remember when I was praying for my family while taking a shower, back in November of 2016. Then immediately afterwards, I wrote down a prayer listing each one by name. In January of 2017, my nephew passed. Your peace encompassed me and them. It was very difficult and yes, heart wrenching...but Your Presence upheld us, just as You promised it would.
I was just in the shower and the hot water was absolute heaven on earth. It reminded me of Ghana, where there was none...not even lukewarm showers, during our 14 days.
Then I started to reflect on all the things that we (so called lacked) according to my eyes and my personal opinion...exactly why I need YOU and exactly why I am of no use without You!
We did not have the comforts of home. Just to name a few: we did not have a consistent flow of running water. We did not have electricity during the day. We did not have a reliable mode of transportation. We did not have any means to "cool off" during the sweltering heat, day after day. We did not have the luxury of public restrooms. We did not have cell connections in most areas. We did not have the leisure to sleep in. We did not have a fridge and we did not have the best road conditions. Not to mention, we were stopped by the cops what seemed like 2-3 times a day.
Looking at that list...it is now small potatoes compared to what we did have!
We had LIGHT! We (Chris, Ellen, Pax, Kristina, Denise and Papa Wayne) were placed on a hill and not only had light (electricity from sun down to sun up) and we had the Light of Christ! We had a generator and money to refuel it every night, we had food and bottled water. We had an indoor toilet. We had the ability to shower. We had toiletries. We had a bed, each person had one with some to spare. We even had mosquito nets. We had bug spray and hand sanitizer. We had a backup transportation when our vans broke down. We had the provisions to test over 500 people for Malaria. We had the vital and precious gift of PRAYER! We had our BIBLES. I was able to buy bibles for 3 of the girls at the local market. We had the most incredible worship services, two Sundays in a row. WE HELD CRUSADES for numerous villages to PROCLAIM LOUDLY, JESUS CHRIST IS LORD and He sent us to set the CAPTIVES FREE! We had the ALL KNOWING POWER of the SPIRIT of TRUTH! We had "if God is for us, who can be against us" ON OUR SIDE!
We also had coffee with creamers, chocolate, gingersnaps, ice-cream and yes, even lobster night. We had an ocean to restore our souls and I had the best pizza that I'd ever eaten in my 53 years.
And the grand finale...many souls came to faith, two include two Muslims!
TO GOD BE THE GLORY that this life is so not about me! I have absolutely nothing to offer and yet, YOU find purpose in me! Thy will be done! Thy Kingdom come! In Jesus' precious and matchless name, is my prayer!
All of this reflection because I was just afforded a hot shower.
Eternally yours
