Walkers.in.Africa

I am sitting in our cute country cottage with a bright storm thundering on our tin roof. My friend Katie is singing silly rhyming songs with her guitar, Sarah is whipping cream for the yummy brownies she baked, and Crystal is busy typing away on her computer. I love these women so much, crazy to think we met just two months ago.

This past week we were blessed to be joined by a missions team from America. What a joy it was to minister alongside them. We were out doing shack to shack ministry when my group met Justice, Caroline, and their little son Kendall. They live in one of the nicer shacks which has a cute, vibrant garden. One can tell that Justice takes pride in his little garden by its immaculate appearance. Justice invited us in and asked us to share with him about the love of God, so the team began to share.

Little Kendall-

As I sat there the LORD gave me a picture analogy to share with Justice. This is what I shared:

Our hearts are like a garden. The soil is rich with so much potential. There are beautiful plants unique to the soil of each individual's heart. As in all gardens there are weeds, rocks, and dry soil.

We have the key to the garden, but a garden cannot take care of itself. It is up to us whether we give Him the key or not.

He knows the plants (gifts) that are uniquely you. He knows how to cultivate, prune and cause them to grow to their fullest. He sees the dead branches, the weeds and rocks in our garden yet He looks beyond and sees the potential of the garden. His heart bursts with desire to nurture it.

If we give Him the key, He will come in and throw out the rocks and pull the weeds. Yes, the process can be painful for us, but He does it for our good. He pulls out but He also fills up.

A garden is in need of constant care, yes? We must daily make that decision to let Him enrich our lives. It is up to us to take His Word to heart, allowing it to saturate the dry soil.

He pours out His heart for the garden of our hearts. He is preparing us for something bigger then life on this earth. He is preparing us for eternity where our garden will be transplanted into His heart, the place it was originally created to be.

Justice held my gaze as I shared this picture of God's love for our hearts, I could tell he was beginning to grasp hold.

The people here are so picture oriented. When they forget something instead of saying, “I can't remember” they say, “It's running away”. I've been challenged to come up with creative, picture oriented ways to share the gospel. I love how the LORD speaks the language of each one of our hearts.

Hell and Destruction are before the LORD; so how much more the hearts of the sons of men.

-Proverbs 15:11

Here is some water :)

Matthew 13 -What does the soil of your heart look like?

Proverbs 16:1 -Preparation

Psalm 31:7-8 -He considers my trouble

Psalm 39:3-7 -Oh LORD, open my eyes!

Job 9:4 -Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?

Job 7:7 -Oh to remember that my life is a breath!

Hosea 10:12 -Seek Him

Go therefore and make disciples. . .

It is a warm summer afternoon and fifteen joyful people are crowded into a small shack. There is a variety of languages and occasional peals of laughter as they go through the translation process. You hear joyful shouts of children outside as they climb all over their missionary friends. I welcome you to discipleship group in the Kya Sands community.

We love it! Bridging the gap between cultures can be difficult, we sometimes struggle to come up with analogies to explain a Biblical principle but we are learning and growing together and it is beautiful!

You should have seen everyone's shinning faces when they received Bibles in their own languages, they were and are so grateful! One woman humbly asked if she could bring a pad and paper to take notes! Another asked with slight frustration why she had never been taught these things from scriptures before. Two women ask for prayer after the meeting was over and all the women stayed to pray over them. Upon their requests we are now meeting together twice a week.

Pray that these women will go and share of the new hope that is in them, pray that they will be gripped by a spirit of boldness to proclaim His truth, pray that they will daily search God's Word with open hearts, pray that their hunger for His Word will never leave but only intensify. Pray for us as we lead this group of women, pray that we will be Spirit led in everything we do and say. To God be the glory, may He be the wind in our sails!

Here is a small video clip from our Tuesday discipleship :)

Props to Sarah Tapp for her wonderful leading!