I just finished reading a book about Spiritual Warfare and it revealed areas of my life I forgot about and even things I saw as insignificant, and showed me how those things have impacted my life and have kept me back in my ministry. Over the past couple months I have had to encounter a lot of things in my own life where I had to humble myself to forgive others and release the bonds that kept me down. God is good and faithful.
One of my favorite songs in Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin. I was just listening to it and realized how true it is in my life. I have allowed Satan to overpower me and have believed his lies too long. Small comments people made to me or about me long ago have manifested themselves into my being where that lie defined who I was. I have now claimed the blood of Jesus over my life and am free in Christ. My chains are no more and I am learning how to live this new life.
I just got back from Zimbabwe and saw great people who are suffering from the demonic authority that leads their country. The country itself was gorgeous and the people were so sweet, but their government was overly corrupt and left me angry. I went through a wide array of emotions; I started with anger and ended in tears I continue to cry. People have compared President Mugabe to Hitler and I use that analogy as well. I feel in some ways Mugabe may be worse, because his people are suffering a slow and painful death.
I was given the opportunity to hear the story of locals making due with the little they have. People are starving to death, because there is no food, little water, and electricity is scarce. My heart broke and continues to. My supervisor and I took a voice recorder. As I played back the conversations I had with nationals, I found myself in tears at how much they were suffering. I cried out to God, asking him what I should do, because the problem is bigger than myself. He told me it is my responsibility to tell their story, so I am doing that to the best of my know how.
Above: a grocery story that resembles most others in the country
Volunteers from all over Southern Africa joined together to distribute food boxes to the Tonga people in Zimbabwe. God provided 12 tons of food and we needed 50 tons more to feed the whole village. We fed over 400 families, but many more did not receive.
Every person I saw and encountered thanked God before they ever said anything to us. They were extremely grateful for what they received, but it was only a dent in their massive need. The food we gave will only last a family of six a week. What will they do then? Their money is no good and there is NO food in the stores. One man told me people were eating poisonous roots to fill their stomachs. That makes me sick. I didn't realize the effect it would have on me until I heard my supervisor Debbie relaying their hopelessness to the other people at our retreat this past weekend.
Of all people in the world, God brought me to Kenya. I was hoping to have an opportunity to go to Zim, but never told anyone. The next week Debbie tells me we are going. Of all the people there, a woman came up to me and asked if I would tell her story. I see this as an opportunity ordained by God, because I was looking for a story. She did not initially ask me for money, clothes, or food, but for prayer, to not forget her, and to tell her story. I never make promises to anyone in Africa so I do not obligate myself to do something I can not, but I promised her I would pray for her and tell her story every chance I had. Below is her story. Her name is changed to Innocent to protect her and her family.
Innocent has five kids and is a preschool teacher. Her oldest is 16 years old and her youngest is a year and a half; the kids have no shoes and maybe one change of clothes. Because she has a job, she is ineligible for government and relief aid; despite the fact she is not getting paid. Most people with a job in Zimbabwe are not showing up to work, because they are not getting paid. I met Innocent on Monday, and when we arrived on the school grounds the next day to continue our distribution she was with 30 or so little kids, singing with them and feeding them porridge provided by Save the Children. She expressed her gratitude for us being there and for the food we gave out. She told me the stores have no food, they have no money, and no seed to plant. They are hungry. Save the Children will come in but only gives to a very limited amount of people and leave mostly everyone else without.
