This morning I drove from Choma to Zimba after a very long night. Most of the way my eyes were moist from tears of joy as I reflected on the last 24 hours. Just a few days ago I was questioning whether I was making a difference here in Zambia and whether I was accomplishing what God had sent me to do. I understand now that was my human side wanting to make a list of my accomplishments so that I can justify my very existence.
“One day our struggle with self and our stumbling into sin, our warfare with Satan and our weariness in service, will vanish in the light of his glorious face.” – The Daily Light Journal
Okay, so what about these past 24 hours….
Just to get a sense of my attitude at the beginning of the 24 hours…We had a wedding in Zimba this weekend. Now, I’ve eluded that weddings in Zambia are not like weddings in the USA. In some ways I think they do a better job. This particular wedding I was not excited about though. I didn’t know the bride or the groom. I knew the groom’s mother just casually. I really wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted to stay at home, catch up on some correspondence, work and just chill. NOT!
Now, to steal a phrase from Hillary Clinton, the best way to describe weddings here in Zambia is “it takes a village.” Since it takes a village and I am part of that village I had to participate and like it! I’ll describe the wedding event in more detail in another blog (I promise!). Let me just say that by the end of the wedding I had a wonderful time, felt satisfaction by my part in it and was coming out of that need to justify my existence. I was exhausted though in that the festivities started at 10 hours and I finally made it back to my home at 20 hours (8pm).
I settled into the house, watched Frosty the Snowman (thanks Andy) and eventually fell asleep.
At 2330 my phone rings, I answer it and it is Chris from Choma. Some of you will know Chris. He is the chaplain at Choma Secondary School. He was driving a bus of children from his church that had been to Livingstone for the day back home to Choma. The headlights on the bus went out and he could not continue home. He asked for my help.
I asked him how many children he had and he responded…. “six little ones.” Now I’m thinking okay, they can sleep on my floor, we’ll wake the Wesleyan missionaries for assistance, or I can drive them to Zimba. The bus was in town so I told Chris to hold on and I’d walk to him and we’d come up with a plan (on yeah, it was raining) . When I arrived at the bus not only were there six little ones but about 15 young adults and 4 adult chaperones.
Needless to say, there was no room on my floor for all these people and there were already people staying at the Wesleyan guest house. The most reasonable thing to do was for me to drive my vehicle in front of the bus to Choma (about 1 hour drive north) to provide headlights. I agreed to do this only if Chris could provide a place for me to sleep in Choma and a “talkative” driving companion. Remember I had just been awakened from sleep.
I grabbed my sleeping bag, pillow and blanket (I had no idea what accommodations would be provided), a few bottles of water and some Oreo cookies I had stashed for such an occasion. Chris provided me with three of the young adults. Matemba, 21, sat in the front seat and he definitely fit the “talkative” criteria.
This is where God starts revealing his presence to me and how I am being used by Him….
One of my struggles in my ministry is discipleship and evangelism. Am I witnessing to those who don’t believe in Christ and helping win souls to Christ? Am I pouring myself into young believers and helping them grow in their faith? It’s back to that list…..
The first question Matemba asked me was…”What is it like to be a Sister and commit my life to singledom?” After I finished laughing hysterically, I verified what he meant and yes, he indeed meant what I thought. Someone (Chris?) had told him I was a Sister. I explained that I was not a Sister in that sense and was not “committed to singledom” but was content to be single if that was what God intended. As a 21 year old male he was having a hard time understanding how anyone could commit to such a fate. Some things are the same no matter what country you live in!
The questions continued….Are you ready to die tonight? How did you become a Christian? How do you live a Christian life without losing all your nonbeliever friends? How do you know God is speaking to you? Why would you want to leave the USA, money and power and come to Zambia to live?
The question that touched me most and I hope I was able to speak into his life was…. Why did we have to suffer for Christ and why was it so hard? Paul came to mind…. “ but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character and character, hope” – Romans 5:3-4 … “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”. – Romans 8:18 I went on to share with him that I didn’t feel that I was suffering, that I found joy in all that I was doing for Christ’s sake.
Matemba went on to share with me some struggles he has as a 21 year old. Lust, drunkenness, disobedience…. Knowing that these things were wrong but being pressured by friends and not wanting to distance himself from his friends. I encouraged him to read his Bible for strength and stand for truth and be a witness to his friends. The change in his life as a Christian would speak into his friend’s lives.
A 2 ½ hour conversation finally ends in Choma. (Remember it is typically only a one hour drive). I spent the night at Chris’s house and left Choma for Zimba at 9 hours on Sunday morning. As I drove home, I saw the beauty of God’s creation (even though it's the rainy season it is beautiful here) and reflected in the past 24 hours. I was humbled and realized I was one of the luckiest girls in the world.
“One day our struggle with self and our stumbling into sin, our warfare with Satan and our weariness in service, will vanish in the light of his glorious face.”
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
