(my house... brr)Greetings Family and Friends,
It's been just over a week since I returned home from Africa. And it's still cold here in Eastern Oregon. :-) Although, it's been warming up the last few days. This past week has been filled with good times hanging out, catching up, resting, and snowboarding (woohoo!). I didn't finish blogging on some of the most impacting events from my trip, so I'm going to finish here from home. I'll start where I left off on the last post.
12/20/2008
I bedded down in my tent Friday night (12/19) thankful for all God had done, but tired. Soon I was fast asleep. I can't remember what time, but somewhere in the night I was methodically awakened by the sounds of deep booming drums accompanied by the cracking of lightning quick higher-toned rhythms. My first thought was the witch doctor was at it again. (drums are often used in these parts to call up or invite spirits). Settling back into sleep world, I began to pray half-consciously for God to bless the witch doctor and set him free; and mostly I just loved on God and tried to focus on how wonderful He is. This process repeated itself clear through the night, as I faded in and out, the drums going almost the whole time. Eventually, I awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of familiar voices outside my tent. Breakfast was ready.
Outreach breakfasts were always the same. One or two rolls, a cup of coffee or tea, and fixings of sugar, condensed milk, and margarine. If there was an ample supply of condensed milk some of us (including me) would put it in our buttered rolls and maybe even sprinkle some instant coffee in there as well. It was surprisingly good in an African “bush” sort of way.
I bedded down in my tent Friday night (12/19) thankful for all God had done, but tired. Soon I was fast asleep. I can't remember what time, but somewhere in the night I was methodically awakened by the sounds of deep booming drums accompanied by the cracking of lightning quick higher-toned rhythms. My first thought was the witch doctor was at it again. (drums are often used in these parts to call up or invite spirits). Settling back into sleep world, I began to pray half-consciously for God to bless the witch doctor and set him free; and mostly I just loved on God and tried to focus on how wonderful He is. This process repeated itself clear through the night, as I faded in and out, the drums going almost the whole time. Eventually, I awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of familiar voices outside my tent. Breakfast was ready.
Outreach breakfasts were always the same. One or two rolls, a cup of coffee or tea, and fixings of sugar, condensed milk, and margarine. If there was an ample supply of condensed milk some of us (including me) would put it in our buttered rolls and maybe even sprinkle some instant coffee in there as well. It was surprisingly good in an African “bush” sort of way.
While eating in our compound, which was something like a backyard to our host family, a crowd of curious villagers pe
ered over the fence into our fascinating affairs by standing on a near-by mound of dirt. From young to old, it seemed everyone wanted to know what this group of “Hakunas” was doing way out in their little, unheard-of village. As our audience looked on, our team gathered in one big circle and began our daily routine of prayer, calling on Jesus to bless our day and to bless our new friends in this small community. After prayer, I made some inquiries and one of the other students informed me that the village was in the middle of some kind of pagan ritual that involved ancestral observance; this explained the all-night drum-athon.
ered over the fence into our fascinating affairs by standing on a near-by mound of dirt. From young to old, it seemed everyone wanted to know what this group of “Hakunas” was doing way out in their little, unheard-of village. As our audience looked on, our team gathered in one big circle and began our daily routine of prayer, calling on Jesus to bless our day and to bless our new friends in this small community. After prayer, I made some inquiries and one of the other students informed me that the village was in the middle of some kind of pagan ritual that involved ancestral observance; this explained the all-night drum-athon. 
(our camp)
Finishing breakfast and prayer, we all headed outside our fenced-in compound. Our new “fan club” followed close behind with others joining in. We walked a few hundred yards away into what seemed to be the heart of the village where there was a huge field. This is where we had shown the JESUS Film the night before. By the time we reached the field our entourage had grown to possibly two hundred.
Heather (our team leader) organized a massive game of “duck duck goose” with maybe 100 kids in a huge circle. It was a blast. Even the witch doctor was affected; I think he even wanted to play; there was something about all the joy and laughter that almost seemed to soothe him. He looked a lot lighter as the game progressed.
Finally, after maybe an h
our of fun, it was apparent that the game could go all day if carried through to the end. So, we moved to some nearby trees and David (Heather’s husband) shared about Jesus in Portuguese as one of our Mozambican friends translated into Makua. After David's teaching, we split all the kids into groups of maybe 15 to 20. All the mission students took one group apiece and we prayed for each of the kids individually. I had a group of 15 and I found this one-on-one time to be quite effective. Even though I didn’t know their language, other than a few simple phrases, they all seemed to respond to simple expressions of love.
PREACHING AT A PAGAN FESTIVAL
The rest of the morning and early afternoon was quite uneventful as we all rested or just hung out. Wanting t
o venture out, I asked David if he was interested in a walk. The two of us began wandering, observing the exotic environment around us. After walking maybe 10 minutes, we heard drums. Curious we sought out their source. Soon, we arrived and found a large group of people in the midst of some sort of pagan ritual. There was a man playing a huge drum. This massive drum kept booming as smaller rhythmic instruments including cans and random trinkets accompanied. All together these musicians produced an orchestra of rhythm only found in Africa.
There were grown men dressed as women dancing—some looked like they were going in and out of trances. It was quite apparent that we had stumbled into some serious demonic activity. Something in me got really excited.
I sort of felt like I did the day before when the witch doctor was trying to put curses on us. There was something about the fact that these beautiful people were blatantly worshipping demons that made a surge of faith rise up in me. I knew that my God was superior and I knew that these people needed to know His love.
David and I watched this dance for a few minutes and then realized that our camiao driver was there as well watching. After the dance was finished some of the spectators dispersed, but most of the crowd just stood there and stared at the new attraction—the white guys. I told David I wanted to preach!
Since our driver just happened to be there as well (he often showed up in random places—it was like God had led him there or something) he translated from Portuguese to Makua, while David translated from English to Portuguese.
Shouting out an invite I called everyone in the area to come and hear a “story.” After greeting the people and thanking them for their tremendous hospitality, I told them that it was evident to us that they believed in spirits and spiritual things. But, I said there was one Spirit that was greater than every other spirit and this Spirit had created the entire earth and universe. I told them that this Spirit was God and He loved them so much that He sent His only son into this world as a man and He suffered and died for them to show them the extent of His love. I told them that we had encountered and known this Spirit and how He now lives inside of us and had given us power over sicknesses and diseases. He could protect them from every bad spirit and He would give them abundant life for eternity. They didn't have to be tormented by evil spirits any longer, but they only needed one Spirit and they could have this Spirit living inside them by committing their lives to Jesus Christ.
During the entire encounter (maybe 30 minutes) the people were glued to every word I said. Even though there were two translators and lots of time between statements, it was like I had no idea what I was going to say until the last moment and then bam, the words would just come. It seemed like it was more than just words I was saying, God was there and it was awesome!
Finally, I told them if they wanted to receive Jesus to join me by bowing down in the dirt and praying. The majority of the people bowed down and we all called on Jesus together. Then I asked them to agree to pray every day for a greater awareness of God’s Spirit now living inside of them. We asked them to pray every day that God would open the eyes of their hearts to see His face and open their spiritual ears to hear His voice. Again, most all agreed by raising their hands. :-)
Afterwards, one of the men who had received Jesus adamantly expressed gratitude to us for telling his village about God. From his head dress it looked like he was of another prominent religion in the country, although it might just be fashionable; not sure. But, he prayed to receive Jesus and wanted to know more about Him. He told us that his people desperately needed to learn more about God. He asked us to keep coming and telling him and his friends about God because sometimes he said it takes them “three or four times of hearing a story before it really sinks in!” The people’s reception to the gospel seemed to be very sincere. We left encouraged and invited them all to join us for our evening service in the field where we would show the JESUS Film again.
HOUSE VISITS – ARTHRITIS HEALED!
The next event of the day was house visits. One highlight was praying for an elderly lady who suffered from arthritis and pain all over her body. After beginning to pray for her, I felt a small twinge of pain in my right hand and asked about it, thinking it might have been
a word of knowledge. At first we were just praying for her legs because it was obvious she had trouble walking. It turned out, however, that her right hand was of great concern to her because it hurt to pick food up and eat. She could only use her hand like a cup to scoop food into her mouth 'cause of the pain in her fingers and wrists. So we kept praying, now concentrating more on her hands, but asking God for complete healing for her entire body. She felt better and better as we prayed and her grip got stronger as we tested it by putting our fingers in her palms and having her squeeze.
After praying for awhile we asked her to stand up and surprisingly she began to walk briskly back and forth between us and her hut. As she was pacing she started saying something in Makua repeatedly in a very surprised old-ladyish tone as if to say, "I don't have pain anymore!" I didn't understand what she was saying, but it was obvious she felt much better. She even jumped once! God is amazing! :-)
At this point there was a good sized crowd around what had now turned into a neighborhood
prayer meeting (maybe 100 people). Bonny (a student from Uganda) began to preach the gospel and tell the people that Jesus had just healed this lady and now He wanted to save their souls. He invited them to accept Jesus and put their faith in Him--many responded.
The rest of the day went well as we visited other people and saw God work in amazing ways. That night we showed the JESUS Film and again, the response was great.
I’ll try and post some more stories from the last day of outreach and also from my time in Kenya hopefully later this week.
Thanks again for everyone who helped me go to Africa!
Much much love and hugs,
Levi
Heather (our team leader) organized a massive game of “duck duck goose” with maybe 100 kids in a huge circle. It was a blast. Even the witch doctor was affected; I think he even wanted to play; there was something about all the joy and laughter that almost seemed to soothe him. He looked a lot lighter as the game progressed.
Finally, after maybe an h
our of fun, it was apparent that the game could go all day if carried through to the end. So, we moved to some nearby trees and David (Heather’s husband) shared about Jesus in Portuguese as one of our Mozambican friends translated into Makua. After David's teaching, we split all the kids into groups of maybe 15 to 20. All the mission students took one group apiece and we prayed for each of the kids individually. I had a group of 15 and I found this one-on-one time to be quite effective. Even though I didn’t know their language, other than a few simple phrases, they all seemed to respond to simple expressions of love.PREACHING AT A PAGAN FESTIVAL
The rest of the morning and early afternoon was quite uneventful as we all rested or just hung out. Wanting t
o venture out, I asked David if he was interested in a walk. The two of us began wandering, observing the exotic environment around us. After walking maybe 10 minutes, we heard drums. Curious we sought out their source. Soon, we arrived and found a large group of people in the midst of some sort of pagan ritual. There was a man playing a huge drum. This massive drum kept booming as smaller rhythmic instruments including cans and random trinkets accompanied. All together these musicians produced an orchestra of rhythm only found in Africa.There were grown men dressed as women dancing—some looked like they were going in and out of trances. It was quite apparent that we had stumbled into some serious demonic activity. Something in me got really excited.
I sort of felt like I did the day before when the witch doctor was trying to put curses on us. There was something about the fact that these beautiful people were blatantly worshipping demons that made a surge of faith rise up in me. I knew that my God was superior and I knew that these people needed to know His love.David and I watched this dance for a few minutes and then realized that our camiao driver was there as well watching. After the dance was finished some of the spectators dispersed, but most of the crowd just stood there and stared at the new attraction—the white guys. I told David I wanted to preach!
Since our driver just happened to be there as well (he often showed up in random places—it was like God had led him there or something) he translated from Portuguese to Makua, while David translated from English to Portuguese.
Shouting out an invite I called everyone in the area to come and hear a “story.” After greeting the people and thanking them for their tremendous hospitality, I told them that it was evident to us that they believed in spirits and spiritual things. But, I said there was one Spirit that was greater than every other spirit and this Spirit had created the entire earth and universe. I told them that this Spirit was God and He loved them so much that He sent His only son into this world as a man and He suffered and died for them to show them the extent of His love. I told them that we had encountered and known this Spirit and how He now lives inside of us and had given us power over sicknesses and diseases. He could protect them from every bad spirit and He would give them abundant life for eternity. They didn't have to be tormented by evil spirits any longer, but they only needed one Spirit and they could have this Spirit living inside them by committing their lives to Jesus Christ.
During the entire encounter (maybe 30 minutes) the people were glued to every word I said. Even though there were two translators and lots of time between statements, it was like I had no idea what I was going to say until the last moment and then bam, the words would just come. It seemed like it was more than just words I was saying, God was there and it was awesome!
Finally, I told them if they wanted to receive Jesus to join me by bowing down in the dirt and praying. The majority of the people bowed down and we all called on Jesus together. Then I asked them to agree to pray every day for a greater awareness of God’s Spirit now living inside of them. We asked them to pray every day that God would open the eyes of their hearts to see His face and open their spiritual ears to hear His voice. Again, most all agreed by raising their hands. :-)
Afterwards, one of the men who had received Jesus adamantly expressed gratitude to us for telling his village about God. From his head dress it looked like he was of another prominent religion in the country, although it might just be fashionable; not sure. But, he prayed to receive Jesus and wanted to know more about Him. He told us that his people desperately needed to learn more about God. He asked us to keep coming and telling him and his friends about God because sometimes he said it takes them “three or four times of hearing a story before it really sinks in!” The people’s reception to the gospel seemed to be very sincere. We left encouraged and invited them all to join us for our evening service in the field where we would show the JESUS Film again.
HOUSE VISITS – ARTHRITIS HEALED!
The next event of the day was house visits. One highlight was praying for an elderly lady who suffered from arthritis and pain all over her body. After beginning to pray for her, I felt a small twinge of pain in my right hand and asked about it, thinking it might have been
a word of knowledge. At first we were just praying for her legs because it was obvious she had trouble walking. It turned out, however, that her right hand was of great concern to her because it hurt to pick food up and eat. She could only use her hand like a cup to scoop food into her mouth 'cause of the pain in her fingers and wrists. So we kept praying, now concentrating more on her hands, but asking God for complete healing for her entire body. She felt better and better as we prayed and her grip got stronger as we tested it by putting our fingers in her palms and having her squeeze.After praying for awhile we asked her to stand up and surprisingly she began to walk briskly back and forth between us and her hut. As she was pacing she started saying something in Makua repeatedly in a very surprised old-ladyish tone as if to say, "I don't have pain anymore!" I didn't understand what she was saying, but it was obvious she felt much better. She even jumped once! God is amazing! :-)
At this point there was a good sized crowd around what had now turned into a neighborhood
prayer meeting (maybe 100 people). Bonny (a student from Uganda) began to preach the gospel and tell the people that Jesus had just healed this lady and now He wanted to save their souls. He invited them to accept Jesus and put their faith in Him--many responded.The rest of the day went well as we visited other people and saw God work in amazing ways. That night we showed the JESUS Film and again, the response was great.
I’ll try and post some more stories from the last day of outreach and also from my time in Kenya hopefully later this week.
Thanks again for everyone who helped me go to Africa!
Much much love and hugs,
Levi
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