Have you ever been to an outdoor church service that incorporates believers from the whole community with a beautiful wood structure built just for this occasion by people who live across the wordl from you and yet welcome you like you are family who have come home?
That was our Sunday morning in Zambia...after a 5 hour drive to Kitwe on Saturday, we went into Kakolo Village for an interfaith community service sponsored by World Vision on the site where soon construction will begin on a ministry center that will serve people from all churches in this community and host several hundred children in World Vision's Good New Clubs that has been funded by Wheaton Academy...
As we drove into the village to the voices of hundreds of children and so many smiles, tears filled my eyes at the goodness of God in allowing us to become part of this place and to put our faith in action in this place...we were several hundred yards from the WA schoolhouse in the village, and we celebrated and worshipped together in a 2 hour service...the theme for the morning was "LOVE IN ACTION"...
The service included an amazing student choir from area churches, our own team singing 3 worship songs with Lora leading the singing, our soccer guys playing guitar, and Ryan Hall playing the African drums...
Our Furnace Company dancers danced in the dirt circle to the song "Don't Give up Africa" by Bono and Alicia Keyes...the african children and women loved the dance and what powerful words to dance to in an African village...the women of the community often yell sounds of affirmation and often wave cloths and dance themselves in praise to God...our whole group also danced in the middle with our African brothers and sisters in celebation of God's work in our lives and the fact that His mercies are new every morning...we heard the verses and prayers of children in the current good news programs and the pastor told the kakolo village listeners that they will never have such friends as WA because they give but demand nothing in return but our faith...he closed by thanking God that WA brought together all the churches so they can together carry out His work and share His message with all in their community...he ended with Matthew 19:26 "with God all things are possible"
After the service we all planted fruit trees at this site with the prayer that one day these children will eat from these trees and that God would bear spiritual fruit for generations to come thru this building in Kakolo...
The reception from the children and adults in this place is nothing short of extraordinary...and what a morning in Africa...God is here, He is alive and on the move in the midst of the destroyed homes, clotheless children, and illness we saw even today...and yet we get to worship, to pray, to play, to serve, and to hope together...there is incredible joy in being part of the church of Jesus Christ in Zambia this morning...may you be blessed as the body of Christ in the States today...
We are off to see the memorial of a man named Dag who was the former secretary general of the UN and an amazing humanitarian voice in the world whose plane went down shortly near here...giving for the sake of others...
We love you and can't wait for 2 amazing and full days in the community to come...
With our Prayers and Joy,
CHIP
2 comments:
How we wish we could have been with you today! God IS on the move and you are witnessing it first hand. Thanks for your updates -- know that you are in our thoughts and prayers constantly.
Jim and Mary Jean Young
Huber! So jealous! Would love to be there and a part of continuing to see what God is doing in Kakolo. Glad to hear things are going so well. Again, Hello to all of our good friends, especially Fordson!
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