Acts 20:35

35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

NKJV

These words of the Apostle Paul (and Jesus of course) were the basis of another great “God” experience this week. If I really think about it I have them every day, this one was just a highlight that I wanted to share.

 I live in a small cottage at a place called Emafini which I am renting on a month to month basis until I am approved for a residence permit to move to Zimbabwe. Included in the rent is 2 ladies that come in 6 days a week and clean the place from top to bottom, wash the dishes, scrub the floors, clean the bathroom, make the bed and wash my clothes. What a deal for a single guy, I don’t even have time to mess the place up!! 

These 2 ladies are just awesome, they really do a great job so I try to do little things for them once in a while. Nothing big, when I go to the grocery store I occasionally grab a few extra things and leave them on the counter for them when I leave in the morning. They have always been very gracious and thankful to me next time I see them but I always try to let them know that these blessings really come from God, I am just the vessel He uses to do it. It’s given me an opportunity to let them know why I do what I do and that Jesus really loves them.

So it being Christmas and all I got one of those “pokes” from the Holy Spirit last week that I needed to do something special for them this week. Yeah, I thought, I do need to do that but had no idea what to do for them and it kinda fell by the wayside in my sometimes cluttered head. Well God didn’t forget about them and on Christmas Eve morning I got another nudge from the Holy Spirit. So when all else fails money is always good, I gave them each the equivalent of about $20 U.S. Not a huge amount, I’m sure I have spent more than that at Starbucks in a week.

Yesterday morning I see them and ask if they had a good Christmas and the younger of the 2 comes to me with tears in her eyes, grabs both my hands in hers and says “please thank your God for me that my children were able to have a Christmas. I was able to give them everything they wanted and even more”. I was floored…she got it!!  She wanted to thank God, not me. I told her she could tell Him herself and I had the opportunity to pray with her and I know God did something very special in her heart at that moment. I asked her to please tell her children that their blessing had come from God, her reply…”I already did” Thank you Jesus. 

I love serving God!!!!

O.K. so I have celebrated my last 3 birthdays somewhere in the world other than home but this is my first time to experience the Christmas holiday in another land. Can I talk in circles and say it’s “the same but different?” Here are some random observations I have made about Christmas in Africa.

-Santa Claus is still the star. You will find his likeness at most of the stores and shopping centers. No “live” Santas waiting around for kids to sit on his lap though, just really bad statues and the like. Thing that amazes me is they are ALL white. Seems like in Africa there would be some black Santas. Who made the rule that Santa Claus was white anyhow?

-Homes decked out in gaudy arrays of light strings? Not here. Least I have not seen any. I’m betting anyone who does have these displays are homesick Americans or Europeans.

-Nativity Scenes. I have only seen one and I’m not sure it even qualifies. It was really a rather traumatic experience.  Mary and Joseph were store manequins with bad wigs. The 3 wise men were all “anatomically correct” female manequins wearing bath robes and slippers. The animals present were actually all reindeer apparently pirated from another Christmas display. I figured this out because one of them had a bright red nose. Baby Jesus was an evil looking plastic doll dressed in a plaid suit, looked like one of those Chucky dolls. He was “lying in a manger” that consisted of a cardboard box stuffed full of dead grass and pine needles. Guess you gotta give them an “E” for effort. Wish I had a picture of that one though!!!

-Bell ringers at every storefront. Not a one to be seen here. I’m sure if they had them it would also require a security guard to be present so nobody gets mugged. Kinda defeats the purpose I guess.

-Snow or even cold weather. Not happening here. It’s the beginning of summertime in Africa. Let the heat begin!!  The number one criteria for choosing a restaurant is “do they have AC?” Criteria number 2 is, “if they have AC, will they have it turned on today?”

-It’s okay to use the word Christmas here. No need to be “sensitive” to the heathens. Nobody here screams about their rights. No need to say holiday season or any of the other politically correct terms we seem to think we have to use in the U.S. so we don’t hurt anyones feelings. I better move on!!

-Candy canes. That must be 100% American. Have not seen or heard of them here.

So where am I going with all this? I really don’t know. Just thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse of Africa during this season of joy. Can’t wait to celebrate Christmas in Zimbabwe next year. Maybe I will see Mr. Mugabe dressed up as Santa Claus.

The important thing to remember this time of year is that we celebrate the true blessing that God gave us. He gave us Himself, clothed in flesh in the form of His son Jesus. What a world changing event to celebrate that the creator of the universe loved us enough to send His only son to live among us, knowing that His mission was the redemption of mankind, to save us from ALL of our sins. Read Luke chapter 2 for yourself this week. Lets celebrate JESUS in our own personal way this Christmas. Give to Him the praise, adoration and glory that He deserves.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!!!!!

Reading always inspires me to blog. Here is something I read today that just spoke volumes to me.

“Could we with ink the ocean fill,

          And were the skies of parchment made,

          Were every stalk on Earth a quill,

          And every man a scribe by trade,

          To write the love of God above

          Would drain the ocean dry;

          Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

          Tho stretched from sky to sky.”

Now that’s good stuff. Read it a couple times and just think about the oceans being filled with ink. Anyone recognize this quote? What great man or woman of God could have written such a profound verse that so eloquently describes the love of God in such a way that our minds can just begin to grasp its depth?

Actually these words were found scratched on the wall of an insane asylum in California in 1917.

I suppose I could go on and on about the love of God right now but I could not hold a candle to the power I see in the words above. I am challenging myself to pour out more of His love this week. Take the challenge with me if you dare! Here’s some faces of those I hope saw Jesus in me this week.

OK  So today is recovery day for Cup staff, missionaries and HPC/Swaziland volunteers. Saturday and Sunday were big days here in Swaziland. On Saturday we hosted the largest Christmas party in the entire nation with somewhere around 3500 kids attending in Manzini. On Sunday we invited all of our HPC church members to come with us to Mapheveni to have church there and then serve at our next Christmas party with around 800 more kids.

A great time was had by all as many of these kids were able to experience the only Christmas celebration they will ever know. They were all able to participate in lots of games, dancing, face painting and eating of course. Most importantly they were given an opportunity to see a presentation explaining the Christmas story to them, that this was Jesus’s birthday and that He had come to Earth as a human to save us from our sins. Everyone went home with a gift bag and hopefully a new realization of just how much Jesus loves them and the plan and purpose He has for each and every one of their lives.

Yes it’s a lot of work. Imagine the logistics of transporting thousands of kids from 12 different locations AND putting them all back together to get them on the right bus back home. (no we did not lose even one child!!!)  Thousands upon thousands of hot dogs, drinks, ice cream and gift bags for each child. Not only did all the kids and volunteers need to be transported, but all the sound equipment, generators, cooking equipment also had to get there at the right place and the right time. Incredible job by all those who helped in pulling this off!!! And thank you Jesus for your favor that rained down upon us in the days leading up to this event. 

Why do we do this? For no other reason than to show the love of Christ to these precious childen in Africa. The Christmas season sometimes turns into a season of receiving and the real meaning can get lost in the festivities. Lets keep Christ in Christmas. Its a season of giving and celebrating Him, the living Son of God who came to this Earth for all of us.

This is my new friend that I have been sharing breakfast with every morning for the last couple weeks. It started early one morning when I was walking into the office and here was this little guy sitting all by himself at the corner of the building in Cooper Center where Cup office is located. I had a bananna with me that I intended to eat for breakfast but as I approached him I just knew I had brought it for him even if that was not my intention when I grabbed it off the shelf that morning. (love how God sets us up by using just the small things). He didn’t speak English real well but I did get a big smile and a “thank you”  It was just a great way to start the day.

The next morning I grabbed 3 banannas, 2 for him and one for me. What began as a simple act of giving has now turned into a morning ritual that we eat banannas in the parking lot each morning. From what I can gather he has no mom and dad and lives with family members. After a few days I began to tell him about Jesus in the best way I could with his limited English and my even more limited Siswati. He listened intently and I could see in his eyes that he understood that there was a God that loved him just as he was. Yesterday I got the opportunity to “set the hook” and prayed with him to accept Jesus into his heart. Another soul for the Kingdom!!!  Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to serve you and minister to your children. Please always let us be sensitive to your Holy Spirit as we walk through our days. There are thousands of “bananna boys” (and girls) all over this world who need you.

Maybe we’ll have apples for breakfast tomorrow??