We can make a difference. We are all called to make a difference. No matter where we are in life, if we are doing what God has called us to do we simply cannot help but make a difference in the lives of others. We may not see it today, but rest assured you have planted a seed of change. I was honored to be able to share a message with some of our Zimbabwe campuses this past weekend on serving and fruitfulness. Here are a few of the thoughts I shared as well as some pictures of a few people that we have been able to serve.   

God wants us to be fruitful.  Jesus is our best example….He says it best in Mark 10….

Mark 10:43-46

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served , but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

NIV

Serving is sacrifice…Jesus was the greatest servant of all time…He gave up his life that we would be saved.  I’m SOOO thankful that Jesus was a servant.

Remember – Jesus said that He is the vine and we are the branches. As long as we cling to Jesus, we will bear fruit. Jesus will change our hearts. He will give us a new attitude. He will fill our lives with His love, joy, and peace. And love cannot sit still. Love must express itself in action. Love is an action word. Joy is an action word. Peace is an action word. Love in action is called ministry. God has given us tools for this ministry called Gifts of the Spirit.

It’s a NATURAL outflow, it just can’t be helped if we stay connected to Jesus….

Love others=serving others=fruit

What’s inside of real fruit??    Seeds

Those seeds get scattered and planted as we love and serve others….causing more fruit to spring up!!!

Think about this….The seeds of Christianity are hidden in the fruit that is evident in your life.

It really is a natural overflow….you just can’t help it!!! 

As people are attracted to the fruits of your relationship with Christ – as they see your joy and peace in Him – as they are nourished by His love through you – a miracle will happen. The seed of Christianity will be planted in the fertile ground of another human heart, and a new life in Christ can begin to grow.  .

Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be your hands and feet in Zimbabwe. 

Take a look at the pictures above.  Webster is a fine young man who lives in Sauerstown, a very poor suburb of Bulawayo in which we began a feeding program that quickly blossomed into a local Celebration Church. Webster lives with his extended family that you see in the picture. The lady in the center is a saintly woman named Eunice. Some of these children belong to her sisters but most of them are simply children who’s parents have died or just abandoned them. All of them live in a small home with 2 bedrooms for the entire family. Here are a few facts about Websters life:

-Websters mother is a prostitute who left him when he was about a year old. Her whereabouts or whether she is even alive are unknown.

-Webster is a very bright boy who loves to hang out with his friends.

-Webster told me he loves Jesus with all his heart.

-Webster has had some real health challenges for most of his life. He has been in and out of the hospital quite frequently. One of his lungs is collapsed at this time.

-Webster is HIV positive.

-Webster is 14 years old. I had a hard time believing this one!!

Webster is just one of the scores of children in Africa with a similiar story, some are much worse. He is one of the lucky ones who is able to stay alive and live a somewhat normal life with the help of daily ARV treatments for HIV/AIDS. Webster lives and loves Jesus because Eunice cares enough to take him into her home, because Celebration Church and our partners care enough to provide food and ARV treatments. Thank you Jesus for using all of us in some small way to make a difference in Websters life along with countless others here in Zimbabwe.

Posting Thursday 5 March.  Sorry no pictures yet. Still navigating the internet here….Its even slower than Swaziland!!! 

So here I am in Zimbabwe, the country I will call home for the foreseeable future. I have been here since Wed the 25^th of Feb, its now Tues the 3^rd of March, I have been able to access the internet just once since arriving. I suppose Swaziland was preparation for the real “black hole of communications” that is Zimbabwe. If the power is on, the internet is down or so it seems. Lately the power has just been out so of course there is no network. So I decided to write an entry and lets see when I will be able to post it.

Crossing the border into Zimbabwe was quite an interesting experience although not as eventful as I had feared it may be.  Gods favor was surely evident as we passed thru all the lines that needed to be navigated to finally emerge on the “other side”. Every line, or queue as they are called here, involved some kind of form that had to be filled out and of corse a fee to be paid. One to pass immigration, one to temporarily import my vehicle into the country, one to get a visa, one for customs declarations and on and on.

Bulawayo is a 3.5-4 hr drive from the border crossing. The first thing one notices is the potholes in the road. Unbelievable, they are everywhere. Really keeps you on your toes when driving although I did manage to find a few of them. Pastor Dixon had arranged for all of the pastors from Celebration Zimbabwe to be in town that evening for some food and hang out time at his home.  What an incredible blessing to be able to connect with these awesome men of God. 14 campus pastors in all, a few I had met already but most of these guys have joined the team since I was last in Zimbabwe. Our locations are scattered all over the lower half of the country and most of these men do not own their own transportation and it can take quite a long time just to get to Bulawayo.  Heres a great example from Pastor Godfrey, who pastors our campus in Chiredzi (sometimes called Chambuta). This is one of the most desolate, seemingly forgotten regions in the country. Hot, dry and very much uncivilized would probably be what most Westerners would think if they were to see this place. It is probably around 650 km (403 miles)  from Bulawayo but it is a 2 day journey for Godfrey. The area is largely unaccessible during the rainy season just ending as there is a river that needs to be crossed which vehicles cannot get thru until the water is at a low level. Heres how he explained his journey when I asked how he had gotten there for the pastors meeting. First a cart drawn by mules to get to the “hard road” Public transport (always way overpacked and slow) from there to the river.  The river is crossed by a small boat, the likes of which you cannot even imagine.  Oh and by the way did I mention there are also crocodiles  in the river?  Once you survive that then its more public transportation to arrive in Bulawayo. All I can say is Pastor Godfrey is a true servant of Jesus to answer the call of God to preach in such an uncomfortable place.

Please continue to pray for the nation of Zimbabwe and all of the brave men and women of God who continue to persevere through a very difficult social and economic season in their world. Thank you Jesus that you are so much bigger than any of the problems we face each and every day.