Here’s some of our kids in Zimbabwe. This past weekend  lots of them heard the Resurrection story for perhaps the first time. I have to believe so many of them are going to connect with it, embrace it and most importantly to share it with others. These kids are the future of this country so what better use of our time here than to share the “Good News” of Jesus with the next generation.

We are privileged to be able to touch well over 18,000 young lives of Zimbabwe each and every day through our feeding programs and Celebration Church locations spread across the southern portion of the country. This is practical “love in action”.  Just the simple act of providing a meal for them each day lets them know that they are important and they are loved. If we let them know that it’s JESUS who loves them, young lives, families, communities, cities, countries, continents and the world are going to be transformed by the incredible love of the One who first loved us. How incredibly simple is the Great Commission??    Thank you Jesus for always keeping it simple.

A busy week it has been for our Celebration team in Zimbabwe. 6 days of outreach followed up with water baptisms this past weekend.  Monday through Wed was spent at Sauerstown (a high density, low income suburb of Bulawayo), then Thursday through Saturday outreaches were at How Mine. This is actually the site of a gold mining operation which has not been in operation for nearly a year, although with the introduction of foreign currency  should be back in operation soon.How Mine is a high density community made up of the mine workers and their families who of course have not been paid since the shutdown of operations. Most are surviving by subsistence farming where they are able. We began feeding children in this area late last year when we discovered there were children starving to death in the community and Celebration How Mine campus quickly sprung up from our feeding effort.

Here are some quick statistics from the week.

-Sauerstown saw over 3000 in attendance at the outreach meetings. 98 new believers were added to the Kingdom!!

-How Mine reported over 2000 in attendance, with 69 giving their life to Jesus for the first time. How Mine also has a heavy populated of Muslims, of which we had one give his life to Jesus!!!

Many hundreds more made a decision to rededicate their lives to Christ as hearts and lives were changed in response to the Word. We have begun using our 20 ton truck (with sides opened up) as a mobile stage from which to conduct our worship and services. It’s a bit like a mobile evangelism unit which will serve us well by allowing us to travel to an ever widening group of locations scattered across the southern half of Zimbabwe.

We finished up the week with water baptism services in Bulawayo and How Mine where we were privileged to baptize many of the new believers. Here are some pictures of some of the baptisms as well as a shot of our “mobile evangelism stage”. (sorry, lighting was not good enough to get any decent pics of the outreaches as we held them in the evening)  Please continue to pray for our staff and pastors as God continues to stretch and mold an ever growing work for His kingdom in Zimbabwe. 

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.     

So tomorrow closes one chapter and begins another as I pack up and head for Zimbabwe to begin working full time with Pastor Dixon Changara at Celebration Zimbabwe. I am super excited to finally be getting into Zim on a full time basis. I am truly humbled to be able to partner with God and the awesome family in the U.S., Swaziland and now Zimbabwe as we continue to roll back the darkness in Africa with the light of King Jesus. The excitement does not come without a bit of apprehension as I step into a new environment that most people are moving out of rather than moving in to. What I do know is God is moving in Zimbabwe and if that’s where He is that’s where I want to be. Explosive growth continues to be the norm with 2 more locations opening this month, bringing the total to 16 points of light in a country that has been enveloped in darkness for far too long. My prayer is that I am up to the task, to be ready for whatever God needs to have done for those that “are not here” yet. There’s no greater joy in my life than to see broken lives transformed by the saving grace of our Lord Jesus.

My short time here in Swaziland has been another life changing experience, another chapter of God’s work of art that is my life. I’ve been able to reconnect with some old friends as well as make a whole lot of new ones. My last service at HPC Swaziland was a grand experience as we held a baptism service, sealing the inward commitment that has changed so many lives here already. Let the heavens rejoice and the demons tremble. Jesus is on the move in Africa.

OK so I suppose I need to do a Lomosontfo update. If you are not up to date on the story of our little friend from Maphaveni you can get up to speed with the Nov 17, 2008 posting on this site.

It’s just been an incredible story from the start and another opportunity to see God work and show Himself strong to unbelievers. We had to wait til after the new year began to be able to round up all the necessary surgeons needed for the operation. In addition to the maxiofacial specialist performing the bulk of the operation a vascular surgeon was required to tie off the carotid in the neck as well as a plastic surgeon. Long story short, the surgery went EXTREMELY well, completed in under 6 hours. They were able to perform all the work from inside her mouth, saving a very large incision that would have been required on the outside of her face. Lomosontfos jaw will be wired shut until mid March when they can be removed. Her rapid healing has amazed the doctors and hospital staff, we were able to bring her back to Swaziland in less than 3 weeks after the surgery. Considering they had to remove the entire left side of her jaw and replace it with a new joint at the back and a metal replacement jaw that is screwed into her existing bone at the front her recovery is nothing short of miraculous. God surely gets all the glory for this. Thanks to all who have faithfully prayed for this precious child…..James 5:16-17

…pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.   NKJV

As you can see there is still a considerable amount of swelling which is continuing to improve. Doctors say that her cheekbone was actually moved out of place by the tumor but will find its way back to normal with time. We are housing her at the Mahkholweni clinic until the wires can be removed next month. Lomosontfo has been able to resume school here and has adjusted well to the new surroundings. Its been amazing to see the transformation in her with the growth that was so prominent on her face no longer there she seems to be much more comfortable around people. She loves to sing and dance and has been quite busy practicing these skills since returning.  Her English has also improved dramatically (can’t say the same for my Siswati) since that was the only way she could communicate with me.  She did teach me a few new words, let’s hope I retain them.

All in all, another life changing experience for all who were involved, especially me. Thanks to the multitude of people from Childrens Cup, Mission of Mercy, Love In Life and so many others who came together to save one little life here in Swaziland. This is one the enemy cannot have!!! Thank you Jesus for your healing power. 

Matt 8:16-17

And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses.” 

NKJV

Dan 11:32
but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
NKJV

The part of this verse that really stuck out to me was “people who know their God”. It seems there is a common misconception  that we need to be “prepared” to be used by God. I’m not saying there is no room for degrees and education in th Kingdom of God but we need to remember the people Jesus used to turn the world upside down. Simon and his brother Andrew were the first 2 chosen, along with numbers 3 and 4 (James and John) who were all fisherman. These were common everyday people who knew how to work with their hands, maybe even a little rough around the edges but Jesus saw beyond those rough edges and looked at a polished precious stone inside.

Throughout history Jesus’s church has grown through the lives of committed men and women who chose to know Him and Him alone. Social status, economic or education had nothing to do with it. C’mon, think about it…God used a shepard boy to become King of Israel. The world looks at “human” credentials as a prerequisite for success, looking for the strongest, best educated, most attractive as if Gods work can be accomplished through human effort. God surely uses a different set of scales when he weighs a person, He looks at their character and heart.

1 Sam 16:7

7 But the Lord said to Samuel,”Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
NKJV

See what I mean? If a man can do Gods work in his own strength, it’s not Gods work at all!! Its all about realizing we can do nothing except through his grace and empowerment, resulting in complete dependence on Him. Then and only then can we accomplish things that could only be a result of His supernatural power. Then God gets all the glory, it has nothing to do with us.  Make sense?

I think Micah 6:8 sums up the qualifications for serving God:

Mic 6:8

Mic 6:8
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
NIV

Here are a few pictures of the people God uses. No matter where you are or what you have done, he can use YOU too.

I just recently returned from a short trip to the U.S. after my first 5 months in Africa. Here are some random thoughts and highlights.

-Grandchildren are awesome. Everyone ought to have them. It was great to see 2 year old Jailyn and her new sister Hailey who was born in Sept after I left.

-Celebration Church is still the best church in the world. (HPC Swaziland comes in a close second)  I have gotten to see some of the EG services here but there’s nothing like the live experience AND getting to see my Celebration family.

-Diet Coke tastes better in Africa. I’m sure its due to some toxic chemical they are allowed to use here that was outlawed years ago in the U.S.

-They still drive on the right side of the road in America….and I was just getting used to driving on the left. I also had to remember to stop driving “like an African” . There are definitely 2 distinct driving styles on these 2 continents.

- You have to pump your own gas in America. I had become accustomed to having the gas pumped,  oil checked and windshield washed. I asked the guy to check the air in the tires the other day and he crawled under and checked the spare tire too!!!

-EVERYBODY loves President Obama. We should all pray for him.

-Almost everywhere in America has air conditioning. I think I went for at least 4 or 5 days without sweating.

- Did I mention Starbucks coffee? That was the very first stop when we arrived in Atlanta. First really good cup of coffee I had since leaving the States.  

So all in all it was just an incredible trip but I must say I am happy to be back in Africa. Because this is where God has called me it is surely home now. There’s just so much to do here and I am ready to dive into 2009 headfirst. Theres something about being in the perfect will of God, knowing that you are in the middle of His plan and purpose for your life that just brings a peace and joy that cannot be described. For any of you who are not there (and you know who you are…) I highly recommend it.

Sure living in Africa has its challenges and trials but thats just life, I don’t think it matters where you live. When life seems to be getting a little rough, I challenge all of you to remember what the apostle Paul had to say:

Phil 4:11-13
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
NIV

Grace, peace and blessings to all.