Speak What Is True

In a land where lies have been spoken for generations, it's hard to help people recognize the truth.  While it is the story of all humanity since that fateful day in the garden when the serpent lied to Adam and Eve, there are areas of the world where the Truth of Christ hasn't broken through to raise multiple generations walking in that truth.  So as I pray for God's truth to reign in Nsoko, and for the Swazi people to walk intimately with the Truth (John 14:6), a song from David Crowder resonated with the prayers of my heart for myself this year, but also the prayers for the people of Nsoko.

Here's my heart, Lord.

I surrender again to you, Lord, the most central part of who I am.

Lord, capture the hearts of the people of Nsoko.

Speak what is true.

Hide your truth deep in my heart.

Let your Truth be spoken in every heart and on every homestead.

Here's my heart, Lord.

I hand it to you again, every day, even when I am tempted to hide it,
guard it, or let it become numb.

Even in the midst of so much pain and hurt, allow the
Swazi people to quickly hand their hearts to be entrusted to You.

Speak what is true.

Speak to me, Lord, from Your word, louder than the voices around me.

Open the eyes of the Swazi people to see your Truth and your
Word for the living truth that is.  Speak louder than tradition.

Cause I am found,

Your eye is on each flower, each bird, and on me as You pursued
me and found me while I was running from You.

Lord, pursue Your people, and Holy Spirit,
draw them to the Father through Christ.

I am Yours,

You have bought me at a price...the price of Your Son dying on the cross.

You have many people in this area that You are drawing to Yourself
because You purchased them on the cross 2000 years ago.

I am loved,

You rejoice over me with singing.

Even those who have never experienced earthly parents love are loved
by You, Lord.  Let your love transform them from their innermost being.

I'm made pure.

Though I was like crimson, You have cleansed me as white as snow.

Let them trust in Your sacrifice that is the only thing that can
make us pure, not any actions of our own.

I have life,

 You are my daily breath, the Life living in me.

Let us be quick to acknowledge you as giver of life in a place
full of sickness and death.

I can breathe,

 Your mercies have given me new life again this morning.

Extend the people's lives in Nsoko until they can hear
the truth of the Gospel, Lord.

I am healed,

Your Spirit is transforming and healing me from the inside out.

Do a radical work in your people here in Nsoko, Lord.  Heal them from
their hurts, their sicknesses, their losses, their grief, their poverty.

I am free.

 Your Truth has set me free...from my sin, from myself,
from eternity apart from You.

Free the Swazi people from the strongholds
of satan, from the generational sins,
from the chains that bind them in addiction and abuse.

Here's my heart, Lord.

 I don't just ask You to be my Savior, but I submit my whole life
to Your Lordship.

Reign in Nsoko, Lord, starting in our hearts, our lives,
our homes, our communities, this country, this world.

Speak what is true.

 Keep my eyes focused on You & Your truth in the midst of so many
lies about You, about me, about this world. 

Holy Spirit, illuminate Your word so that people would be
quick to discern between truth and lies.

Cause You are strong,

 You speak stars into being, but can make a mountain crumble.

Lord, sustain Your people so they may live to praise You.

You are sure.

 When all else in this world is uncertain, You remain.

Lord, remind those who have lost so much that You are unchanging.

You are life,

 When I am surrounded by death every day, You are life within me
and around me.

Lord, revive our souls in the midst of pain and hurt and grief.

You endure.

 All else in this world will pass away, yet You endure
through every storm.

Lord, give your people in Nsoko the strength to persevere as
they fix their eyes on You and all that you endured.

You are good,

 You are pure, holy, lovely, righteous, and good.

Lord, may you be seen for who You truly are here in Nsoko,
not in the misunderstood ways of who You are and how you act.

Always true.

 In you there is no untruth, for You embody Truth in your very life.

Lord, may Your truth reign above all other beliefs here in Swaziland.

You are light,

 You are the Light of this world that shines brighter than the sun.

In the midst of the hot, bright sun, remind us that 

You are brighter and your light is eternal and 

You call us to embody that light in a dark world.

Breaking through.

 You don't just shine from afar but you break into our lives 

and our hearts to flood us with your light.

Lord, break through in Nsoko.  Let your light shine forth 

in the lives of people here so that you may see you in 

action regenerating people & working to radically transform 

their hearts so that they unashamedly live for You.

Here's my heart, Lord.

 I lay me down again today, Lord.

Lord, let us be quick to surrender to Your leading in our lives.

Speak what is true.

 Give me ears to hear.

Lord, speak through Your word in the lives and hearts of 

people in Nsoko.  Through your church, through audio Bibles, 

through Siswati Bibles, through your people 

who have memorized Your word.

Here's my life, Lord.

 I surrender my life to follow & walk with You.

May the people of Nsoko not live their lives for themselves, 

but surrender to Your Lordship.

Speak what is true.

 Let your Truth be heard from the mountaintops, speak in my heart 

and let my life speak to testify of your Truth. 

God, silence those in Swaziland who aren't speaking in accordance 

with your truth so that children may not be led astray.

You are more than enough,

 You satisfy more than anything or anyone this world has to offer.

For those who go to bed hungry tonight, remind them that 

You satisfy and give them peace in their stomachs. 

You are here.

 You are present in and around me all the time.

Lord, make yourself known and Your name famous in Nsoko.

You are Lord,

 Though countries and kingdoms come and go, 

You are Lord over the earth forever.

You reign over this place, over these homesteads, 

over these people's hearts.

You are hope,

 True, eternal hope is found only in You and found now, 

not just in the future.

In a community that the world calls hopeless, You Lord, 

are our hope, allowing us to rejoice in all circumstances.

You are grace,

 Your extravagance moves us to worship for all that 

You do for us that we can't earn & don't deserve.

Pour your grace out in the lives of your people here in Nsoko, 

that they would live in grace and trust in grace 

and accept the gift of your grace.

You're all I have,

 You alone are the only One who won't disappoint me, who is my life.

For those who feel alone today, Lord, remind them that they 

have You, the only One who truly matters in the universe.

You're everything.

 You are all I need and you satisfy my deepest needs continually.

In the midst of poverty and desire, fill our hearts with you to 

remind us that You satisfy more than any earthly thing or 

relationship or experience can.

Here's my heart, Lord.

 Here I am, take my heart and transform it as only You can.

Lord, transform your Church in Nsoko...that your Bride, 

the Church, would be quick to submit to your leadership as

 You wash her and lead her.

Speak what is true.

 Rid me of any lies, build the foundation of my life on Your Truth.

Break down the strongholds of lies and protect your people 

from the deception of satan.  Declare your truth to the 

hearts that are listening and hungry to hear.

Here's my life, Lord.

 I surrender all.

You are Lord of Nsoko. May your name be famous above all and 

may your kingdom come and your will be done here.

Speak what is true.

Light Broke In...

 On the longest flight in the world (literally) from Atlanta to Johannesburg, they try to convince us it is night the whole 17 hours.  We leave in the dark, and all of the windows are closed.  But the truth is, that the sun rises less than half way through the flight, but we don't know that because the windows stay closed. 

Yet, inevitably on every flight, there is the first curious person to crack up the window, revealing the light that is bright enough to light up an entire section of a plane.  The last time I flew this flight, there was a kid who continuously wanted to open the window every few hours.  But the thing that caught my attention, was the 50 something year old guy who was mesmerized by it every time the kid opened the window.  He sat all the way across the plane, a few rows in front of the kid, but every time the window even cracked & the light streamed in, this man was immediately on his feet searching to see if he could see anything out the window.  

As I reflected on the different people's reactions to the light in the plane, I realized there were three different types of people.  There were the ones (like the child and the man) who couldn't wait for the next chance that the light would break into the darkness so that they could enjoy it & see what they could see.  And there were those people who were absolutely against opening any window and wanted it as dark as possible.  You could hear their sighs of frustration as the windows were cracked open & they repositioned themselves & their pillows to cover their eyes and continue sleeping.  And the third type of the people were those who were ambivalent, not caring at all whether the windows were open or closed.

It's obvious, the comparison to the spiritual reality around us.  God used the metaphor of light and darkness all throughout the Bible to teach us spiritual truths from concrete lessons around us.  But it has hit me at a new level as I live in a spiritually dark area, where not a lot of Light has broken through.  

Yet that is the prayer that God keeps putting on my heart this year for Nsoko.  As I walked through the Christmas season...of the Light of the world breaking into the darkness of this world in a dirty stable.  And now, 2000 years later, we wait again for the Light to break in.  Some in hopeful anticipation, and some ambivalent to even care if Jesus will come back, and those adamantly opposed to anything of the Light. 

Whether we want to admit it or not, whether we are looking forward to it or not, the Light is coming, and dawn will break as He continues His reign on this earth and restores the people to Himself that He purchased on a cross 2000 years ago.  But my prayer for the Swazi people, specifically those of Nsoko this year is that Light would break in...into hard hearts, into hurting hearts, into young, orphaned hearts, into sick & dying hearts, into overburdened hearts, into impoverished hearts.

All This Glory
(David Crowder Band)

In the middle of our mess, there is Majesty.

In the middle of our chest, is the King of Kings.

While the world was waiting on a change to come along...

LIGHT BROKE IN...

coming like a song.

All this glory, all this glory, all this glory.

In the middle of the night all this light.

In the middle of the night You are Majesty.

To the middle of our plight came the King of Kings.

While we were waiting on Your love to come along...

LIGHT BROKE IN...

coming like a song.

In the middle of the night after all this quiet.

Jesus, God with us, Jesus Christ has come...

and I'm undone.

Week 1 2014

At Mission Rocks, St. Lucia; zebras & the Indian Ocean in my rearview mirror;
God's Christmas tree for me - the red flowers blooming on the Jacaranda trees.

The new fence at Mabantaneni 1; Kellinah with her new gifts;
Mxolisi & his grandfather leaving the hospital.

10 Ways To Pray Today!

 1.  For men like this who God is working miraculously in & for God's Word to go forth clearly through our teachings, through the audio Bibles we hand out, through sharing at home visits, through the Bibles we give out.  

2.  For students as they begin to write their exams for this year - and many of them continue to endure going to school hungry in the morning, tired from not having a comfortable & safe place to sleep at night, and anxious about their futures.

 3.  For people like my friend, Nonhlanhla (Fortunate), who struggle to take their ARV's for HIV when their homesteads are out of food.  Many people are dependent on our ministry for food or vitamins to take with their tablets so that they don't get sick.  See more of her story here.  

4.  For a gogo we serve who was told by 3 hospitals that her bones are too old for them to help her with her broken leg.  And for a mom who has been admitted to hospice because of cancer, leaving an 8 year old son in the care of neighbors.  And for the thousands of others with medical needs beyond the treatment offered here.

 

5.  For this teenage girl who is privileged enough to get the treatment she needs for a long lasting ear infection as she prepares for surgery on Monday.  And for the other two children who also have severe ear infections that will have surgery in the weeks to come. 

6.  For a man in his early 20's who lost his girlfriend and their unborn child this last week due to complications from pregnancy & birth.  Praise God that he had hope enough today to decide to go apply for a job to start this week.

 7.  For this elderly couple who is responsible for caring for their 5 grandchildren...and for the many other elderly who are waiting for the grant from the government to be distributed.  Last we have heard is that they won't distribute money until December, leaving grandparents like this struggling to provide food for their homesteads.  

8.  For a 15 year old girl that has pain problems that haven't been explained by any medical treatments (scans, etc) but that seem very consistent with dark spiritual attacks that we have seen in others in our area. 

9.  For this 6 year old mentally disabled girl who just lost her great grandmother, who cared for her, but death is beyond her comprehension.  Pray for her grandmother who now has the responsibility to care for her as she keeps asking where the great-grandmother is.

10.  For our ministry partners who continue to serve faithfully every day when there is consistently one need after another.  Pray they would be sustained by the Lord as He uses them to comfort & teach His people.   

The Word Of God

Listening to an audio Bible & translating a sermon
from English on a Swazi homestead.

I remember that Sunday when I got my first Bible.  I was being promoted in Sunday School to the 3rd grade.  Now I could bring my own Bible to church.  

Bzongo listening to his audio Bible for the first time.

I remember getting my first adult Bible as I graduated from high school.  One with a black leather cover and my youth pastor had written a quote from DL Moody in the front cover.  

Ntombi, an illiterate disabled woman receiving a new audio Bible.

I remember that night in my college dorm room, as a 19 year old who had grown up in church my whole life, that I started reading the Bible for myself, discovering & encountering a fullness of God that I had never experienced before.

 

          

I remember my grandma, sitting in her wheelchair, in front of the big window in her bedroom, giving me her personal Bible that had "Clara Zeiler" embossed on the front.  I cherish that gift from her months before her death.  

 

I remember finding the ancient German Bibles in the trunk in the upstairs bedrooms, the Bibles my great-grandparents brought to the US with them as they immigrated from Europe.  Too fragile to use, I was captivated by their underlined verses as I carefully turned pages.  

Siphike listening to & cleaning his new audio Bible.

I remember my study Bible that my mom gave me for my seminary graduation, with my name embossed on the front.  

Mxolisi explaining to Joseph how to work the audio Bible for his homestead.

I remember my other grandma, barely able to stand up, giving me an old Bible from her side of the family on the day of my ordination.

Rachael & Nokwanda with her new study Bible.

I remember passing on one of my personal Bibles to my young niece as she was in elementary school.  She was excited to see the things I had underlined and the prayers in the margins.

Nothing can capture the look in someone's eye or the joyfulness in their heart as they receive God's word for the first time.  

I have been humbled to have been a link in the chain to get the Word of God into people's hands & ears & hearts over the last few months.  

We have been able to give Bibles, study Bibles and audio Bibles to several people who have never had a Bible of their own.

"For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  (Hebrews 4:12)

God's Provision In God's Time

It was the last of three home visits for the day.  We were trying to finish up so the team could get on the road to Manzini and I could head back to the other two teams that were serving in Nsoko. The sky was starting to cloud up, bringing the rainstorms that would last over the next two days, making it difficult to get to some places because of the muddy roads.  

As we pulled up to the homestead, the gogo from the carepoint told us the story of these two young women in their twenties, each with a son.  Their parents had passed away, leaving the two of them as the only ones to provide for each other.  Both of them and their sons are all HIV+ and on ARV's, making it very difficult for them to get work.

As we sat in the shade at the back of their house & talked with them, I was struck by the fact that they just were telling us their story.  That they weren't asking for anything except for a Bible, yet open to sharing their struggles with strangers.  As I looked up at the house, I could see through the rocks to the inside and I couldn't help but think about the storms that were forecast for the next two days.  I imagined these young mothers trying to keep their sons warm & dry in the midst of rain blowing in and on them, or running under the walls.  And I was struck by their inability to help themselves in this situation. 

As we finished up the home visit and started walking to the car, I leaned over to my Swazi friend and whispered, "we need to pray that God will make a way for us to at least get them a tarp."  She agreed & we said we would talk more later.  

But God was already ahead of us on this one.  As I got into the car with a few of the team members who hadn't gone to that home visit, one friend leaned over to me & said "since I'm leaving Swaziland tomorrow, here is some money that I had left over that I want you to spend as you have needs here in Nsoko."

God answered faster than we could pray! I immediately told her of the home visit we had been on and how I had literally just a minute before said a little prayer that we would be able to help this struggling family.  

The next morning, as it was continuing to rain after raining all night, I stood outside at the hardware store watching them cut the tarp that we would be able to bless this family with.  We drove through the mud to find them huddled up in their blankets, wearing most of the clothes they owned, trying to stay warm and dry in the middle of the afternoon. 

We talked with them and gave them their new Bible, explaining how it is laid out & what the different numbers mean, and then before we left, we gave them the tarp.  We were all humbled in this holy moment at how God had answered an unspoken prayer of theirs by burdening another woman who they had never met, who was already on her way to the airport by the time we gave them the tarp.  Holy ground.  We were all standing on holy ground, amazed at the provision of God in His perfect timing. 

 

Called Me Higher

"I could just sit, I could just sit and wait for all your goodness, 

hope to feel your presence.  

I could just stay, I could just stay right where I am and hope to feel You, 

hope to feel something again.  

I could hold on, I could hold on to who I am and never let

 You change me from the inside.  

I could be safe, I could be safe here in your arms and never leave home, 

never let these walls down.

But You have called me higher, 

You have called me deeper 

and I'll go where You will lead me, Lord.

You have called me higher, 

You have called me deeper 

and I'll go where You will lead me, Lord. 

You lead me, Lord.

And I will be yours, I will be yours for all my life 

so let your mercy light the path before me.

You have called me higher, You have called me deeper 

and I'll go where You will lead me, Lord."

One of the songs that God has used to shape this season of my life as I worship Him through serving in Swaziland.  (From All Sons & Daughters on their live album).