This World Is Not My Home

This World Is Not My Home

Well, us interns have moved yet again. This past week a team from Colorado was here living in the Team House on the Anchor Center so us interns moved to live at Erica’s (if female) and Neville’s (if male) while they were here. It was a good week filled with lots of time at one of the care points, Mahlabaneni. As the team left today, it got me thinking about how soon we will all be leaving to go back to the states ourselves. The time has flown by and I am so grateful to have this opportunity to return to this wonderful place.

As I have been contemplating leaving and moving (us interns have moved around a lot), the song, This World Is Not My Home, has come to mind. As I think about my time here and the relationships I have made, I have no idea if I will see them again on this earth. I have no idea if I will make another trip to Swaziland. Although I wish I will be able to return someday. But regardless, I know that I will see these people again in Heaven and that makes me filled with so much joy.

With all of the moving around, I have felt unsettled in many ways. Unsettled in not having a routine, in not knowing where things are, in not knowing what the evenings would look like.

But I have great peace with these song lyrics. This world is not my home. Wherever I end up moving throughout my life, it is not permanent and I shall always feel unsettled until the day comes when I die and am in Heaven or when Jesus comes back (whichever comes first).

Here are the lyrics:

This world is not my home I’m just passing through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you

If Heaven’s not my home then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

They’re all expecting me and that’s one thing I know

My savior pardoned me and now I onward go

I know He’ll take me through though I am weak and poor

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you

If Heaven’s not my home then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

Just up in Glory Land we’ll live eternally

The Saints on every hand are shouting victory

Their song of sweetest praise drifts back from Heaven’s shore

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you

If Heaven’s not my home then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

Continue to pray for us. Andy will be heading back to the states at the end of this week. Pray for safe travels for him and for peace as he processes all that he has experienced. Pray that he will be able to leave well. Pray for the rest of us as we see him leave. Pray for us as we continue to pour into the ministries here, into the kids and people of the communities, and into the land as we continue to work on the gardens and such. Pray that God would continue to guide us and mold us to be better servants for Him. Pray for safety and health. I was sick yesterday and am still feeling some of the residual effects. Pray for strength and energy as days are long and tiresome and there is just so much to do day in and day out. Pray for Erica. Pray that she will be renewed to continue to serve. Pray that she will continue to get guidance and direction from the Lord that she may serve to the best of her abilities. Pray for the ministry partners. Pray that they will continue to seek God and serve Him. Pray that they will continue to get guidance and direction. Pray that they will be given strength and energy as doing ministry day in and day out can be exhausting. Pray that they will not feel bogged down with all the needs that arise amongst the community but that they will be able to trust in the Lord and allow Him to work through them. Pray that their faith will continue to grow. Pray for their families. Pray for the kids here. Pray for safety and health for them. Pray that amongst all the playing with them that they will see Christ and choose to follow Him. Pray for protection for them, that they will not be steered astray from things not of the Lord. Pray for the people of the community. Pray for the gogos, the makes (ma gays), and the babes (ba bays) (aka grandmas, moms, and dads). Pray that they will continue to take care of the young and that they will be able to do so well. Pray that they will be able to provide the necessities but also that they will be able to lead the kids to be a generation that will change the world, that will be filled with the Spirit and desire to serve the Lord with all of their heart, soul, and mind. Pray for those that are already in power. Pray for the government. Pray for the king. Pray for the chiefs. Pray that they will be filled with the Spirit and that they will be guided by God to really take care of the people here. That they will truly serve not selfishly, but for the good of the people in the eyes of the Lord. Pray for the teams that come and go from this place. Pray that the time spent here that they will be able to serve well and fully and when they leave and go home that they will continue to serve well and fully. Pray that they will be open to God’s guidance and lessons and that no matter where they go that they will remember what they learned and experienced so that they will be forever changed to be more of God’s servants.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. Thank you for the encouraging emails. I hope you are well.

4 Hours of Greatness

4 hours of greatness. 4 hours of God’s presence. 4 hours of worship. 4 hours of pure joy.

Sunday (June 30) was mostly spent at Mahlabaneni Care Point for church and it may have been my most favorite Sunday yet.

From my journal and with a few extra thoughts thrown in:

Sunday was great and encouraging and uplifting. We went to Mahlabaneni for church and it was just so great. I even danced in church! The church was so filled with joy and passion. It’s also Saneles’ church (one of the ministry partners). But so we got there and then Erica could not remember if she turned off her stove so I rode back with her while everyone went to church. When we returned (which was probably at least 45 minutes later) they were still just doing worship. Then they welcomed us up as visitors and mentioned that they do something different. And different was right. As we stood up there music began playing and an uproar of singing came toward us and the whole church started dancing and coming toward us to come and shake our hands and then get us to dance. It was great. I definitely felt welcomed. I imagined what it would be like if this was a tradition back home. (How much more would people enjoy coming to church if this was how the service was. Full of joy. Full of welcoming spirits. There was no doubt that we were welcomed and that we were not visitors but all brothers and sisters in Christ. It was just a body of believers, of family.) The sermon was great. It was about what it means to love God with all your heart, soul and might as it says in Deuteronomy. I took notes on it so if you want to know more I can fill you in but just trust me when I say that it was a great encouragement as well as convicting. And then because it was the end of the month they did an extra contribution. This donation was going to go to getting doors for the church. Last year the church building wasn’t even at the are point so essentially they have been doing these extra contributions to get it build. So Richard (the preacher for the day) posed the goal of over R6000. It was closer to R7000 actually. But so by the end of that very long section of the service, they were only short R50 which is just incredible that the church could bring together that kind of money especially here in Swaziland. Aside from the sermon that might have been the most encouraging site. Being here in Swaziland I have seen so much brokenness, hunger, despair, longing and last year that congregation was amongst all of that. But there is hope! Good will come for those that wait and trust in the Lord!! So good! God is good and God is at work! There is no doubt. Last year this church was in survival mode. But now it is thriving! 4 hours of greatness. 4 hours of God’s presence. 4 hours of worship. 4 hours of pure joy.

“Here, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” ~Deuteronomy 6:4,5

4 Hours of Greatness

4 hours of greatness. 4 hours of God’s presence. 4 hours of worship. 4 hours of pure joy.

Sunday (June 30) was mostly spent at Mahlabaneni Care Point for church and it may have been my most favorite Sunday yet.

From my journal and with a few extra thoughts thrown in:

Sunday was great and encouraging and uplifting. We went to Mahlabaneni for church and it was just so great. I even danced in church! The church was so filled with joy and passion. It’s also Saneles’ church (one of the ministry partners). But so we got there and then Erica could not remember if she turned off her stove so I rode back with her while everyone went to church. When we returned (which was probably at least 45 minutes later) they were still just doing worship. Then they welcomed us up as visitors and mentioned that they do something different. And different was right. As we stood up there music began playing and an uproar of singing came toward us and the whole church started dancing and coming toward us to come and shake our hands and then get us to dance. It was great. I definitely felt welcomed. I imagined what it would be like if this was a tradition back home. (How much more would people enjoy coming to church if this was how the service was. Full of joy. Full of welcoming spirits. There was no doubt that we were welcomed and that we were not visitors but all brothers and sisters in Christ. It was just a body of believers, of family.) The sermon was great. It was about what it means to love God with all your heart, soul and might as it says in Deuteronomy. I took notes on it so if you want to know more I can fill you in but just trust me when I say that it was a great encouragement as well as convicting. And then because it was the end of the month they did an extra contribution. This donation was going to go to getting doors for the church. Last year the church building wasn’t even at the are point so essentially they have been doing these extra contributions to get it build. So Richard (the preacher for the day) posed the goal of over R6000. It was closer to R7000 actually. But so by the end of that very long section of the service, they were only short R50 which is just incredible that the church could bring together that kind of money especially here in Swaziland. Aside from the sermon that might have been the most encouraging site. Being here in Swaziland I have seen so much brokenness, hunger, despair, longing and last year that congregation was amongst all of that. But there is hope! Good will come for those that wait and trust in the Lord!! So good! God is good and God is at work! There is no doubt. Last year this church was in survival mode. But now it is thriving! 4 hours of greatness. 4 hours of God’s presence. 4 hours of worship. 4 hours of pure joy.

“Here, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” ~Deuteronomy 6:4,5