Sunday, February 20, 2011
2011 A-Dollar-A-Day-Challenge
Oh, this morning was a wild one. I woke up to Lacey whispering in the dark, “Is that you?” As I heard the Nakumatt bag crinkling on the floor beside my bed. “Nope”, I responded as the reality that she wasn’t making the noise either made me alert and a bit scared. We listened for another minute or so just to make sure we were not hearing things, especially our constantly growling stomachs. It was for real. By this time I had curled up on the far end of my bed and was convinced that whatever had made that noise was now in my bed. I couldn’t decide what was worse, the fear of not knowing what it was or the fear of knowing what it was and it being in the bed with me. Then to make matters worse there was now a noise coming from the other side of the room. It sounded like a scary cat purring, but then we decided it was the rooster snoring in the mud kitchen next door. That was somewhat comfort. After a super heroic move from me to reach outside the net to find the matches, we eventually lit the lamp and I followed Lacey to the bathroom. We came back to the room, checked the floor for creatures and then went back to sleep until it was time for church. Sunday school with the kids was really refreshing and it was so nice to get my hands on a Bible. I never thought that owning a Bible would be something I took for granted but it totally was. The kids were singing so loud this morning and it reminded me of my 1st Sunday ever at Tumaini. Hesbon preached on God as our Shepherd and how God is our protector. Amen to that. After the message it was time for the offering. I can’t even find words to express the feeling inside me as I walked forward with my 62 shillings in hand. In my western mind it still seemed so little, but my third-world mind knew the significance of this offering. It was the first-fruit of my labor, set aside at the beginning of the week. It was not to be spent no matter the hardship… and there was plenty. This money belonged to God. And I knew with all my heart that He would take it and multiply it for His glory. My God is just that BIG. As I walked back to my seat I again flashed back to my 1st worship service at Tumaini where I watched a small child place 2 coins on the altar that morning. It was all he had but he trusted God with it. It was the widows offering playing out in front of my very eyes. Well today, I was the widow, trusting God with my first 56 shillings and my last 6. I left that service without a cent to face tomorrow, but in faith I chose to trust God for the provision of the next day. I’ve never felt so rich!!! After the service we returned to our room to debrief a bit about the week until it was time for lunch. The ugali still tasteless in my mouth would have to do for another day. It’s like manna from Heaven really, it just wouldn’t be right to complain. After lunch it was time to rest on this beautiful sunny Sabbath. To God Be the Glory!!!!
As the sun became far less brutal this afternoon we received wonderful news from our neighbors next door. They had invited us to dinner for tonight. What a blessing. Tonight instead of tea and fruit, we would be eating a feast fit for a king. I’ve never been so thankful for hospitality in my life. Our wonderful neighbors could never fully understand my gratitude. At around dark we went over to their house (the Guest House) and helped them cook dinner. I rolled out chapatti while Lacey peeled potatoes and other vegetables. We laughed and talked about our week. It was nice to be sharing in community with others. We even talked about how many hands make light work and how women are never really considered guests… they just pitch right in and go to work. After an hour or so in the kitchen, it was time to set the table. It was so nice to smell all the flavors wafting together and know that tonight we would get a taste. Rose prayed for us and as the honored guest we got the first choice of chicken, potatoes, and chapatti. My stomach was rumbling and more than ready for a bite but I couldn’t help from pausing to give God thanks once more for providing this food for us. When His word says you will never hunger or thirst again, it means never. The food was great but I know now more than ever before… HE IS ALL I NEED!!!!
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