Our time in eSwatini is coming to a close. We are officially done with ministry and next week Thursday we will be headed to our new ministry location in the mountains of Lesotho. Lesotho is a country inside of South Africa and there we will be helping our host to plant churches in villages of unreached people groups. This coming month is going to be gender months so it will just be Noah and I for the next month while the ladies on our squad will be serving with a ministry in South Africa. There are a lot of mixed emotions during this time as we get ready to transition countries and cultures and also have to process leaving the women and majority of our team we have been living in daily community with for the past month and a half. Although I am sad about leaving them I am excited for this new ministry and the raw evangelism we will get to take part in on a regular basis. This week I wanted to share the biggest take aways that I have from my time in eSwatini that I hope will follow me into Lesotho and impact our ministry.
The first take away that I have from my time here is a lesson learned from the kiddos at our care point. That lesson would be to find joy in all things in life, everyday is a gift and we often take it for granted or miss God showing us his love in the little things that happen through out our day. The kids at the Carepoint were overjoyed everyday to see us and play with us. Regardless of what we brought for the day energy wise or for their entertainment they didn’t care they were just happy to be in our presence and be loved on. Often we struggled to communicate with them but that didn’t stop them from spending time with us and being curious about us and our lives. They seemed to live for the chance to play a game of soccer together, no rules, no one really sure who is on who’s team just running around laughing and enjoying the moment. The frisbee I brought was a hit, most of them couldn’t through it more than 10 feet or catch it half the time but yet they still had even more fun than I did. They found joy in every moment of our time together regardless of the circumstances or what they had around them to entertain them they were just happy and content to be. I am hoping I can adapt this mind set and be content no matter what my circumstances are or wether things go exactly as I have planned them. God has a plan and it is surely better than mine.
Another thing that has stuck with me in my time here is the need to be interruptible. God wants to use us all day everyday. If you feel as though you are nato being used by God I promise it is not because He doesn’t want to use you, it is probably because we are not making ourself available to be used. This can be tough as we have everyday tasks to complete, jobs to get done and errands to run. Here in eSwatini all of those things take a back seat when we encounter the people on the street, the kids asking for food or the handicapped asking for prayers. I am not saying to stop and give every single person money who asks for it or to give up the things you are doing for the whole day to cater to a strangers needs. Sometimes we are called to do that but often times prayer is the most significant gift we can give someone. This takes having a lot of trust in God that He hears our prayers and again has better plans than we do. Often times when we allow ourselves to be interruptible we get the chance to meet a stranger where they are at, hear their story and make them feel seen. They get to encounter love like Jesus showed the world when He was here and that love and prayer will go further than anything else we can do for a person. I hope to continue to be more interruptible in my everyday life and to take the time to love others like Jesus when given the chance. I want to live a life in partnership with God and that involves Him having 24/7 access to me and my life not just when I want to make time to be used by Him.
The last major lesson I want to talk about is having gratitude. Everyone here that we have been able to pray for and help have been full of gratitude. They have been so appreciative of our time and whatever we can give them in the moment. Often times we get our hopes up when we ask friends and family for assistance or we expect life to go a certain way. Then we are left feeling unfulfilled when things don’t go our way or the people we ask for help aren’t able to come through for us. The people here have not displayed that at all to us. They are overjoyed with any small gesture. Every gift is received by them like it is a great gift because to them it is! They don’t need to be given the world to feel loved or appreciated, I’ve found a 50 cent ice cream will do the trick. This is how we should view the gifts that we get from others when they share time or services with us or are able to give gifts in other ways. The Lord really does bless us in so many ways everyday and it has been refreshing to live with a people who are so aware of God impacting their lives. As I move forward to Lesotho I hope to view life in this way, seeing all the small things that are done for me and gifts that are given as God’s hand working directly in my life.
Interruptible – good reminder! Wish each of us would be more vulnerable to stop and pray in the moment and with power. How the world would change!
A great reminder to live daily in tune with what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. Live intentionally every day, with the irreplaceable possession of time.
Grateful to hear about all the things the team is doing and the impact you are receiving and providing!
I will continue to pray for the team, that God will open doors for the word to be taught and that each persons words will be full of grace and that everyone will be able to provide knowledge of the word to all who ask.
How awesome it is to hear the wisdom you are obtaining by applying the knowledge of God’s word and your experiences to your life in ministry around the world. Thank you for these powerful truths and reminders Tanner!
“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.”
Proverbs 4:6