I saw this gorgeous baby with her mother who was selling pears by the road and had to take a picture…of course she closed her eyes at that exact moment 🙂
It is night now, the curtains half-parted and the screen open to African evening air, which is cool and smoke-filled.
On the wind is the singing of a prayer in Arabic.
The high and low-pitched murmurings of a sing-song prayer. It is the most beautiful sound and I take it in for that, still knowing that Arabic in this country is a language of force. A bridle used for conversion.
Perhaps the most distasteful part of imperialism in all histories is the language of the oppressor that the oppressed must learn.
I recognize that English too, in its own way, has been that despised tongue, and I hope to redeem that in some way by letting my words be kind and my speech have grace. And hope.
And some belief that we can transcend our histories.
“Webale Nyo” (I think that’s how it’s spelled) means “thank you very much” in Luganda. I’ve been practicing. I’m not very good, I’ll be honest…even though Pst. Mike says I speak very well I think he is just trying to encourage me. Still, maybe it’s the Puerto Rican background. Yeah, I can roll my rr’s. I feel fairly African now with my long skirts and eating their food. If only I were black!
Seriously though I’m not so hot on no electricity…I don’t know how they survive in so much darkness.
Lantern-light is romantic and all for like the first day and I feel very Little House on the Prairie-ish but it loses it’s appeal when you go into the bathroom and see some crawly-thing on the floor.
I’m pretty tough but I screamed when I saw this lizard looking animal on the wall…I almost set myself on fire. He wasn’t as cute or as friendly as the little gecko in the Geico commercials…yeah you know what I’m talking about.
But there have been some truly amazing things happening. Jonathan, one of the staff here, had a dream in which he could see a people walking who were lame, and pregnant and he could hear my voice prophesying peace and rescue for them. I think it was because of our conversation about my heart for the Acholi people, and the child mothers. And then he read Jeremiah 31 in which God made some crazy links between Jonathan’s dream and God’s promise to the north.
Some of what God is saying is still hidden from me, but I am seeing how actively involved God is here in Africa as he is raising up people not only to minister and bring rescue, but also the African people themselves through missionaries who are pouring into leaders and then telling them to go forward, not as a victim any longer, but as an ambassador for their country.
Today was a really encouraging day. Some missionaries who were ministering to Sudanese pastors through offering them a retreat, came to have lunch with us. We had an amazing meal made by the wonderful Harriet and Sara (who I wish I could take home with me; no, not just to cook) and then we prayed together and they gave us some amazing prophecies. (I just read that last paragraph and I feel like I’m starting to speak like an African sort of proper and slow ahh!
They believe that God has imparted to them a vision of his father and mother heart for all of us and that we need spiritual mother’s and father’s (mentors in our lives) in order to really connect the broken link in order to feel God’s love.
Because some of us come from broken backgrounds and abusive families, or even if we came from loving homes, maybe our parents didn’t know how to show true love and through that many of us feel separated from feeling that God truly loves us, or truly has our best interests at heart.
They believe that we are here to be spiritual mothers to the girls and women of Africa so that they can begin to understand the deep love God has for them. One of the women, Lisa Hartnell, has written a great book whichI’ve just started entitled The Mom Ministry, which is all about the powerful calling women have as mothers in what she calls, “the last days.” She is truly an amazing woman with such presence, and I felt embraced by her as she prayed for us to receive our place as God’s daughters but also as mothers in the spiritual realm to a nation of orphans.
It seems so simple, and yet is such truth and ground breaking here in Africa where sometimes the physical mothers and fathers are not present. Even in the church in America, I have often times felt alone, or not sure of my place, and how wonderful it would be if the body of Christ caught this call to be spiritual mothers and fathers to those who are seeking for their purpose.
My dear friend Nicole has imparted much of this to me, but it is so confirming to see others who are doing what is obviously God’s work because they are not just leading another seminar, but really ushering people into a face to face encounter with God through relationship.
I feel like God is revealing so much about myself here. The team said I have a spiritual authority and yet because I am gentle (some of you are thinking, Sarita? Gentle? But I guess here I am) that I often don’t recognize the authority I have.
But they said I have a comforting presence and that they saw me with a swarm of women around me wanting to touch that presence and that I would tell them it was the HolySpirit. They also said that God would give me wisdom beyond my years and revelations of scripture would jump off the page in lights towards me that I would be able to give others. It was crazy really how right they were about so many things and so encouraging to believe that God really has purpose for me here.
Really, the thing I covet most, is time with God to have Him speak direction to me. (and a glass of wine on this beautiful porch!) Time with God has been sweet, but I know I need those times to continue on.
Apparently I’ve gotten really long-winded here -Maybe its just all this creative energy and not being able to talk to anyone really. The phone keeps going in and out so my conversations are pretty much like
this:
“hi!¨ “I can’t hear you!¨
“I just said hi!¨ “Oh hi¨
“It’s sort of lonely¨
“You want a pony?¨
“No, I said it is sort of lonely!¨
And so on! And Dr. Lynn does most of the talking here (pray for me) It is a Saturday night and I’m sitting at a computer. How boring! I am definitely now missing my boyfriend and my friends and family. We take for granted how fortunate we are to be able to connect.
Last night I was talking to a tape recorder.
So love each other and enjoy each other and save a place for me.
