Stella~
There is a tall, beautiful lady named Stella lying in excruciating pain in the hospital right now. The Diagnosis is grave- cervical cancer. It makes sense, because cervical cancer comes from HPV, which comes from unprotected sex, which comes from being a prostitute. But when I look at Stella, I don’t only see a woman who’s lifestyle destroyed her. I see a sister who found Jesus in prison. I remember when I met her, and she was healthy. With a beaming smile she welcomed us to the Monday morning Bible Study and she left to round up the other 6 women to present their “special number” for us. I’ve only heard stories about how angry she was when she first came to prison, and the dramatic difference in her since she’s become a Christian. She said that she wants to share Christ and live for Christ when she gets out of prison. Her greatest dream is to be able to be out and live differently. The most amazing thing to me about Stella’s story is how God put her in prison just so she could come to him. Pray for her now, for a miracle, for the doctors who are taking care of her. Pray for her family, who used to want to have nothing to do with her but came to take care of her in the hospital and paid the bail to get her out. Pray that she will be able to tell them about how Jesus changed her life. Now, Stella is in a win win situation… She could become an amazing testimony of God’s grace to other prostitutes. Or maybe she’ll see Jesus face to face soon. I’ll leave you with a song the women sang to us.
Greater than silver, Greater than Gold, greater than Husband, greater than wife, Greater than the whole world put together, my savior Jesus, He is enough for me.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Normal Life
What are you doing RIGHT NOW? I’ll tell you what I’m doing… and its not more interesting just because I’m in Africa.
Right now I’m sitting in my living room (that I just rearranged because I needed a change). I’m waiting for water to boil (the altitude makes it slow) to finish cooking dinner (from scratch!) so that the other girls on my compound will come over . In the middle of it all I got a text from Josh (Yay!). I’m thinking about tomorrow, and all the things I need to prepare for next week(Bible study for the boys, Muslim women, prostitutes). Remembering that I need to hang up my laundry, and listening to the ten songs that my itunes left for me (for some reason I lost a bunch). I’m figuring out what to teach the boys on Tuesday and I’m amazed that since we’ve started doing Bible Study they ask for it (Aunty, Aunty! Do we do Bible study today?). I stop every few minutes to see if the internet will connect yet and go back to the kitchen to see if the water is boiling yet.
Being a missionary is NORMAL. Normal life-- for Jesus… and sometime it is in a new place. But it isn’t because I’m in Africa that I have awesome stories of God working. He is (amazingly) working all over the earth. RIGHT NOW! Even here, I have to remember that I need to be praying and looking for what God is doing- or I can completely miss it. The best days here are when I remember EARLY how much I need God’s grace. Jesus is my righteousness; it is through Him that I can approach God. He is building HIS church. He knows the people I see inside out. And HE is pursuing them. I just notice more because its new and different, and I’m expected to send out blogs and prayer letters. I hope that today you are a missionary where you are. Living for Jesus in whatever happens and looking for ways to show people Jesus.
Right now I’m sitting in my living room (that I just rearranged because I needed a change). I’m waiting for water to boil (the altitude makes it slow) to finish cooking dinner (from scratch!) so that the other girls on my compound will come over . In the middle of it all I got a text from Josh (Yay!). I’m thinking about tomorrow, and all the things I need to prepare for next week(Bible study for the boys, Muslim women, prostitutes). Remembering that I need to hang up my laundry, and listening to the ten songs that my itunes left for me (for some reason I lost a bunch). I’m figuring out what to teach the boys on Tuesday and I’m amazed that since we’ve started doing Bible Study they ask for it (Aunty, Aunty! Do we do Bible study today?). I stop every few minutes to see if the internet will connect yet and go back to the kitchen to see if the water is boiling yet.
Being a missionary is NORMAL. Normal life-- for Jesus… and sometime it is in a new place. But it isn’t because I’m in Africa that I have awesome stories of God working. He is (amazingly) working all over the earth. RIGHT NOW! Even here, I have to remember that I need to be praying and looking for what God is doing- or I can completely miss it. The best days here are when I remember EARLY how much I need God’s grace. Jesus is my righteousness; it is through Him that I can approach God. He is building HIS church. He knows the people I see inside out. And HE is pursuing them. I just notice more because its new and different, and I’m expected to send out blogs and prayer letters. I hope that today you are a missionary where you are. Living for Jesus in whatever happens and looking for ways to show people Jesus.
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