October 6, 2012
Saturday 7:00am
I slept really well in the hotel. The beds were very comfortable. We are eating out on a beautiful patio this morning. Stacy and I set up the tables so we all could sit together. We will be doing our devotions outside together as well.
Morning Devotional
Psalm 97
“The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightening lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all people see his glory. All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods! Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgements, Lord. For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.”
There should always be something in you that shines out on those who don’t know Jesus. You should stand out amongst a crowd. “Let the farthest coastlands be glad.”
God has brought us to Africa to take us back home to share what we have learned with others. Serving pulls us away from our selfish ambitions. Serving helps us understand Jesus better. He came to earth as a servant.
John 13:1-17
Jesus washes His Disciples Feet
n Jesus washes his disciples feet and tells them they are clean and asks if they understand what He has done. He is Lord of Lords, and He explains that no master is greater than any slave. He tells his disciples to go wash others feet and that they will be blessed if they do.
Phillipians 2—In order for us to show the extent of our love to one another, we MUST serve others. We must reach other to others. Jesus laid down his robes, made himself a servant, got on his hands and knees and set aside his status of God. The act of serving fills you up with happiness. We must make it a habit. WE MUST BE BOLD. We need to show others how to be humble. Missional leadership doesn’t tell people what to do, it shows people what to do. Jesus washed everybody’s feet, even His betrayer. There is a great humbling when you show love to those who have hurt you.
Why did Jesus wash feet?
- The lowest slaves washed feet, it was a sign of respect, sign of welcoming at the door. It was the first thing that was done. They washed feet because people picked up things on the road along the way.
Jesus says, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” The disciples were into power and authority. Jesus said my power is different. It isn’t about making yourself first, its about making yourself last. Make others better. The kingdom of God is like a tree. Jesus is the roots. Jesus is at the bottom, serving up. The Christian life is not difficult, it is impossible. That is why we need Jesus.
Saturday night 9:30pm
What an exciting day it has been. The dive from Joburg wasn’t too bad—we stopped a couple of times—once at a pit( take away) and once to get KFC chicken burgers for lunch. We stopped in a town called Polokwane. We laughed so much on the way here, saw the beautiful, hilly countryside and we stopped at the famous Baobob tree. It was amazing! It is the oldest living organism in the world—6000 years old. The base of the tree is 150 feet around and there is an actual bar in the center of it. When we got there, a class was having a picnic. They were on a fieldtrip. They were worshipping and singing/dancing out to Jesus. We decided to join in on the fun. We met the kids, took pictures, and played with them. One of the girls was Pastor Mike’s daughter, who works in Ramaroka where we will be building a church and teaching the VBS. They had a playground, with a long log hung up by chains at either end. We stood up and balanced our way across. I was overcome with emotion when we first saw and heard the singing and dancing. They all looked so happy. Kids back home never look that happy singing for Jesus. It is heartbreaking to see and know how backwards our rich society is.
The African teachers shared hugs and snacks with us like we were old friends. I don’t know when the last time I was out at a park at home and someone offered me some of their food.
We then made it back to Ave Maria, the Retreat Center we will be staying at most of our time here. Doug showed us our rooms. We got situated, toured the beautiful grounds, and had time to kill. The grounds are owned by Catholics and there are a lot of buildings and trails to explore. We took a walk to Calvary up a hill to the cross, which was breathtaking. We took lots of great pictures of the beautiful sunset and with our team.
Dinner was great. Doug and Sandy prepped us for tomorrow—we are heading to church in the morning then spending the night in Tshukudu at the Game Preserve in the Bush. Tim put together a slide show of the pictures we have taken so far. We watched it in Stacy and I’s room. Chris, Robyn, Tomecio, Stacy, and I all stayed up and played dice in my room. We coined the phrase, “Pulling a Tomecio.” She was winning by so much, yet she had no idea what rolls were worth. We had so much fun laughing even in the midst of the sweat and our smelly selves. Tomecio even threw out a “Boo-jah” which made us all laugh till we cried.
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