Working in the many orphanages here in town has been one of the hardest things here in Zim. Now that our term on the field is temporarily drawing to a close, the realization of how hard goodbyes will be is starting to slip in. This week, while at one of the orphanages just a few blocks from our African abode, I spent what seemed like hours teaching one of the younger kids, Prince, to walk on a pair of stilts that had been donated to the orphanage. The first several times as I helped him start moving on his own, he politely requested, "Leave me to do it." After several attempts to walk on the stilts on his own, each ending with a chaotic fall to which I thankfully caught him each time, he began to cling to me harder each time we'd restart. On our sixth or seventh attempt, he asked me to put my hands over his and hold on to him.
"Don't leave me," he said.
My response to the simple statement was, "I won't, I won't, I promise."
Prince replied, "If you leave, I will fall. I don't want you to let go anymore."
Me and God, God and me, we're the same way. So often I try to do things on my own, and God lets me because He loves and respects me, us. Although, He always stands just far enough and just close enough to catch me if I fall. I so often decide I'll give Him control, only to see how well I'm making it and decide I'll do it on my own. When I realize my effort alone is useless, He stands ready to help me do more than I could of ever expected Him to, and immeasurably more than I could of ever imagined I could do alone.
Earlier this week, several of us mentioned that although we'd seen fruit this summer, we still weren't entirely sure of why we were brought to Zimbabwe. In the three days since that conversation, God has shown us exactly why He brought us an ocean away from home, through a variety of instances, including last night. While headed home from Bible study in our Combie (one of the public transport systems), we were finally able to share with our driver, Request, who has been driving us around for the past month and a half. After sharing the Gospel with Request, who has never once been to church in this highly evangelized country, began singing at the top of his lungs with tear-filled eyes, "I have decided to follow Jesus," in the exact tune we've come to know so well at home.
We have less than two weeks left, but we've learned not to put God on a time limit, He is living and active, and we expect nothing less.
-Tanner
"Don't leave me," he said.
My response to the simple statement was, "I won't, I won't, I promise."
Prince replied, "If you leave, I will fall. I don't want you to let go anymore."
Me and God, God and me, we're the same way. So often I try to do things on my own, and God lets me because He loves and respects me, us. Although, He always stands just far enough and just close enough to catch me if I fall. I so often decide I'll give Him control, only to see how well I'm making it and decide I'll do it on my own. When I realize my effort alone is useless, He stands ready to help me do more than I could of ever expected Him to, and immeasurably more than I could of ever imagined I could do alone.
Earlier this week, several of us mentioned that although we'd seen fruit this summer, we still weren't entirely sure of why we were brought to Zimbabwe. In the three days since that conversation, God has shown us exactly why He brought us an ocean away from home, through a variety of instances, including last night. While headed home from Bible study in our Combie (one of the public transport systems), we were finally able to share with our driver, Request, who has been driving us around for the past month and a half. After sharing the Gospel with Request, who has never once been to church in this highly evangelized country, began singing at the top of his lungs with tear-filled eyes, "I have decided to follow Jesus," in the exact tune we've come to know so well at home.
- In our last week and a half here in Zim, we ask that you pray for courage, boldness, passion for the Gospel, unity, opportunities to share "the glorious riches of this mystery" that we hold within us and for God to simply have his way in us.
- We ask that you pray for the many children of the orphanages that we've been working in, and join with me in praying that they don't experience an overwhelming sense of abandonment that so many deal with, but that they fully understand Christ and from there realized that they've been adopted into the family of God.
- We ask that you pray for Request, for his continued growth and desire for Christ, and that when we leave he can become an active member of a church and make the decision to be baptized..
We have less than two weeks left, but we've learned not to put God on a time limit, He is living and active, and we expect nothing less.
-Tanner