Reminders of Home

What an answer to prayer! We went to Acacia Church and it was amazing. The worship music was right up there with Ben Matthews and Scott McCormick, the pastor was quoting C.S. Lewis just like Dave Berry, and the guest musician sang, “Oceans” just as beautifully as Katie Eckeberger!

This past week has been so hard without the Christian community that we are so used to. We were completely drained from traveling last week, and without Christian radio here, I just never felt refueled…until today.

The Segner family, who direct Healing Faith have a house church that we will attend this afternoon, but the interns who are here for several weeks this summer wanted to visit Acacia Church, too. They haven’t had a vehicle to get there, but we were happy to pile all of us in our van and make the short journey.

One intern, Katie, had been to Acacia once before, and sort of knew the way, but that was all the direction we had. I figured that, worst case, we would worship together on the side of the road somewhere. That wasn’t necessary though. We stopped and asked as we went along. We asked one boda (motorcycle taxi) driver if he knew where it was and he said, “Yes, do you know how to get to someplacewehadneverheardof?” I said no, and he said, “Well then how do you expect to get to Acacia?” I just smiled, he gave us the best directions he could, and wouldn’t you know, it lead us straight there!

Acacia Community Church began 10 years ago as a house church meeting with Pastor Terry and his wife in their living room. They outgrew the house and began meeting in their yard. A storm last year destroyed all of their shade trees, so they began meeting under the Eucalyptus trees in a field. We happened to arrive today, their very first Sunday in their beautifully constructed, open-air church shelter.

I couldn’t stop crying through the first several songs. God’s presence was so strong. The Ugandan voices singing familiar lyrics brought such peace to my heart. Once again on this journey of obedience, God calms my heart and soul with simple, familiar occurrences that let me know He is still leading. I simply need to follow.

The very first words we sang, “Blessed be Your Name, in the land that is plentiful, where Your streams of abundance flow.” These words, this praise, it is true still. Here, in Africa, a third world country where the people we will be serving for the coming year do not even know that simple protection from a mosquito will save their lives and the lives of their children, THIS is the land that is plentiful. THIS is where the streams of abundance flow. Why? Because it’s not about the stuff. None of this life is about any of the stuff. It has nothing to do with resources or education or opportunities.

It is about us praising and worshipping Our God.

Our God that is enough.

In Him, even when we have nothing else, even when we know nothing else, we have the abundance of grace and love. We will never be without.

When we are found in the desert place, when we walk through the wilderness, we will turn every blessing back to praise. In the villages of Africa, in the neighborhoods of America, everywhere, regardless of our situation or our lives, we have enough by knowing, loving, and following Jesus.