Kettle Comfort

To say I have been pushed out of my comfort zone since I've been here 

would be an understatement.

 I'm comfortable loving on people.

 That, I am good at.

 Some other things I have been asked to do..

I'm not so good at.

 I'm afraid of failure. Always have been.

 I don't ever want to disappoint.

 Tori gave me a rubber band one of my first nights here...

encouraged me with the truth that God is using this experience to stretch me...

in more ways than I thought possible.

 I wear it around my wrist as a constant reminder that,

 "My [God's] power is made perfect in weakness"..

"don't pass up opportunities to serve just because I'm not "good" at it."

I catch myself pulling on that band quite often. 

So, have I led a sheltered life or are hotpots (plug in kettles) a foreign thing?

I am completely aware that comfort is not a key ingredient to the command we have been given to spend our lives for the sake of the poor and the needy,

 but I daily fall short and my weakness is a cup of coffee or tea at night.

 Let's just say it's my little taste of home.

 Some kettle comfort (doesn't compare to you though, Mom ;)

P.S. Today, I got to show 93 children what the Bible says about fathers,

and ultimately, the greatest sacrifice God the Father made of His one and only Son

so that we could have life! (Now that's my element. My comfort zone.)

Pictures to come.

Just Jesus

     **Disclaimer: My heart is broken for a people that are missing the true gospel, bare with my ranting and raving**

     On Wednesday night I went on my first outing alone with the girls...to a church they wanted to visit, there is no better place to go, right? I write this with a heavy heart because I went to a so called gathering of believers and witnessed more darkness and lostness than I possibly ever have before. 


     For me...it's just Jesus. Not Jesus and casting out demons, or yelling out against evil spirits, or "healing" the lame with the touch of a sinful human's hand...just Jesus. My heart is so broken for not only a room of 200 people that are deceived into thinking that rituals and traditions are what it takes to get to Jesus and experience the joys of life in Him, but for 11 girls that I have come to know and love. I understand that their are cultural differences but this wasn't cultural, what was different was that they were missing the gospel. As the man they called a prophet began to lay his hand upon "demon possessed" people, and in the name of Jesus command these spirits to come out..I came to a startling realization. These people are participating in the same acts as witchcraft, just claiming Christ's name on the side of it. In America, it materialism and then let's just add a little of Jesus in here and there...here, it's witchcraft, with a little Jesus. How desperately these people need the gospel, simple as that. They are so convinced that all this hoopla is what it takes to be right before God. If they allow the "fire" or so the preacher said, to come upon them, they would be promoted in heaven. Oh, how contrary the Word of God really is.

 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." -Ephesians 2:8-9

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." -Romans 3:21-24

     As the "healing" went on for a number of hours, I was brought to my knees of behalf of my precious girls that think that this is what it looks like to truly seek God. Many of the girls asked me if I was doing okay and thankfully the Holy Spirit put more than just a simple "Mmhmm" in my mouth! I was able to explain that I believe the Word of God teaches that once we truly put our faith in Christ, Satan no longer has a threshold on our lives, we are free from the devil's snare and cannot be possessed by demons. That yes, there is a spiritual battle going on all around us, but how do we flee from sin and temptation? The Word of God!..That is why He gave it to us in the first place, to know Him and make Him known. 

"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." -Romans 8:2

     The girls and I discussed the night over devotion the next day and I wanted to make sure they understood that the same power that that man claimed to have, I have, living inside of me. I do not need a human to get to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is alive and active in the lives of those who believe. 

     God has totally revamped my view of what I am doing here..The biggest tragedy in this country is that their are churches and people that claim to know Christ on every corner. Christians around the world would look at Namibia and many other African countries and think that Christianity is thriving and believers are being trained in truth, but if churches and believers are classified as what I witnessed the other night, boy do we have a long way to go. The Johnson's are here because pastors, those in charge of leading a congregation and training them in the Word, don't even know the truth of the gospel themselves. Pray that this harvest field is not overlook because statistics show that a large number of people are dubbed Christian. Pray that those that do know the truth will not hide it under a bushel. And ultimately, have confidence in the work of the Holy Spirit that is truly active here.

Look at these faces, they will grow up confused on what is truth and what is not if we, the church, don't get out there and share the Word!

     

Front Porch Girl Talks

     I got to spend Sunday afternoon just sitting and having girl talk with four or five of the girls from the hostel. We talked, did hair, soaked up the sun, and dove deep into some questions and opinions they had about the gospel and what it looks like to live it out. Piper says, "Let Him who gives the strength, get the glory"...I don't know how the conversation started, but I know that Jesus intended on His gospel being boldly proclaimed, may He solely get the glory in that. 


     We talked about God's grace and they asked questions like, "Why do people live with the mindset of, "I can do whatever I want now because I know Christ will always forgive me later"?" They told me that many of their friends say they will believe in Jesus later and have fun now. 


     Sin transcends all cultures, but thank you Jesus, your grace does too! 


     We talked about sin and how the Holy Spirit, if we are saved, is there to convict us of sin and encourage us to do good. We spent a lot of time on the subject of claiming Christ with your mouth and believing Him in your heart. How too often the world around us does the first but never truly experiences the saving grace of the latter. 


     My heart is truly broken over the fact that so many foreign cultures look to American media to find their role models and are so heavily influenced my American culture as a whole. They asked me if all the Christians in America are like the ones on tv, and if they are, they don't look or act different than anyone else. My insides lurked... American media is convincing precious teenage girls around the world that it is okay to indulge in sex, drugs, alcohol, lust, greed, and other selfish desires as long as you stand before a crowd and thank God for the award just given to you. 

     Christ's name is being defamed and I refuse to stand for it. 


     I got the opportunity to explain the difference the Holy Spirit makes in your life and how obedience to God's Word flows from a desire and love in your heart, a desire and love that doesn't just put theologically correct sayings in your mouth but radically transforms your very being. My prayer for these girls is that they seek and find their role model in the person of Christ and not in this or that actress or musician. 


     I look forward to many a Sunday afternoon porch talks with the girls...


     We celebrated Rachael's Sweet Sixteen on Tuesday night and here are a few pictures from our night:

(I promise the cake tasted better than it looked..promise)

(The birthday girl! Rachael couldn't keep her eyes open in a single picture.)

(I joke with the girls because every time a camera comes around they all start posing like models. Cracks me up.)

Happy Birthday To Ya

     Happy Birthday to the wonderful, beautiful, talented, Whitney Pritchett. Your life has challenged me to grow closer with Christ and for that I am forever grateful. Thank you for striving to honor God and bring Him glory. You make friendship easy. Really easy. You genuinely love and care for everyone, despite their circumstances, and that is a wonderful quality to have. I see Christ in you. Simple as that. 

     Since I couldn't be there to celebrate your life (life is a pretty good thing to celebrate so let's do it more than just one day a year, deal?), my friends from D.A.T (Discipling African Teens) and I wanted to wish you a very happy birthday!!

Whit's B'day Video from Morgan Werk on Vimeo.

Give Me Jesus

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus

Going And Telling

     Sunday mornings in Tsumeb might possibly be my favorite time of the week. This past Sunday over 80 children walked for miles to cram into a tiny building where they feasted on the Word of our living Savior. We sang song after song and dove deep into the last seven days of Jesus' life on earth. We focused on The Great Commission and the importance of telling our friends about the love Jesus has for them. I got to lead the kids in an activity of going and telling...if you can't tell, it was a hit! These kids know their stuff, they were throwing out answers left and right. I was super impressed. My prayer is that it is not just head knowledge but the Spirit that motivates studying the Word in this way. God is definitely at work in these kids lives. I am so excited to be a part of it.

Here are a few pictures from Tori:

And here are a few of mine:

Dinner...Yum.

     Mr. Gary brought home a duiker the other night and the girls impressed me with their slaughtering skills. Real women slaughter wild animals in record time. I semi participated, so I guess that makes me half of a real woman. Dad, you would be proud of the African skills I am picking up.

Rally claimed the liver before they were even done devouring it. LOVE these girls.