Let me just show you how awesome my "multiplying community" is:
Since I can't be there in person, I get skyped in. It's fabulous :)
At church today, my pastor here in Madison presented some pictures and stories from his recent trip to Africa. He went to Burkina Faso to experience firsthand the kind of poverty those villages endure. The churches in Indiana got together and purchased some wells for the villages, so that's the main reason he went, but he was also exposed to the other needs within that community (and so there's lots to be done!)
Anyway, he told this incredible story that I still just can't wrap my mind around, so I'll retell it here and maybe when I go to Uganda I will have a similar experience. So, he starts off this story talking about how snakes are commonly found in Burkina Faso; therefore, the natives are not at all startled by these creepy crawlies coming in and out of their village and actually use the snakes as another meat source. Gross. However, one evening as some of the village pastors were hosting an evangelic event where they went out into the surrounding villages (who are predominantly either Muslim or adhering to a tribal religion) to preach and sing and encourage others to convert to Christianity, he noticed that the villagers were cowering away from a snake that had slithered into the gathering. The pastor doesn't miss a step as he preaches, he takes a machete and cuts the snake's head off and continues his sermon. After the sermon, one of the missionaries (who had been raised in Burkina Faso) explains that the snake was a "demon snake" sent out from the witch doctors who had been lurking in the trees beyond the village and cursing the Christians the entire evening. The missionary proceeds to hold up the snake and cuts it open, slicing down the body, to reveal that there were NO ORGANS, ENTRAILS, or BLOOD. The snake was completely empty. Apparently the witch doctors there can conjure snakes from sticks - much like Pharaoh's magicians did in the Bible. Crazy, right? I wouldn't believe it except that he witnessed it firsthand. My mind is blown.
The pictures and stories from his trip to Africa just fired me up even more about my eminent trip. There is so much to be done in that country as far as evangelizing and bringing them hope for a life where maybe their kids can grow up and be healthy and full and saved by the blood of Christ. I know that the experience will benefit me probably more than my presence will benefit them. I mean, really, I can't wait to be placed in a context where I need God just for basic survival. I feel like it will really bring me closer to Him and more aware of Him in my life. Not to mention the fact that living off the grid is right up my alley and rural Africa is about as off the grid as it gets. I want a farm anyway, why not in Africa? I want a simple life free from rampant materialism, why not in Africa? Oh dear. I'm not even there yet and I'm trying to think of ways to stay or to go back sooner. I'm not sure if Uganda is going to be my final destination. It may be Burkina Faso. It may be all the way up into Haiti. And then again, it may be rural Tennessee. I just know I'm going to go where I can serve Him best. I'm going to go where I can feel Him best. The church services in Burkina Faso lasted four hours long. Very cool. Very tempting.
I started my dime bottle today. It's pretty empty still, but I've got a year and three months to fill it up (and hopefully start another one). The dinosaur next to the bottle is where the quarters, nickels, and pennies go. I've got to make saving more exciting.
Next Sunday is Palm Sunday. I haven't experienced Palm Sunday since I was in high school. I'm more excited about this than I was about prom. I wish everyone I knew was in the same position I am in. I feel like such a dork getting all excited about these new experiences with Jesus that aren't new to other people. If EVERYONE were as excited about Jesus as I am then I could just talk about it all the time like I want to. I'm not saying other people AREN'T excited about Jesus -- I'm just ecstatically excited and probably a little on the intense side. Yet another benefit to evangelizing in Africa -- new converts as excited about salvation as me!
Next Sunday is the last Sunday on the way to the cross. I can empathize with the disciples as they begged Jesus not to go. I can hardly bear the thought of him on that cross.
Go listen to a song called "New Again" by Sara Evans and Brad Paisley. It will make you weep.
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