Seeing God's Hand

If I haven’t been writing much, it’s because I’m in Africa with a short term team doing some work alongside some international workers (IW’s) and providing a water well.  I’ll write more about the well some other time.

There are six of us from Canada here for 9 days.  Now the process by which we selected these co-workers isn’t rocket science and it doesn’t sound particularly spiritual.  Basically, after praying for God’s guidance, we asked them(!).  Of those we asked, some said no, some said they can’t because of timing or other commitments and five others besides myself said yes.  That’s it (for the selection process), and though it doesn’t look like much, consider how it all worked out:

One member who is relatively quiet but has a powerful testimony found himself sharing that testimony with a group of male non-believers over several cups of African tea.  This was undoubtedly a divine appointment.  They are struggling with anger at their situation (of poverty and unemployment), and face a future that looks bleak and depressing.  Our team member’s dad died while he was young, and he struggled with anger at his situation.  He was part of a youth gang back then, and faced an uncertain future – poor, angry and surrounded by people who were a bad influence.  Yet God found him and redeemed his life, giving him hope and purpose. While the circumstances were different, the relevance was real and thick.

Another member who is a retired neo-natal nurse was able to spend time working at two orphanages, providing love and compassion for small children who are sorely lacking this for the most part (both ministries being taxed by lack of resources, space and volunteers).  Because of her involvement we were able to bring 4 suitcases of baby clothes and some medical supplies to bless these ministries.

Another member who is a teacher has a whole day scheduled to teach ESL.  Owing to connections back home she was able to bring some practical material and guides to help the rest of us, and what might otherwise be looked forward to with trepidation (none of the rest of us felt competent at this task, and it’s a whole day) is now well planned and mapped out.  Additionally, she speaks the language of the country and can help us navigate the myriads of conversations we have with locals.

One member has their own business teaching children juggling. This turns out to be tremendously useful on the well ceremony day, and brings joy and refreshment to many at the compound we’re staying at and every IW home we visit. He speaks the language very fluently and is a tremendous help to all, as he finds analogy after analogy that speaks to the country’s situation and the needs of the people.

Another member is able to spend time with an IW’s autistic son (she has a son with similar difficulties). She’s also able to counsel some IW’s we meet who need an objective ear.  While almost all of her ministry is in the background, it’s an important work in our stated objective of bringing mental/emotional and spiritual refreshment to both the IW’s we work alongside as we bring physical refreshment to those they minister to with the water well. 

I myself have seen both planned and unplanned opportunities to speak into the spiritual lives of those here.  I preached on the Sunday service (planned), I was able to speak from the Scriptures at the well ceremony (not so planned) and I was able to organize the 2^nd Sunday service just prior to our departure (a surprise opportunity).  I was also able to use my business background to speak into a difficult management situation with an IW here who is running a ministry that employs almost 50 people. 

Well all that is good and nice, the truly astonishing thing to me is that God has given each of us unique opportunities to exercise our specific group of skill sets and gifting.  Each one is needed at a particular time and must call upon both their past skills and their present spiritual gifting (the gifts of God are un-revocable and permanent, but the state of their development changes as we grow to maturity in Christ) .  No one is left out, no one is unimportant. 

This speaks powerfully to me of how God uses our lives.  He uses all the past (if we let Him), all the present skills and gifting we have (if we let Him) and every circumstance we face (if we let Him).  And He does this more often than not in ordinary experience.  In this manner we’ve all seen His hand this week in a powerful and personal way that speaks just as much to us and who we are as it does to those we minister to.  Praise God!