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Mission Spotlight, June 2007 |
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Written by Administrator WestsideMissions.org
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Saturday, 27 May 2006 17:12 |
Zambian Mission Trip - Harold Griner - June '07 - Mission Spotlight
Zambian Mission Trip
Harold Griner
In June of 2005, I had the privilege of going on my first foreign mission trip. I was part of a 5-man evangelism team traveling to Zambia. I felt God would bless me in this effort,but I had no idea just how much. Kit and Mary Ann Smith hosted our team in the small village of Shesheke, Zambia. My sleeping arrangements were out of the main house in a tent overlooking the Zambezi River. This was an unexpected blessing. I felt the closest ever to God's creation in that magnificent setting. At night the crystal clear unpolluted sky with stars sparkling seemed to go on forever. And some mornings, we were awakened to the sounds of hippos in the river just below us.
Each morning around 10:30, we would gather at the bluff overlooking a spectacular river for a morning devotional. We would each share a bible verse God had placed on our heart, and how we sensed He was speaking to us through His Holy Spirit. This was an amazing time together, and I will never forget those mornings sharing our hearts and watching the way God used this time made available to Him.
There in Shesheke, or across the river in Katima, we would gather at the marketplace, a school building, or under a tree to teach the Bible to all those who would listen, through storying through the old and the new testaments. When we were not teaching we would roam through the adjacent villages and share the gospel through salvation tracts. I was so blessed to talk with many adults and even more children, who seemed so hungry for the hope and light of Jesus Christ. Amidst mud huts and bare feet and bare essentials for life, they were so full of joy, laughter, and hope-so very poor, and yet so rich in Spirit. I remember how they loved to chant the name of Jesus along with me there in the afternoon African sun These moments will stay with me forever.
At the conclusion of a week of presenting the story of the Bible, we would arrange to show the Jesus film. This gave the opportunity for those who had heard our Bible presentation and understood, to receive Christ as Savior and Lord of their life. Scores stood and sat in a field on a cold Zambian evening, with that magnificent Zambian sky overhead, to watch what they had heard about Jesus come to life in their native language with a makeshift projector and screen. After attentively viewing the film, they were invited to come forward to give their lives to Jesus. What followed was an unforgettable moment as many rushed forward, some of them literally leaping into our arms, to receive Christ and thanking us for coming there.
Words are entirely inadequate to express how much the Lord blessed me on this trip. It was a wonderful time of being used by Him in a land so far away, and yet a place so close to the heartbeat of God.
As we left Zambia I knew what I had always heard about being blessed by God on a mission trip to be more than true. It was a significant spiritual marker in my life. When my thoughts return to Zambia, I always think of God's creation, God's tremendous love for all people, and God's desire for me to be used by Him to spread the wonderful news of His love.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 June 2007 04:16 |
