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November 24
I had a wonderful day yesterday with the blessing of fellowship on Thanksgiving with many Christian brothers and sisters surrounding me. I spent my morning visiting with the GSF folk… talking with the younger boys – especially Chad, Paul, Cochrane, and Adam. They are delightful young brothers and would be good friends to Miles if he were here. I sang for a crippled boy who could not speak and decided to get my guitar and come back to play for him. When I returned I had a small audience of boys and girls (maybe 15 kids) who sang with me. They knew “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” and “Shout to the Lord” and they loved echo songs – I was so blessed hearing them sing “I Am Bound” – what beautiful angelic voices they have. I found great love and peace sitting with Jaja Mary (Granny Mary who is at least 80 years old) and Rose just talking to them while they sorted beans. After a while I felt invited to sit and help and I stayed for about an hour sorting beans (a task that Jaja Mary does daily as far as I can tell). They sort the beans for hours and hours to pull out the dirt, the grass, the dried or worm eaten beans to leave the good ones for cooking in huge vats that then feed the entire GSF village. I was humming A-MEN quietly and Jaja Mary joined me in singing the song – we sang Amazing Grace together as well while we worked… my soul was soothed in an amazing way. This morning when I was troubled I returned to just sit in the shade of the kitchen shelter in the presence of Jaja Mary while she worked and I talked to the boys. The boys and I talked about movies, about my boys and everything they do in their day.
Yesterday was a rich and wonderful well of blessings – deep and wide with lessons and new experiences. In the afternoon we drove to Jinja – Claudia drove and Marc and Kerie rode along with us for Thanksgiving dinner at Bob and Carolyn’s home. There were a lot of new folks and I spent most of my time talking to Nick – the son of Keith and Lisa (previous directors of GSF still with Global but now working in a different ministry). Nick is a sweet 16 year old kid from Mobile, Alabama who will soon be living in Northern Uganda outside Gulu.
We returned before dark. Just before Leaving Bob asked if I would preach this Sunday – this has been the source of the majority of my anxieties – anxieties I need to be healed from and released from. I am to preach on Sunday for GSF and the surrounding communities. There will be a translator (this is freaking me out way more than it should). There will be a broad audience – ages 6 and up. They are used to hearing sermons that last as much as an hour or longer. Satan has been at my back accusing me of not being prepared for this, not being able to do this, worrying me that I’ll lose my voice, that I won’t know what to say, that it won’t connect, that it won’t make sense to these people. Isn't is just like the devil to throw so many fears and concerns our way. The truth is I am inadequate... but God can do great things through my weakness. I'll do my best and trust that He will do the rest.
On the way home we crossed over a river for the second time and in conversation it dawned on me that this really was the mouth of the Nile… I looked down at the great Nile river, looking for crocodiles which they say live all over this area. What a beautiful river and it was another gorgeous sunset. We drove in to GSF at dark and all of us stayed up until nearly midnight talking, eating popcorn, and working on Claudia’s laptop which isn’t playing DVDs (another request I place before the Lord – it seems so small but it would be such a blessing for this to be fixed before I leave).
I had a wonderful but quick talk with Dad, Alyssa, Liam, and Mom… it was interrupted multiple times by static, silence on one end, etc. But I was able to talk to my dear sweet family and oh how much I genuinely miss and long for their company… I am nearly crying just saying this. The distance, the difference, the challenges here just heighten that sense of missing unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
Blessings to you ~ Steadman
Steadman Harrison
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