Glimpse of G0d's Gl0ry #10

“Though the L0rd gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:20-21

Greetings to you all and gratitude to our Father for your journey with us in 2012!!

Glimpse of G0d’s Glory #10

His People / His Work

This year, 2012, has been an incredible year! I left my home in December of 2011 not knowing what G0d had in store for me, for HSI, for C@therine, for the people of M@li. My plan was not to be gone for a year, but this week I have been in M@li for a full year and do not know what G0d's time table is for my return home. My plans for my time in M@li were so different from what G0d's plans were for this time! I have seen Him like never before, I have walked with Him like never before, I have heard His guidance like never before, I have watched Him work like never before! The scripture above has proven true...though adversity and suffering has surrounded me, HE has been with me to teach me, I have seen Him with my own eyes, my own ears have heard Him, and He has been right behind me saying, "This is the way you should go." The great thing is that the scripture has not been true for just me, but for the His people in M@li. How about you...how has He been with you this year, how has He taught you, how have you seen Him and heard Him, how has He instructed you?

I have shared many glimpses with you, but one of the greatest glimpses of G0d's gl0ry has been seeing His people bow before Him together and call out to Him on behalf of the people of M@li and watch Him pour out His Sp!r!t and power to move and work!! You see He has taken over 500 pr@yer warriors, countless financial supporters, and the volunteers who walked with Him here, and He has displayed His gl0ry in M@li! All of the glimpses you have read about so far have been a result of your f@ithfulness to pr@y, to support, and to walk with us here!! It has been a privilege to serve alongside you for His gl0ry this year--2012!! When His people, who are called by His name, humble themselves...HE MOVES, HE COMES CLOSER, HE SHOWS US HIS GL0RY!

As 2012 comes to a close and we begin looking toward 2013, I want you to know that my heart is bowed down in gratitude to each of you for your f@ithful pr@yers, your f@ithful support, and your f@ithfulness to walk with us in all the ways G0d has led you. These glimpses and so many more have been given to us by our G0d so that we can know Him, understand Him, and believe that He and only He is G0d. Without you, we would not have seen the greatness of our G0d in this year--2012! I look forward to 2013 together with you! Keep your eyes open for the glimpses of G0d...He is coming by again SOON!!

Glimpse of G0d's Gl0ry #9

“Though the L0rd gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:20-21

Greetings to you all and gratitude to our Father for your journey with us in 2012!!

Glimpse of G0d’s Glory #9

Empty hearts / His Joyful Song

Since January of 2011 and especially in the year 2012, the glimpses of G0d's gl0ry have been countless as He has taken empty hearts and filled them with His joyful song!! In a culture where everything has a rhythm, drums are played to celebrate and to encourage people as they work, dancing is the highlight of the day, the week, the month, or the year, and people break out in song at the slightest prompting, I have watched G0d pour out His joyful song into the hearts of those who have come to know Him. I have seen Him use His joyful song to teach them His word and the truths that come from it. I have watched His gl0ry and presence grow in both O and S0 as they learn a new song, as the LIGHT of J.s.s reveals its truth, and as they find strength and understanding to f0ll0w this new way of life.

His joyful song has not only impacted those who have chosen to f0ll0w Him!! Some of the greatest glimpses of His gl0ry have come as His servants and His children have simply allowed the joyful song in their heart to be expressed in all that they do. Just a few of the glimpses:

• Singing His praise, sharing songs while we sell ice on Sundays, and watching as another woman stops her work for a moment and listens to the words of the song--even joining in on occasion.
• The day O's mother began joining in our songs and quietly singing beside us
• The continual request from 0's children to listen to a particular song on my phone
• The joy on a young girls face as I handed her my phone and let her listen to the songs of J.s.s
• The face of a child as they walk up and sing one of the songs they have heard
• The joy in a father's voice as he shares how his son of 4 years was singing and dancing to one of the songs he heard us singing
• The hunger of a man to listen to the songs and worship his G0d
• The gathering of people outside the gate to our apartment as we sat with friends and sang songs of praise
• Daily being asked daily by O as we listen to a song--"Do you understand?" and then her proceeding to explain to me in simple Bambara what the song means
• Hearing the sound of O makes as a new truth or understanding is revealed to her about J.s.s or about what it means to walk with him, and hearing her ask me, "Is that true?" or hearing her proclaim, "That is true!"
• Watching a group of young people grab the drum and altogether sing one of their favorite J.s.s songs
• Seeing smiles fill the faces of those with us as we sing the song "Ala Ka Layidu" (The Promise of G0d) and placing the names of all those around us in t*/he line that says, "All of G0d's promises for ___________ are fulfilled in J.s.s"
• Waking up in the mornings MYSELF with a heart filled with the BAMBARA songs of J.s.s

This list could go on and on! The impact of music in the lives of ALL people is huge...it is G0d's design that our hearts be filled with HIS SONG!

I cannot end this glimpse of G0d's gl0ry without sharing the things that happened this week. During our thanksgiving celebration with our M@lian friends, we did a LOT of singing!! O and D@n were leading our time of singing while S0 was leading our time of storying from G0d's Word. Many of the people who came were friends and family of O and S0. On the day after the celebration, O told us how her friends and family were amazed by her singing and how she knew all of those songs about J.s.s. She declared, "They know I am f0ll0wing Him!" Then one of her friends, MM, came to sit with us on the street a couple of days after the celebration. Again, we were talking about what a great time we had together. So O and I began singing the "Ala ka Layidu" song. Almost as soon as we started, MM blurted out, "O, I woke up with that song playing in my head! I couldn't remember all of it, but then it came to me. I thought to myself, I can't be singing this song about all of G0d's promises being fulfilled in J.s.s. Then I thought, if 0 can sing it, so can I." MM has been a part of many things we have done. Little by little the walls are being broken down and she is experiencing a taste of J.s.s. He is filling her empty heart with His song! I'm certain it is not just MM's heart He is filling...

Glimpse of G0d's Gl0ry #8

“Though the L0rd gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:20-21

Greetings to you all and gratitude to our Father for your journey with us in 2012!!

Glimpse of G0d’s Glory #8

His Servants / His M!ssi0n

"Go...make disciples...baptize them...teach them to obey all I have taught you...be sure of this...'I am with you always...'"

What a privilege to see someone put their f@ith in J.s.s! What a joy to walk beside them! What an honor to see them walk in His ways and begin share with others and teach others all that G0d is teaching them. We have seen glimpses of G0d's gl0ry in the lives of O and SO as they have put their f@ith in G0d and begun to learn what it means to be a f0ll0wer of J.s.s. Two of the greatest glimpses were watching G0d take this f0ll0wers and use them as His servants.

At the beginning of November, O went on her first m!ssi0nary journey with the medical team! She saw first hand what it meant to be a servant of the Living G0d, to impact the lives of those who were sick and in need--all in the name of J.s.s. She had never seen anything like it and took in every detail as we sat together making baggies of medicine to pass out through the pharmacy. As we sat there, she burst into song changing the words to the song to reflect what she was seeing and experiencing. We titled the song, "The L0rd helps us as we do His work." It expresses how there may be troubles, tiredness, difficulties doing G0d's work, but G0d gives us courage and patience. The L0rd helps us as we do His work." She still sings this song when she remembers our time serving G0d and serving others. Another amazing glimpse of G0d in His servant 0 was watching G0d fill her with boldness and courage to go out and bless the people and share with them the difference J.s.s has made in her life since she started walking with Him. In this culture, giving blessings is how they start their day, relate throughout the day, and end the day. O blessed the people at the medical clinic with a blessing G0d had placed in her heart mind months before ..."May G0d take your sickness up to heaven and may health and strength come to sit with you." After sharing it the first day with many people, she ran into the room where we were working with great excitement and told us about how it meant so much to the people. She herself was filled with joy to overflowing and said at the end of the day, "Today, I am so happy to be a f0llower of J.s.s. This work is just a miracle!"

At the end of November, S0 taught his first story from G0d's word!! On November 29th, we hosting a Thanksgiving celebration for our Malian friends. We invited them to our house, cooked a favorite Malian meal with a little Am3ric@n twist, served water and soft drinks, sang LOTS of Chr!sti@n songs, shared testimonies of our thankfulness to G0d, pr@yed, and shared G0d's word. S0 loves G0d's word so much, so we asked him to share the story of the 10 Lepers who were healed. We spent the week before the celebration telling the story to him, talking about it, and preparing him to retell the story and lead the discussion at the celebration. It was amazing to watch S0 take in the story himself, listen to G0d's voice teaching him what the story meant and how it applies to our lives, then watching him tell the story with joy, animation, and excitement as if the story was happening right before us. D@n, our M@lian partner, had spent time telling the story to S0, and the next day, I sat with S0 and asked him about the story. He was nervous and wanted to tell it exactly like it was in the B!ble. He got his B1ble so he would not make a mistake. I told him, ":First, just tell me the story as you remember it from yesterday." I closed his B!ble, and he told the story. It was perfect!!! He missed no details!! On the day of the celebration, had I not known it was his first story to tell from G0d's word, I would have never known. He is a natural story teller and discussion leader, and HE LOVED IT!! Since the celebration, I have seen 5 of the people who heard the story. All 5 have retold me the story without missing any details!!

Oh the greatness of the glimpses of G0d's gl0ry being lived out in the lives of His Servants!! Again, what a privilege to see someone put their f@ith in J.s.s! What a joy to walk beside them! What an honor to see them walk in His ways, begin share with others, and teach them all that G0d is teaching them!!!

Glimpse of G0d's Gl0ry #7

“Though the L0rd gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:20-21

Greetings to you all and gratitude to our Father for your journey with us in 2012!!

Glimpse of G0d’s Glory #7

Life Choices / His Courage

The daily glimpses of G0d's gl0ry come as we watch G0d's servants, O and S0 grow in their f@ith!! At the end of the day each day, I sit and ponder and I am compelled to give thanks and pr@ise to G0d!! I feel like M0ses daily as he sat in the cleft of the rock and saw the back of G0d as He passed by so M0ses could see His gl0ry. I never see Him coming on see His back as He passes by!! I marvel daily at the G0d I serve, the G0d I love, and the G0d I live to gl0rify!!

Living in this country where animism and !sl@m are the focus of most, to choose to be so different from your family, friends, business clients is quite the challenge to the new f@ith of a young f0ll0wer of J.s.s. But in the lives of O and S0, I have seen courage and f@ith that can only come from the Sp!r!t of G0d living in them.

There are 2 big holidays in the !sl@mic religion. R@mad@n and T@bask!. During R@mad@n, they fast, pr@y and seek G0d's will for 30 days. T@bask! is the day when they seek G0d's forgiveness for the year, remember the time when G0d provided the ram so that Abraham would not have to sacrifice his son, and they themselves make a sacrifice and eat a lot of meat!

This year during R@mad@n, O chose to f0ll0w the ways of J.s.s. G0d's Sp!r!t lead her to continue walk with Him instead of following the traditions of her family, friends, and even her country. She chose to put her f@ith in J.s.s and live that out before her family and friend. Because of her f@ith and obedience to J.s.s, her confession about this year during R@mad@n was this, "This year has been very different. Normally during R@mad@n, I do not even go to the market. No one is buying peanuts or ice because they are fasting. This year daily God sold all my ice and 3 times this month I have had to replenish my peanuts. People were asking me, 'What are doing with the white people?' I said, 'Nothing. We are pr@ying to G0d and He is helping me." Just a glimpse of G0d giving O courage to change and walk in new ways with Him--a decision she made and lived out daily, a decision He honored with His f@ithfulness to walk with her

During T@bask! this year, both O and S0 asked about whether they should eat the meat their families sacrificed. After talking about that and the holiday, what our response should be to those around us, they each were encouraged to f0ll0w whatever G0d was leading them to do--celebrate with their families or not. In Chr!st we have freedom, and the most important thing is that we listen to Him and follow what He says to each of us. It is not always the same answer. S0 decided to separate himself totally for T@bask!. He chose to go to the market to sell like he regularly does. When I went to the street that day and saw him, he said, "I just want to spend the day alone with G0d, listening, seeking, and pr@ying." He spent 4 days doing just that

Both O and S0 have faced new life choices as f0ll0wers of J.s.s. They have to answer the questions about how to live this new life amidst old traditions. G0d has given them courage to choose J.s.s and His ways!! Those choices reveal His Gl0ry to those who are still sitting in the peanut gallery!

Glimpse of G0d's Gl0ry #6

“Though the L0rd gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:20-21

Greetings to you all and gratitude to our Father for your journey with us in 2012!!

Glimpse of G0d’s Glory #6

Peanut Gallery Reversal/His S@lvation

“Though the L0rd gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:20-21

 

After our c0up refuge in S3neg@l and our retOn the day when Ama and Lasi were sitting in the peanut gallery listening to our conversation with S0, the peanut gallery reversed. S0 became the one watching and listening as Ama and Lasi shared their stories and then listened as they found answers to their life needs--J.s.s. S0 sat listening and watching as these 2 young men talked about the power they felt in our words and how they wanted to f0ll0w J.s.s. Then for the next couple of weeks, SO watched as Ama studied and talked about G0d's word with us. He was filling the seats of the peanut gallery.

Then one day out of the blue, as soon as we arrived on the street, S0 began telling C@therine and I something with great enthusiasm and animation. I looked at C@therine puzzled and trying to process what I thought I had just heard...my language then and now is still not always what I think I'm hearing. I said to her, "I think he just said he wants to f0ll0w J.s.s." She said, "I think I heard that too." So we listened and then told S0 we would get out friend D@n to come and talk with us to make sure we understood what he was saying correctly.

It was true!!! S@lvation had come to S0!! He had made the choice to stop traveling 2 roads--flip floping from animism to !sl@m to Chr!sti@nity. From that day to this day, S0 is f0ll0wing J.s.s in power, truth, courage, and f@ithfulness!!! I have never seen a man more hungry to know how to walk this road of J.s.s, how to live out this f@ith, and how to serve his G0d!! Every day, S0 wants to study G0d's word, to know what we have read that day, to pr@y together, to help each other with our daily struggles. This man is a new creation in Chr!st...as we read and talked about yesterday..."the old has gone and the new life has come!"

Glimpse of G0d's Gl0ry #5

“Though the L0rd gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:20-21

Greetings to you all and gratitude to our Father for your journey with us in 2012!!

Glimpse of G0d’s Glory #5

Peanut Gallery/His S@lvation

After our c0up refuge in S3neg@l and our return to M@li, the great debate was whether people should return to M@li or not, should volunteers come to serve alongside us or not. These questions can only be answered by those whom G0d is calling. These questions had to be answered by 4 women who had been called by G0d to come to M@li at the beginning of the year, they had been preparing, and the day the c0up happened, they had bought their tickets. By f@ith, their choice was to come, to continue to believe G0d and follow His call!

Because they came out of their love for G0d, for the sake of the G0spel, and the hope we have in J.s.s. Chr!st, G0d poured out His Sp!r!t and brought salvation. One Sunday afternoon as we sat on the street where O works selling peanuts, we sat visiting with others. O was attending a wedding. G0d specifically lead us to talk with a man who has been wishy washy and living a life where he talks like a M.s1mWe  when he is with M.s1ms and talks like a Chr!sti@n when he is with Chr1sti@ns. We had talked with him many times but his heart never seemed sincere. His name is S0. We had a powerful conversation with him as well as answering personal questions he had about following J.s.s. G0d's Presence was felt as G0d guided the conversation and filled our minds and mouths with the words He wanted to share.

Someone came and needed something and the conversation was stopped for a few moments while S0 took came of their needs. Behind us were 2 young men sitting in what we will call the peanut gallery. They were listening to our conversation even though they were not a part of it. While S0 was away, the 2 young men came around to sit in front of us and said, "Your words have touched our hearts." With that confession, we began a conversation with them listening to one young man (Lasi) share with us the experiences of his life and how when his mother was very sick nothing they tried (African Traditional Religion and 1sl@m) healed her. Then one day some Chr!sti@ns came to pr@y for her and talk to her. J.s.s healed her and she became a f0ll0wer of J.s.s. That day this young man said, "I have tried everything to find peace, to find help for my life. Your words have touched me and I want to choose to walk on the road of J.s.s. with my mother." Then he said, "It is not only me, but my friend wants to talk with you too." Then his friend, Ama, began to share with us how our words had touched his heart. We listened, talked, explained f@ith in J.s.s. and s@lvat!on. Both Ama and Lasi left that day, changed men, filled with joy and peace, hungry to know more about how to follow J.s.s.

We took them each a B!ble and each day  Ama would share with us what He was reading and we would talk about it. He would call his friend Lasi and tell him we were there on the street. Lasi would come to greet and sit with us for awhile. During the first week, Lasi came to us so excited. He had been looking for a job for a long time. He came and exclaimed, "J.s.s has changed my life and He has given me a job!" He even brought his friend who is a f0ll0wer of J.s.s and who has walked with Lasi through some very difficult times--loving him when he didn't deserve it, being J.s.s to him when he was traveling the wrong path. Together we all rejoiced at what G0d had done for Lasi!!

After only a few weeks, Ama returned to his country and to his family to help with the planting and harvest for this year. We miss him and pr@y for him daily. We look forward to his return and hope we will see him again in just a few weeks. We cannot wait for him to join us in w0rship and B1ble study!!

Glimpse of G0d's Gl0ry #4

“Though the L0rd gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:20-21

Greetings to you all and gratitude to our Father for your journey with us in 2012!!

Glimpse of G0d’s Glory #4

F@tith/ His Power

Two years ago as I walked by and greeted a vibrant lady who sells peanuts-- a lady I greeted many times in passing by-- G0d's Sp!r!t spoke to my heart. He spoke to me and simply said, "I want  you to come and sit with this lady." Just a few weeks later, C@therine came to M@li and we began sitting on the street with her. You know her as O, the peanut lady. We have shared many stories with you and there are so many more that we have not shared but longed to share. G0d has truly been at work in O's life as well as the lives of many of those we have come to know on the street who work beside her. When G0d spoke to me that day, I had no idea what He had planned or what His purpose was for our time sitting with O on the street. Today, I have a greater understanding.

In 2011, O began professing that she was the same as us--that she believed in J.s.s the same as us. In 2012 we have seen O grow in her faith and she has seen G0d's f@ithfulness to her. When the C0up D'Et@t happened in March, O was another reason my heart was broken that we had to leave M@li for a season. She was another reason I cried out to G0d begging Him to allow us to return to finish what He had begun. While O was strongly professing to be a f0ll0wer of J.s.s or one of "J.s.s.'s sheep", I was not sure she was strong enough or understood enough to continue f0ll0wing J.s.s if war, r3b3ls, or 1sl@mists challenged her bel!ef. During our time away, G0d taught me and prompted me to remain in close contact with O through this time of difficulty in M@li. We would pr@y together and share our struggles together over the phone. Through these times, G0d showed His f@ithfulness to her as she watched Him answer our pr@yers. One day she said, "Fanta, when we pr@y G0d answers us and does what we ask." Pr@ying and putting our f@ith in G0d has become the foundation of both of our relationships with J.s.s. Here are some of the glimpses of G0d I have seen as G0d has passed by to disciple and empower O this year:

• Seeing her face light up as she looked at the pieces of the nativity scene and heard the stories of each person in the story of J.s.s birth. Watching her contemplate those truths each time she came over and looked at the nativity.
  
• Upon hearing the stories and truths about J.s.s being the Good Shepherd, her confession that she belongs to Him, she is one of His sheep. G0d continues to use that story to teach her new truths about f0ll0wing Him and listening to His voice.
  
• Seeing the Presence of G0d's Sp!r!t teach her as she listens to His Word and sings songs of f@ith. Her hunger to understand the words to the Christian songs she listens to continuously. Watching her f@ith grow as she comes to understand the truths in those Christian songs.
  
• Watching O spontaneously share a song that spoke new truths to her heart with a friend on the street...totally lead by G0d's Sp!r!t in her. Then watching her explain what it meant to her friend.
• Driving down the road one day and the sun was not shining. It was very cloudy and looked like rain. O said, "Fanta, if the sun does not come out, my peanuts will be broken." So I told her G0d rules the sun and the rain. He is able to bring out the sun to dry your peanuts." At the time,  I didn't know exactly how to pr@y and ask G0d in Bambara to hold back the rain and send out the sun so O's peanuts could dry. So I mumbled through it as I talked with her and she taught me how to say it. So then we pr@yed together. Within the hour, the clouds were gone, the sun was bright, and the peanuts were not broken. At the end of the day, O and I had seen the realness of G0d's Presence and His response to our f@ith in Him. It has become a foundation stone in O's f@ith to pr@y and ask G0d to help her.
  
• Watching O wavering back and forth one morning about whether to do peanuts or not. Again the sun was not out and a DARK rain cloud was passing over. She could not decide what to do. I told her, "Either way you must believe G0d for what you need. If you wash the peanuts, you must have f@ith that G0d will give you the sunshine you need to dry them. If you wait until tomorrow, you must have f@ith to believe that G0d will send sunshine tomorrow." She stood up, looked to the sky, and said, "I believe G0d for the sunshine to do what I need to do today!" With boldness, courage, and f@ith, she went to get water, washed her peanuts, salted them, and put them out for G0d to dry them. By the time, she put the out to dry, the dark cloud was gone and the bright sunshine was warming their spot for drying. (One of my favorite glimpses of G0d's gl0ry...the empowering of His child with f@ith to believe Him!) She boldly told everyone what G0d had done for her because she believed Him.

G0d has given me many glimpse of His G0ry as we have watched O come to know Him, understand Him, and believe in Him...more glimpses to come...