Sunday arrived, and our team was breaking into three groups to go in different directions. Our team was heading far outside the city limits, where plumbing and electricity do not exist. Mafecula sits between sugar cane fields that are green and lush this time of the year, and peaking mountains in the backdrop. NoNo’s compact car barely made it through the fence gate before the village people made their way to greet our team. The smiles were genuine as they ushered us underneath a large tent top for shade.
Three elderly ladies began singing while several young moms with babies in their laps swayed back and forth. The village attended a funeral the night before, so many men went to fetch the chairs. Looking at the surroundings, cows were grazing on breakfast hay, several groups of locals found shade underneath nearby trees, and some non-churchgoers were stumbling around from Saturday night’s beer. The truck filled with chairs began to back up, and one by one, the men unloaded and placed them in front of the white guests. We were treated with such high regard that it felt a bit uncomfortable.
I was invited to teach Sunday School to the youth again, so we all grabbed a chair and made our way up a small hill into a cement block building with a tin roof. This is their church on any other Sunday. We sat down in a circle, and for 45 minutes, I shared from Matthew 16 the urgency to remain in His Word and to tell others about the One who saved our lives. Afterwards, we took our chairs back underneath the large tent top. Women began singing, stood up, and the entire congregation joined in corporate worship.
I sat off to the side so I could take it all in. I have always been this way: a people watcher. I noticed a young mom nursing her child as she worshipped; it was the most beautiful moment, so raw and pure. The table up front was covered in a white cloth. One of our translators, Lelo, shared a message of hope, calling the people to repent, live daily according to God’s Word, and walk in obedience.
It was extremely hot outside, and the nursing child was inconsolable. I looked at the mother and reached my arms out. She smiled and stood up. I couldn’t contain my tears as she placed him in my arms. Something happens to the flesh when the Spirit settles into the soul. At that moment, a rush came over me, unlike anything I’d ever experienced. In my spirit, I heard, “They do not need you, Heather. You need them.” I knew right then that while God brought me to teach, He more so brought me to learn. Learn that I do not belong to myself. I don’t need 95% of the things I possess. Joy is found in God alone. Suffering leads to surrender. Surrender to sanctification. Sanctification to serving like Christ served.
After the service, I placed the sleeping child on the mat made from Hall’s cough drops wrappers. One of the church elders tapped me on the shoulder and moved his arm to the table at the front, now with chairs around it. No one else was there, so I was a little apprehensive. But not to seem rude, I obliged. Shortly afterwards, the other leaders from our team and the local church joined me. I wasn’t sure why we were there, so I read a card from my friend back in the States and sat quietly. One of the local ladies walked up with a tray of glasses. The top of a five-gallon bucket served as the tray. Then, a plastic bag of bananas was placed in the center of the table. Lastly, white plates with homemade biscuits and small grilled chicken pieces were placed around the table for us to share. Juice was poured into each glass from the five-gallon bucket. I imagine the banquet table in Heaven will be as beautiful as the one I sat at this past Sunday.
This meal was offered to us based on what little they had. Bananas were picked from the neighbor’s tree, the chicken was sacrificed by a family who needed it much more than we did, and biscuits were made with sheer joy for out-of-town guests. I have never eaten a meal with such humility in my heart.
When I was teaching Sunday School, black ashes began falling on us all. No one knew where they came from, but assumed someone was grilling nearby.
In the Bible, “embers” and “glowing coals” are used symbolically to represent purification, the presence of God, the intensity of suffering, and the need to nurture spiritual gifts. They appear in passages describing prophetic visions (Isaiah), the call to action for ministers (2 Timothy), and the destructive nature of conflict (Proverbs).
As I process all God did on this special Sunday, I think about how this mission trip has stirred the spiritual embers into a flame.
For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:6-7
To God be the glory, three came to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Terrie and Lydia made their way to the Madagascar rainforest where many walk for days to hear the message of Jesus Christ. The rest of the team went north to enjoy a few days together in Kruger National Park. Today, the team members are all making their way home.