Things I Learned in Africa   

I have some very dear friends who are right now in Africa on a mission trip.  While thinking about and praying for them, I remembered something I once wrote several years ago after returning from my first trip to Africa.  Here it is...

1.   People in Swaziland are very friendly, but they drive on the wrong side of the road.  Their hot and cold water faucets are also on opposite sides than we have.

2.   God is not exclusively American.  The Holy Spirit is alive and well and dwelling within the hearts of our brothers and sisters in Africa.

3.   There are still people who want to hear the word of God.  They’re glad to sit on the ground or on a rock outside their home.  They’re even willing to walk in wintertime darkness to gather with the church to learn more of what the Bible teaches.

4.   God blesses different people in different ways.  We saw hundreds of people who have very few possessions, but God has given so many of them beautiful straight white teeth.  And despite the many challenges of their lives, they still so very often share those wonderful smiles.

5.   Christians and children there want to be hugged just like we do here in America.

6.   Similarly, people in Africa have many of the same struggles and challenges that we face here in America.  Some of their circumstance may differ from ours, but they’re still a lot like us.

7.   We saw what poverty really looks like.  So many people (including the church secretary there) live in very small one-room homes costing as little as $35 a month.  That might not sound like much, but it is to people who typically make only $5.00 per day.

8.   We got to see a glimpse of what singing in Heaven might be like.  Not only was their style of singing very exciting and animated, their genuine spirit of joy and devotion was quite evident.

9.   It is possible to be so caught up in a worship service that you hardly notice you’ve been sitting down for three hours.  It is also possible for children to sit a long time without misbehaving.

10. You don’t have to have electricity to have church.  I was preaching one night when we heard a loud explosive noise followed by complete darkness.  Someone thought quickly and brought me a flashlight, and the translator and I kept right on going.

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