Grateful in Africa

Good Morning World!!!

I am giving a morning devotion on Tuesday about waiting on God with earnest expectation of a mix of HOPE and FAITH as a power source. This will lead to a life of transformation. It is 3:00 AM ZAmbia time. My buddy Steph has frequently gotten up at this time as our inner time clocks seem to be rather "off". She uses her time to blog, so I thought I would see what I am missing!! Anyway, as I woke up this morn thinking about "waiting, hope, faith, and transformation, I realized I have been experiencing the perfect people who represent this process, the Zambians....

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to be a small part of watching a dream being fullfilled for 11 of them, the Mapalo Vineyard Worship Team. Josh and I had a desire to help them record some of their original songs at a recording studio while we were here and produce the CD's for them and us. All 15 of us, (Steph joined us for this) trekked on foot complete with instruments and walked to the nearby studio at the Catholic Church for our booking.Of course we had to walk through the guard station where the families of the prison guards live on the very edge of the Ndola prison. We also waved and said "Hello" to the prisoners on the inside of the razor wire and the outside, as they work gardens on the grounds outside and inside the fence. WE also walked right by the open sewer where they draw the "water" to give nourishment to their crops!! Early on in our visit here as they invited Josh and I to join their team on Sundays and for practice on Saturdays, we both felt such a heart connection with the team members and became one with them in the trueast sense. I believe that our personal worship experiences will never be the same after spending quality "heart" time with our friends on the Mapalo Vineyard Worship Team. There were a few points in my time photographing and videotaping them recording fresh worship songs in their Bembe language, that tears ran freely down my cheeks. At one point in particular, I was in the studio with the men and they were laying down the drum track for the Cd. There were about 10 of us in this little tiny, stinky room!! Four of the "men", one was 10 years old, were playing four different native drums in complete unison of beat at TOP volume to the faint background music of the actual voices and guitars of the song. Those drums sounded like THUNDER for the LORD, because they worshipped to HIM with every ounce of passion God had given them. I literally transported to the throne room of the LORD through that experience. I felt GOD's very heartbeat, I think.I was so honored to be there and share hearts with God and men in that stuffy tiny room. I will never forget how I was transformed in that moment.

Back to waiting, hoping, trusting....FAITH!! The Zambians live in the worst poverty and disgusting situations I have ever seen, yet they exhibit the most joy and faith in God that has ever been shown to me. They have true poverty of spirit, (Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...) as Jesus talks about in Matthew 5 in the Be-Attitudes. I wish ALL Christians, everywhere could come spend time with these folks and learn, as my friend, Ken Moore says, "How to be a Christian." I LOVE YOU ALL and thank you so much for your prayers. Isn't our Lord, the God of over the top, MORE??? I sure have seen HIM here!!!! Nicci