Today was our first ministry day, although it didn’t end up being a full day, just a few hours. When we got to the village (Capalingwa), we hung out with the locals for a bit while waiting for Nate (the sector manager) to return. When he did, he told us that we were going to meet with Chief Moomba. So we went back to the palace (which, by the way, is not what you think of when you think of a palace) and met with him and his headmen. He wished us well, and we got a picture with him. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around it, but meeting with him is a huge deal. Afterwards, we returned to the village, had lunch, and then broke into our groups for ministry. My group made it to four hut clusters. Pretty much right away, Satan started filling my head with negative thoughts and put me out of it, so I was useless and frustrated, especially for the 2nd and 3rd huts. I think what happened is that I was so confident and faith-filled before the trip, and that led me to let my guard down a little once we got here. Lesson learned, I hope.
At the end of the 3rd, Mariel (one of our Overland leaders) had me help pray out loud over the people, so that helped break me out of my funk a little. And then at the last hut, I felt God give me a word about child-like faith. I don’t think I articulated it well, so I hope Annie translated it well. But it felt good to finally say something. We just have two days of ministry left, so I really hope that Satan stays away and God really plants His words and His power in me. I DO NOT want to leave Zambia thinking I could have done more. I also hope we get to take part in some healing and serious transformation, as everyone we spoke to today was already saved. And I know that they still need us, but I really have a desire to reach the lost, the sick, and the broken. One thing I can say with certainty is that I WILL be coming back to Zambia with Overland. I’m not at all looking forward to going home, but it will be interesting to see what it feels like to be home, having amenities and electricity, and to see how much I miss it here.
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