“1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”
Psalm 105:1-2 ESV.
When we follow God, we never know where He will lead us. So, in the last ten years, He’s taken me on an adventure that led me to write and share the Gospel to the world. And then, God blessed me with an opportunity to speak at a Christian women’s conference in Kenya last month. And the venture gave me a mountaintop experience that I won’t soon forget. In fact, I hope to return to Kenya next year to speak again.
The Gospel Theme
David, the Pastor, reached out to me through a Christian speaker’s website. And after much prayer, I accepted his invitation to come to his church in the suburbs of Nairobi, Kenya. Pastor David set the conference’s theme as Isaiah 41:10 (NIV); “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” So I set out to search the Gospel as I prepared my talks for the three-day engagement.
During the preparations, I often emailed David to get more information about his congregation. He explained the poverty in his area and how COVID increased their hardships. And about how many of his church members struggled to put food on the table daily. Yet, they did not seek a handout, but instead they sought God to help them stand firm during these difficult situations. Their faith encouraged me to become more faithful.
Once in Kenya, our conversations continued as we drove about an hour back and forth to the church each day. David described how some had lost all hope and even attempted suicide to escape the problems. And David’s prayer for this conference was to give them back their hope in Christ. David’s faith inspired me to trust God more.
As the conference began, we spent the first two hours of each session worshipping and praising God. Then the women sang and danced their praises to their King. And I felt the Holy Spirit fill the room. The two hours passed in the blink of an eye and showed me the true purpose of worship.
“Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
Exodus 4:12 NIV.
The Gospel Lessons
God gave me the best words to share with them in many of the promises we find in the Bible. So I shared the following seven truths with them:
- God knows us by name (Isaiah 43:1 NIV), and He promises He is our strength.
- God goes before us (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV), and He promises He will always be with us.
- God strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 NIV), and He promises He has plans to prosper us.
- Our present suffering pales compared to eternity (Romans 8:18 NIV), and He promises us eternity with Him.
- No weapon formed against us will prosper (Isaiah 54:17 NIV), and He promises He will fight for us.
- I am a child of God (Romans 8:16 NIV), and He promises to give us peace.
- The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in me (Ephesians 1:19-20 NIV), and He promises He will always love us.
As our time together ended, David told me how he built this church on faith and trusted God to provide for him and his family because they don’t receive any salary. So, he struggles to care for his church family while also feeding his own family. His complete trust in God convicted me to trust God for everything I need.
These women I went there to teach taught me about standing firm in my faith, no matter the circumstances I face. As a result, I left Kenya with a stronger faith and a heart full of joy. I trusted God to go to Kenya and came home with more trust in God. We serve an awesome God. And as the Kenyans say, “Bwana Asifiwe” (praise God). Amen.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank You that we get to be a part of Your global Church at this moment. Thank You for the opportunity to spread Your love and hope to a world living in darkness and despair. Give us the strength to share Your Gospel to all those we meet. In Jesus’ most holy name. Amen.
Wonderful post Ms. Yvonne. Thank you so much for sharing more about your journey to Kenya ma’am. I’m always amazed at how when we allow God to lead us into service, we so often become the student, disciple, or mentee even though we are asked to serve on the opposite end of those equations. I think it God’s way of rewarding our faithfulness. God’s blessings ma’am, and a very Happy OK Thanksgiving to you, Bill, and your entire family. I pray many gather with you this year.
As always, so well said. We are so much more blessed when we serve. May God bless you and Happy TX Thanksgiving to you, Ms Diane and all the family. I am thankful for your friendship.
I needed this today. His promises are true and never fail.
Always true and so much better than we can expect. Thanks Jennifer. Happy Thanksgiving
Yvonne, what an awesome experience. The seeds you planted will reap a harvest for years to come and bless that congregation. We are truly blessed and have so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Thanks so much Barbara
Isn’t it amazing when God calls us to teach and share our faith with others, we are given enormous blessings in return? What an amazing experience for you! Thank you for sharing. May God continue to bless your ministry.
I am so thankful for you, Katherine. I hope you had a blessed thanksgiving
You inspire me!! And I love what you said about learning so much from the women you were called to help. It’s so beautiful how God works in that way! Full circle.
It is an amazing full circle. I am thankful for you, Jessica. Many blessed
I am so very thankful God gives us ways to share His message with others. Sometimes words, sometimes actions. God leads us.
Amen Melissa. I pray your Thanksgiving was filled with joy and laughter. Blessings
It’s incredible to see how the Lord continues to widen and to expand your ministry so that you’re not only caring for orphans all over the world, but you’re now teaching and blessing women all over the world. Praise the Lord for what He is doing through you, Yvonne!
Thanks so much Melinda. I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving.