Holy Moments
Today was a holy day. I think that God intended all days to be holy days, but somehow I usually miss the holiness of them. I miss the sacredness of the moments that fill them. But not today. Today my heart was touched by all the divine moments that came my way. It started at 5:45am as God woke me up way before my alarm was to go off, and beckoned me to meet Him in His word. I then went for a 2 mile run with my friend Juli, and many other friends who joined us on the way. Our first “joinee” was Daniel, a professional runner in the community who was doing his “cool down” with us. As we ran, he had questions for us about the passage from last night’s bible-study. “What does Jesus mean when He says that man does not live by bread alone,” Daniel wanted to know. We discussed the passage and the fact that physical food does not fill all our hungers. We can have all the physical food we need, but our hearts and souls will still be hungry. Daniel got it. During the final leg of our run, we were accompanied by ten laughing children on their way to school. What a blessing.
Juli and I then proceeded to her hut for our morning time of prayer together. This morning was especially sweet as we sat in silence in the presence of the Almighty God. No words came to our mouths this morning- the Spirit simply led us into a time of listening and stillness before His throne. Truly it was a precious 45 minutes of “being still and knowing that He is God.” At breakfast, we had a special guest. Though his name is David Kibet, I know that truly, it was Jesus in our midst, dining at the table with us. David is a walking miracle; a testimony of God’s might and faithfulness. David should have died two years ago. He was dying in bed from AIDS when one of Juli found him. At 6 foot 2, and weighing only 100 pounds, he could not even lift his hand to greet someone. But as he explains, then Jesus came to him through his friend Juli. Jesus loved him, still believed there was hope for his life, took him in the car to a clinic, got him on treatment, and has restored his life. As we worshiped with David this morning and listened to his testimony, I knew I was looking into the eyes of Jesus. For this is what Jesus means in Matthew 25 where he says that when we visit the sick, we are really visiting Him. I sat blown away by the goodness of God as I looked at this man who has received his life back. He now is on the retroviral drugs and is feeling healthy and strong. He is able to work in his garden and provide for his family. He is currently helping with the construction of our new Children’s Home and is helping to give hope to children in need. But most of all, he now radiates the joy of the Lord. He continually speaks of the goodness of God, and I can see new hope shining out of his eyes.
After the morning devotion, I had the honor of visiting a woman named Esther in her home. The 3 mile walk led me to a tiny, musty hut with a frail, yet smiling woman inside. Esther couldn’t contain her joy at having visitors. HIV positive, abandoned by her husband, and rejected by society, it is a rare treat for Esther to have company. She shared her heartbreaking journey with us, as well as her hope and trust in God. He’s all she has- the only One who hasn’t forsaken her. She asked if we could sing her favorite song with her. One line in it says that though my father and mother may forsake me, my God will never leave me. She has felt the love of God first-hand through our Home-Based-Care Team, and she praises Him for His faithfulness to her. After sharing some scripture and praying for her, we continued on our journey to visit another family in need of love and prayer.
Returning to the training center for lunch, I again found myself eating in the presence of Christ as he dwells in the “least of these.” One visitor was Dina with her baby Daniel. Both mother and son are HIV positive, and today Daniel is also suffering from Malaria. They came for help and medicine today. To add to the complications, Dina is half blind, and her husband is an abusive alcoholic. Our other visitor was Timon. Timon is also dying of AIDS and is on his last stretch. We don’t know how long he has left. A stroke from 6 years ago has left him paralyzed on the right side of his body and unable to really communicate. For now, all we can do is to love him, pray for him, and stay at his side throughout this painful process of death. Today we brought him to the training center to provide a little company and joy in his week. Timon loves to hear singing and so after lunch, Juli decided to find some people to sing with him for a bit. I tell you, that was a holy hour. I watched as the body of Christ came together to truly be the body of Christ to this sick and dying man. All of the ELI staff dropped what they were doing to join the choir. Gardeners, cooks, pastors, the housecleaners, and teachers left their tasks to sing and bring the presence of God into that dining hall. Truly, what a sweet aroma went up to heaven during that time.
Tears filled my eyes later that afternoon as Betty shared her story with the team during our debrief time. Another HIV positive woman, Betty met God as she lay dying alone on her dirt floor. She knew that there must be a God out there, and she cried out to Him asking Him to restore her life if there was still work she could do for Him. He spared her and she has come to know Him and His love through our ministry. Shunned by everyone else in the world, Betty found acceptance for the first time among our staff, and actually began to feel like a human being again. Now she knows that God has a purpose for her and she spends her time visiting and encouraging the sick, speaking openly about her status to break the stigma that accompanies it, educating people about AIDS, and testing and counseling others. When I asked how we could pray for her, she answered, “I just want more of God. I want so much of Him in my heart. May there always be more and more room for Him in me. I don’t need anything else. I’ve had the things of this world, but they don’t mean anything to me anymore. Just pray for more and more of God in me.” Wow, thank you Jesus for examples like this lady. I knew at that moment that I was sitting in the presence of one the “greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” She may be the least on this earth- but this child of God is surely going to be among the greatest in Heaven.
The day ended with some holy moments of pure joy. After dinner, we got out the music, and had a blast laughing and dancing for an hour. We did the “picky picky” dance, learned the electric slide Kenyan style, and learned the jumping dance of the Dinka tribe from Sudan. Amidst the sadness and reality of life here, it’s a blessing to have these needed times of laughter and fun. I know God was laughing with us as we danced together.
But nothing from the day compared with the final hour of worship. We are having a Pastor’s Conference here for the next four days, and tonight was the first session. Wow, I have never heard worship like this. These 15 pastors sang with such passion and strength. Acapella worship and heartfelt prayers filled the room. What devotion, what love, what passion, what worship!. The King of Kings was seated on His throne and received the glory due His name.
Thank you Jesus for these moments. Continue to open my eyes to all the other sacred moments you want me to experience. Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you.
Juli and I then proceeded to her hut for our morning time of prayer together. This morning was especially sweet as we sat in silence in the presence of the Almighty God. No words came to our mouths this morning- the Spirit simply led us into a time of listening and stillness before His throne. Truly it was a precious 45 minutes of “being still and knowing that He is God.” At breakfast, we had a special guest. Though his name is David Kibet, I know that truly, it was Jesus in our midst, dining at the table with us. David is a walking miracle; a testimony of God’s might and faithfulness. David should have died two years ago. He was dying in bed from AIDS when one of Juli found him. At 6 foot 2, and weighing only 100 pounds, he could not even lift his hand to greet someone. But as he explains, then Jesus came to him through his friend Juli. Jesus loved him, still believed there was hope for his life, took him in the car to a clinic, got him on treatment, and has restored his life. As we worshiped with David this morning and listened to his testimony, I knew I was looking into the eyes of Jesus. For this is what Jesus means in Matthew 25 where he says that when we visit the sick, we are really visiting Him. I sat blown away by the goodness of God as I looked at this man who has received his life back. He now is on the retroviral drugs and is feeling healthy and strong. He is able to work in his garden and provide for his family. He is currently helping with the construction of our new Children’s Home and is helping to give hope to children in need. But most of all, he now radiates the joy of the Lord. He continually speaks of the goodness of God, and I can see new hope shining out of his eyes.
After the morning devotion, I had the honor of visiting a woman named Esther in her home. The 3 mile walk led me to a tiny, musty hut with a frail, yet smiling woman inside. Esther couldn’t contain her joy at having visitors. HIV positive, abandoned by her husband, and rejected by society, it is a rare treat for Esther to have company. She shared her heartbreaking journey with us, as well as her hope and trust in God. He’s all she has- the only One who hasn’t forsaken her. She asked if we could sing her favorite song with her. One line in it says that though my father and mother may forsake me, my God will never leave me. She has felt the love of God first-hand through our Home-Based-Care Team, and she praises Him for His faithfulness to her. After sharing some scripture and praying for her, we continued on our journey to visit another family in need of love and prayer.
Returning to the training center for lunch, I again found myself eating in the presence of Christ as he dwells in the “least of these.” One visitor was Dina with her baby Daniel. Both mother and son are HIV positive, and today Daniel is also suffering from Malaria. They came for help and medicine today. To add to the complications, Dina is half blind, and her husband is an abusive alcoholic. Our other visitor was Timon. Timon is also dying of AIDS and is on his last stretch. We don’t know how long he has left. A stroke from 6 years ago has left him paralyzed on the right side of his body and unable to really communicate. For now, all we can do is to love him, pray for him, and stay at his side throughout this painful process of death. Today we brought him to the training center to provide a little company and joy in his week. Timon loves to hear singing and so after lunch, Juli decided to find some people to sing with him for a bit. I tell you, that was a holy hour. I watched as the body of Christ came together to truly be the body of Christ to this sick and dying man. All of the ELI staff dropped what they were doing to join the choir. Gardeners, cooks, pastors, the housecleaners, and teachers left their tasks to sing and bring the presence of God into that dining hall. Truly, what a sweet aroma went up to heaven during that time.
Tears filled my eyes later that afternoon as Betty shared her story with the team during our debrief time. Another HIV positive woman, Betty met God as she lay dying alone on her dirt floor. She knew that there must be a God out there, and she cried out to Him asking Him to restore her life if there was still work she could do for Him. He spared her and she has come to know Him and His love through our ministry. Shunned by everyone else in the world, Betty found acceptance for the first time among our staff, and actually began to feel like a human being again. Now she knows that God has a purpose for her and she spends her time visiting and encouraging the sick, speaking openly about her status to break the stigma that accompanies it, educating people about AIDS, and testing and counseling others. When I asked how we could pray for her, she answered, “I just want more of God. I want so much of Him in my heart. May there always be more and more room for Him in me. I don’t need anything else. I’ve had the things of this world, but they don’t mean anything to me anymore. Just pray for more and more of God in me.” Wow, thank you Jesus for examples like this lady. I knew at that moment that I was sitting in the presence of one the “greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” She may be the least on this earth- but this child of God is surely going to be among the greatest in Heaven.
The day ended with some holy moments of pure joy. After dinner, we got out the music, and had a blast laughing and dancing for an hour. We did the “picky picky” dance, learned the electric slide Kenyan style, and learned the jumping dance of the Dinka tribe from Sudan. Amidst the sadness and reality of life here, it’s a blessing to have these needed times of laughter and fun. I know God was laughing with us as we danced together.
But nothing from the day compared with the final hour of worship. We are having a Pastor’s Conference here for the next four days, and tonight was the first session. Wow, I have never heard worship like this. These 15 pastors sang with such passion and strength. Acapella worship and heartfelt prayers filled the room. What devotion, what love, what passion, what worship!. The King of Kings was seated on His throne and received the glory due His name.
Thank you Jesus for these moments. Continue to open my eyes to all the other sacred moments you want me to experience. Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you.
posted by Kierra Higgins at 9:50 PM
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