April 28

So here are a few specific stories that I can share with you that took place over the last week and a half.

God spoke to me through a drunk man:

Nyawa has a lot of drunks, and they all like talking with me. I decided that day to give my whole day to God to let him speak to me and tell me whatever he wanted. I didn’t have a meeting this day, just soaked in God’s presence. So I spent a lot of time in the Word all morning. Then about half way through my day a drunk man that I have talked to several times started approaching me where I was reading in my hammock. I saw him coming from a distance and started thinking “oh no, here we go again.” Every encounter I have had with this guy, he always wanted something, or just didn’t make any sense at all. So he walks up to me and greets me, he then asks me if it was the bible that I was reading so I said yes. He then, while taking another drink, asked me to turn to a specific section out of the book of Ezekiel. I was like “ooookkkkk???” So I turned to it and then he asked me to read it. I read it and he stood there agreeing with it. After I read it he said “this is why you are here.” I said “ssssuuuurrrreeee????,” thinking this guy has totally lost it. We talked for a few mores seconds and he said “ok I’ll be going now.” I replied, “cool, have a great day” and he said, “wait I have one more scripture for you to turn to.” It ended up being a verse out of Isaiah. Before I even turned to it he said, “ok, I’ll be going now.” I replied, “alright, see you later.” So he left and I just sat there open to that verse. Then it dawned on me, he didn’t ask me for anything this time. I started thinking even more, where did he get these scriptures from? These are not well known verses at all. I then read the one out of Isaiah and then I reread the other one. It turns out that they were both about the same things. They were both talking about being a witness of the Lord and going out and proclaiming Him to His people. I sat there and the lord brought conviction to my heart. I started looking at how I was living my life and wasting so much potential. He started talking to me about how I manage my time and if I was really striving and chasing after my goals or just casually walking towards them. Then He told me that I had to change if I wanted to make a difference for His Kingdom. I sat there in awe saying to myself, “did God just speak to me through a drunk man? Yes, yes he did. I guess if He can use a donkey (Numbers 22), then why couldn’t He use a drunk man?” Then I just sat there laughing to myself.

God testing me:

The same day that God spoke to me through the drunk man I felt led to read the book “The Final Quest” by Rick Joyner. Another book that I highly recommend to everyone. I read the whole book and God was stirring things up in my heart the whole time I was reading. Near the end of the book God asked me, “are you willing to give up the motorbike that I am about to give you?” I was puzzled at this question. I asked myself, “didn’t you just give it to me? I haven’t even received it yet and you are wanting me to give it up?” Many other questions were going through my head and I was left in a state of confusion. So I figured I would just finish reading the book. I only had 3 pages left. I tried five times to read these last 3 pages, but no matter how hard I tried, I even was reading the words they just weren’t sinking in, I could not finish the book. I was too distracted with thinking, does God really want me to give up this motorbike? I decided yes, I am willing to give it up and I could manage trying to make it around on a bicycle as I am doing for now. So before the night was over I was totally convinced. I had it all planned out. I would have to write these letters to these people and send these people back their money that they designated towards the bike, and explain why to everyone. I was trying to make sure I didn’t leave anything out. So I wake up in the morning and I told God that he needed to give me a for sure answer about the motorbike. I decided to fast breakfast and lunch and wait on him for an answer. I finally get out of my hammock, started brushing my teeth and decided that now was a good time to finish reading these last few pages. The first paragraph I read said “but God loves giving gifts and blessing his children…….It is alright to be blessed by the Lord…….” I started laughing, nothing like straight forward confirmation. No wonder he wouldn’t allow me to finish the book the night before. He wanted to first make sure that I was willing to give it up before he gave it to me. So a couple hours later Jake arrives out in the villages, comes up to me and says “Derek, the guy wants to sell you the bike now (the original plan was that he wouldn’t sell it to me till july). So I took that as God reassuring me that He was blessing me, He just wanted to test me first. Lol. I will be getting my motorbike next week. Can’t wait!!!

Their Story:

I went to do an evangelical meeting in a village and had to wait a couple hours on the people to finish working in the field before we could start the meeting. While waiting I got to hear the story of the village and how it came about. I learned all this information from two old brothers. One was born in 1924 and the other in 1926. They moved and started the village in 1947 with 3 other men and one woman. They moved to spread out and have more land to farm. These guys are still remembering the slave age when their friends were being sold into slavery to the whites. They said that they saw a car for the first time in Livingstone in the 1930’s driven by a man named Boyd. I guess this guy was a white missionary. They said that they have never had a missionary visit their village since it started. Most of them had never heard the Gospel until I told it to them that day. It was interesting getting to hear about their life and what it was like. We had a powerful meeting where God stirred the hearts of many. After our meeting, which consisted of me giving a lengthy message and talked about Overland and what we were doing in the area, I asked them if they had any questions. Their only question was, “who are you.” Lol. I never told them my name or anything, I just gave them the Word. After we finished I visited a woman who was sick and prayed for her. Then I stopped and prayed for a family that just lost their 14 year old son. This was a challenge for me because I knew the boy didn’t know Christ. I was put on the spot and the only thing I could tell the father was that Christ can fill the void he now has in his life if he allows Him to. That was probably one of the biggest challenges I have had with encouraging someone.

So the last couple weeks have been some of the best weeks of my life. I enjoy giving you guys as much detail as I can so that you can see what I am experiencing. I want to say that the reason I put up these stories is not boast or so that people will be impressed, but it is so that you can see the realness of my relationship with Christ, what He is doing in my life, and so that you can believe and enter in to a deeper relationship with Christ. The only thing keeping you from experiencing an intimate relationship with Christ is yourself, I finally realized it and started to dive in deeper. Because of this I am forever changed.

I started reading a book a little while back. It is called “Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ” by Jeanne Guyon. It was written in the 1600’s, it was publicly burned in France because it offended so many people, and it is responsible for starting revival in several places throughout the last 400 years. The book wasn’t even meant to be published, but was written by this woman for some of her friends that had just began their relationship with the Lord. So many people were being changed by it that they wanted her to publish it so she did. Even though this book was written for those just beginning in their relationship with Christ, this book greatly helped me discover a greater level of intimacy with Christ. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone no matter where you are in your relationship with Christ. I have begun to be able to give more of myself up so that God’s will can be accomplished in me, don’t get me wrong, I’m not totally there yet, but by his grace I will someday get there. With this new relationship I have also experienced a deeper level of peace, joy, and love. My whole being is changing. I spent the last week and a half in the villages in Nyawa. Almost every day I had evangelistic meetings in villages, sometimes two a day. I also made sure to spend a great amount of time with the Lord each of these days. You can only keep pouring out if you keep receiving. I am learning to speak the messages that God wants for his people at the right times. I am learning to give up my plans and works for His. So obviously, in return, the meetings that I have with the people are more powerful and people are being changed. It is funny how it is the easiest and hardest thing we can do is just let God take control. Because of this new ability to let go, gained only by his grace and not on my own accord, I am seeing greater works being done in me, through me, and around me. I am seeing changes taking place in the whole Chiefdom I am working in, reminding you that there are two other people that I work with who have been working just as much if not more in these areas. I am really just trying to say that I am constantly amazed by God and his greatness.