Ministers of our God

When the team met at the airport last Thursday, Stacey Weneck (a previous extended stay traveler to Swaziland) shared this passage of scripture with the group:

"They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago.
They will revive them,though they have been deserted for many generations.
Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks
and plow your fields and tend your vineyards.
You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God." Isaiah 61:4-6

While our team is not necessarily repairing ancient ruins, they are reviving an area that has been devestated for many years. While they are there to build "a" church, our greater prayer is that "the church" - the body of believers - grows by leaps and bounds. For those who have been following our blogs and team updates over the past couple of years, you know that God has been at work in Swaziland. Miraculous things are happening; things that can only be attributed to Him.

This morning, the team was greeted by some of the residents of the Lavumisa area. Some came to see the team from American; others came to assist with the work. Before any physical labor was initiated, a time of praise and prayer was held until 10:00 a.m. Then the work began. Our team members, Potter's Wheel team members and Lavumisa folks all joined together to begin putting up the walls for Lavumisa CLC. After several hours of work, the team broke for lunch. A simple meal as shared among all the workers. Pastor Sabelo also shared a brief message and team members were invited to share a testimony, a work of encouragement or a prayer. This time of fellowship is the most meaningful part of our missions work. It is a time when we connect as people, created in God's image, united in ministry. This is the time when friendships are formed and memories are made. Ask any of our previous travelers and they will tell you the names of the people who touched their lives during their mission experiences. They can close their eyes and see the faces. Their hearts swell with a love that's hard to explain and the desire to return is rekindled. It is this uniting of hearts that gives meaning to the work.

After lunch the team got back to work. They are sure to have worked up a sweat as the high today was in the upper 70's/low 80's. The plan was that they would work until late afternoon, then visit a local homestead before heading back for an evening meal and a good night's rest.

As they continue their work through out this week, my our team truly be "ministers of our God"