Altar Call Opelika-Auburn News
Walter Albritton
Missions is all about love and the ministry of
presence
The trip to
Without any
sleep Sunday night we boarded a Delta jet that took us to
Our delay
turned out to be a blessing. Physically worn out by the time of our arrival in
Addis Abba, we got much needed rest. That helped us get ready for a grueling
schedule that began a few hours after we arrived in
We were taken
straight from the airport for a worship service at the John Howard Church in
The people especially the children welcomed us with open arms and warm hearts. Dozens of children were eager to shake our hands then, and every time we arrived at the church to worship with them. Their awesome praise team was on the stage was we walked in.
The music was loud, beautiful, and inspiring. We were swept away by the way they expressed their love for Jesus in song and dance. Zambian Christians can hardly sing without swaying and dancing. Most of our team of 13 got into the rhythm with them.
Impressed with the sight of so many children in the congregation, I preached about Jesus love of children. Later I realized that this was the reason we were there the love of Jesus. Truth has never been more wonderfully expressed than in the simple song that says it all Jesus loves the little children, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.
The next
morning we began ministry in several arenas. Some of us began working in
Another team departed for Livingstone to participate in conferences concerning the use of land. A forester in our group met with a Zambian forester to discuss wise and creative ways to use the land provided to the Kalembos by the government.
Our team saw God at work. We did not take God there; He was already working there in ways we knew about and in ways we never dreamed. We learned so much from the people. We learned much about their land, their need, their shocking poverty, and the determination of Gods People to serve Christ faithfully there.
We came home
by way of another exhausting trip but this time missed no connections. We were
back on American soil within 30 hours. Tired but thrilled with the positive
impact of our mission to
I slept for 12 hours but not before thanking God for the awareness that missions is not about serving other people. It is all about accepting people with love and encouraging them to remain faithful to the Christ. As much as anything missions is about a ministry of presence. Our host, Alfred Kalembo, summed it up: The greatest gift you have given us is your presence, just being here with us to love and encourage us. That says it all. + + + +