A Testimony of God's Faithfulness...

So, it is rounding two weeks since I've been in Zambia...what a rich time so far!

But before I go into anything else I first wanted to share one of the most amazing testimonies I have ever heard from one of the Zambian's in our church. He told me his story as we were soulwinning on the streets the other day...I hope you follow the story all the way through to the end cause its pretty powerful...here it goes.. (oh and we'll give him the name John :)

So, about nine years ago this young man John, living in Zimbabwe, found himself with a lot of money, and really without a care in the world until, both of his parents fell very sick. His money started to go towards doctor's visit after doctor's visit for his parents in the hopes that they would find the problem and get well. Well, with no money left to his name, both of his parents entered into eternity. Extremely discouraged, and with nowhere to go, he decided to just start walking. Without any money to eat he began eating from the bush, berries, mangos, anything that he could find to keep himself fed. Over a nine year period of time he just wandered the streets and bush of Zimbabwe, in and out of jail and more discouraged then ever.

Finally, he decided that if he could just get himself to Zambia to find at least one of his mother's living relatives he could start living a normal life. This long journey, on foot, of 1,400 miles brought him to Zambia but did not offer him the hope he so desperately was seeking. He got to Zambia and searched for any of his family members but found none. As he was realizing that he had no one and had travelled such a long distance, the thought entered his mind to go to a church. He thought, "well, at least the church must have some encouragement for me, and maybe even some direction as to what I should do now." So, he walked into town and found one of the largest churchs in Lusaka and thought this must be a place where I can find answers. So, he walked in (and mind you he had been living on the streets for close to nine years now, so his appearance was pretty shocking to whoever saw him) as he walked in, a pastor greeted him and proceeded to tell him this.... "well it seems to me that if God REALLY loved you, you would not be in this condition, so I conclude that God doesn't really love you." John said that when he heard these words his heart just broke. He walked out the doors of that church and said to himself "there is no reason for me to live now, even God has rejected me." So, he thought to just take himself back to Zimbabwe and started on that long journey. As he was walking the police came to him and instantly (because of his appearance) assumed he was either a thief or a murderer and started beating him, almost to death. After their viscious beating, they sent for a minibus to bring him to prison. The driver came and picked him up, and as he was driving, he turned around and said "I could be in the very condition you are in, and at one time I was...so I am not going to bring you to prison, but I am going to let you go free." The driver opened the door, and let John go free. Though John was relieved he was not going to prison, he really had nowhere else to go, and no one else in the world to go to. He kept walking until he was tired and fell asleep. As he fell asleep he started to have a dream...

In the dream it was raining very hard, and all around him where all of these papers swirling around in the wind. He thought to himself "If I could just get one of those papers I would be ok, and my life could change." So, he ran after those papers until finally he got one...as he started to read it, he couldn't understand anything it was saying..just as he was reading the paper he woke up from his dream and realized that it had actually been raining and he was almost drowning where he was. So, he quickly got up and started walking until he was dry. Then it dawned on him the dream he had dreamt that night, and just as he was remembering the dream he looked down and saw the very same paper that was in his dream! He grabbed it and the first words he read was... "GOD LOVES YOU". He thought to himself, there is no way God loves me, the pastor told me God doesn't love me...and then as he was saying that to himself one of our church members approached him and said "how did you get that paper?" John said, "I just found it on the ground". Then the man from our church proceeding to tell him how much God really loved him, and sent His very own Son to die for him. John's heart just filled with hope at these words, and accepted Christ as his Savior. When John parted ways with the man from our church he felt hope and peace for the first time in his life. He awoke the next morning and said to God, "If this was really true, and if this is for me, then have me meet that man once again this morning." So, as John was walking past a school, at ten am, there was the man, right in front of him, who he had spoken to the day before. From that point on he has given his whole life to the God that loved him, and though it had looked like had forsaken him, was simply looking for the moment to be gracious to him (Isa 30:19).


I hope that blessed you...I was blown away when he told me his story. This just shows us that NOTHING and NO ONE is too far gone, too far away for God. He redeems everything, he hears our cries and has prepared a plan, a time, to reveal His gracious heart toward the ones he died for, and loves beyond what we could ever imagine. So, since this blog is already quite long by now :) I'll write more later, but I thought that would encourage you all! I'm gonna include some new pics of what it looks like on our way to the church here in Zambia!

Love you all,

Barb