I wake up early this morning and can’t get back to sleep so I decide to pray. I am spending the night at the house of the pastor who is hosting the conference here in Butere. About the time I start to fall asleep, I hear another loud crow from a rooster. Having roosters roam your property is quite common here. When I hear them, it reminds me of Peter denying several times that he ever knew or followed Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospels. Thankfully, once the holy spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost, Peter overcame his fear and declared the resurrection of Jesus Christ with great boldness and conviction! Knowing that we have the power and authority to operate God’s gift of holy spirit also helps us to have the same boldness that Peter portrayed.
While I am praying for the Manyala church, I receive a vision. They are a small church, and my vision is that it will quickly grow to where they will need to expand. Because of this vision, I am inspired to teach on the topic of outreach techniques, just as I had done at Webuye.
Before I head to the church that morning, I walk to the edge of the yard and look over at the neighbor’s property. They have a plot of land in back of their house that has been tilled for farming. There are two men working hard in the dirt with hoes. My friend Moses is beside me, watching them work.
“These men will work long hours, 7 days a week,” Moses says, “But because they are not acknowledging God as their source of strength and sufficiency, I doubt if anything much will result from their hard labor in regards to crops.”
I agree. If God was at the center of their life, they could enjoy a day of rest and spend part of that day worshiping him with God’s people instead of laboring in the ground. God would open the door to bless and prosper the work of their hands. People and nations who choose to ignore God end up suffering great consequences. Not just spiritually, but physically as well. I think of verses like Deuteronomy 28:11-12 and Proverbs 10:22.
I look at my watch. It is time to leave for the church. If I had another 15 minutes I 
would go over and talk to these guys. If only I could convince them to seek the Lord first in their life. But I have no time this morning. As we pull into the long driveway leading up to the church, we run into a roadblock. There is a long line of children heading towards us. They are marching in rhythm down the driveway while singing a joyous welcome song to greet us. It blesses me so much. I get out of the car and touch hands with many of them as they march by.
When I am introduced and come up to the stage, I am handed a microphone. As I have been accustomed to do at every church where I have taught, I wave the microphone away. I ask the people in the back of the room if they can hear me okay. They say “Yes,” so I decide not to use a microphone. I also walk off the stage and stand directly in front of the first row.
The reason I choose not to use a microphone and to stand closer to the people is to build a more intimate relationship with them. My goal is for each one to feel like we are having a close up, one-on-one conversation. I also move around the front of the room as I speak, using eye contact to let each individual know that this message is specifically directed to them.
I have so many things that I would love to teach. But I know that I must briefly summarize many of my topics so there will be plenty of time left to teach on outreach. My summarized teaching strategy goes so well that after I have finished teaching about outreach, I still have 30 minutes of teaching time available! Not being one to let an opportunity slide by, I teach “Mending Our Wounds.”
In this lesson I share that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 
1:5). That God does not cause death. He refers to it as an enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26). Jesus Christ was sent to abolish death (2 Timothy 1:10). But the Devil is the God of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and as such, he causes much havoc and destruction, including death (John 10:10, Hebrews 2:14). There will be a day in the future when the true God destroys death once and for all. But in today’s world we must deal with it. It is very likely that some of the people in this room have experienced a loved one dying prematurely. I want them to understand that God did not wish their loved one to die. They mustn’t blame Him. But if their loved one believed in Jesus Christ, they will get to see that person again in the future.
Directly after I finish teaching, Bishop Isaac gets up and admits in front of the entire church that he had previously taught some things that were inaccurate about this subject. Isaac is a humble man. He is not afraid to admit when he makes a mistake. It is this type of person that God can really work with. I am so glad that I have gotten to know Isaac and that God has allowed us to work together.
One man who is sitting in the front row absorbing everything I have been teaching is a high-ranking commander in the police force. I am so glad to see God raise up men like him who work within our society in positions of leadership and are able to have a positive impact in those positions with the Word of God. He is a humble man but also bold in his conviction as a son of the most-high God.
We wrap up our fellowship in the church by handing out Bibles that I have purchased in their native Swahili language. This is something I am doing at most of the locations I am teaching at. I allow the church leaders to determine who will 
receive these Bibles.
Later that day we have another crusade. As has always been the case, a large crowd is attracted to 
our singing and dancing. I walk around and give the children ‘high fives.’ Later I get up on the stage, share about who Jesus Christ is and why man needed him to redeem the sin of Adam. Afterwards, I ask those who would like to have Jesus Christ become their Lord and savior to raise their hand. Approximately 20 people raise their hand, most of them young people. I then give an 
invitation for those who would like to be prayed for to come up front. Three ladies come up and I gladly pray for them.
Butere has been wonderful, as expected, but I am also excited to return back to Isaac’s home. As we begin the return trip, I look up at the sky. There are many dark clouds. Unfortunately, the driver’s window is down and the lever to raise this window is not working! If it rains, depending on how the wind is blowing, we could get very wet inside of our vehicle.
This old Toyota car has definitely seen better days. It seems to have had one problem after another. But in the midst of it all, it has done its job. God has been faithful to work his might within the limited resources at our disposal. We have never seen failure. Delays sometimes, but always success in the end. In this instance, whether it is by chance or prayer, it rains only a little and the dark clouds eventually move away.
On the way home, we stop at the place where Isaac’s wife Imma was born and 
raised. Her mother still lives there. I am very excited to meet her. Just like Isaac’s mom Cyrillah, when she sees me, a huge smile comes to her face and she shouts with joy. She holds out her arms. I come up to her. She grabs me and pulls me towards her for a big hug. Then she stares into my face while gripping my hands tightly.
We visit for a while and then complete the drive back to Isaac’s house. His children gather around me. They are so excited to see me again. And I am excited to see them. I spend the next half hour showing them pictures on my phone from the past two days.
Soon it is 10:00 pm. I should be tired, but I am in the mood to have fun playing a board or card game with Isaac’s children. I go into the kitchen. Five of them are gathered around the kitchen table, each with a book, papers and a writing utensil. One is banging on a calculator. They are all focused on doing their schoolwork. No games tonight.
School is not in session. They are on what we refer to in the USA as “Spring break.” But that does not stop them from doing homework. Their teachers have assigned them work to do over the break. They are demonstrating their loyalty and commitment to learn by doing these extra assignments. I am very proud of them.
Tomorrow morning I will finally get to spend time with Isaac’s 104-year old mother Cyrillah again. And then I will get to teach at the nearby church in Siloba.
Yahweh will make you plenteous for good, in the fruit of your body and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground in the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers to give you.
Yahweh will open to you his good treasure in the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand, and you will lend to many nations and you will not borrow.
Deuteronomy 28:11-12 REV
The blessing from Yahweh is what makes one rich, and he does not combine pain with the blessing.
Proverbs 10:22 REV