There are some days that I wonder if anything I do is worth it, and I just want to quit, but then there are other days where life seems so full and ministry so rewarding that I simply wonder at the privilege God has given me. God, in His infinite wisdom and grace, seems to give us just enough of both to keep us balanced as we walk through life, and right now I am very thankful for recent days where indeed, life seems full and ministry rewarding. This past weekend was full of opportunities and answers to prayers! I know that many of you were praying as I had asked you to do, and it’s a joy for me right now to be able to reflect on some of the ways God answered those prayers.
I had been feeling unsettled all week about what message I would share with the teens at the Film Festival on Friday night, but by mid afternoon on Friday when my time at the school had ended, peace had settled in, and I was able to truly enjoy the event. We started gathering the kids at 5:30, knowing that it would take awhile to get them all together. They were excited about the event and were all dressed to the hilt. It is an interesting thing about the culture here that kids whose families don’t have money for cars, houses or education will still have at least one set of really nice clothes and when they get a chance to dress up they really enjoy it. It was quite an ordeal arranging the transportation for the half hour trip to Durban North, but folks in the church helped out and God provided us with a small bus that we packed full of kids. Our kids had a great time and one of the films that our group had put together won first place in its category which added to their excitement. After the films we had a great time of worship, and then I spoke to the teens. I had been praying that God would allow me to relax and be focused more on the kids I was speaking to than on myself or even the words that I would say. I found great joy in sharing what was on my heart and I’m praying that God will use something that I said to challenge those who heard it. All in all, it was a great night and one that I think our teens will long remember.
By the time we got everyone home Friday night and I got back to the house it was quite late but Saturday proved to be just as full of opportunities. I got up early and went to Kenneth Gardens where we loaded 6 of the guys from our youth group into the back of the small pickup truck I’m driving and headed 45 minutes north to Balito where they were having a dodgeball tournament. These guys had never played dodgeball before, but they learned fast and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with them, and even just for that reason alone it was worth it. We got back late in the afternoon, and then I went to play basketball on the club team that I’ve gotten connected with. I’ve been having so much fun playing basketball here and it has been an amazing opportunity to connect with a lot of guys. This was never something I planned, but God has put me into a unique role where I have sort of a player/coach position on the team. The team is made up of mostly high school kids except for myself and two other coaches who are around my age. We are competing in a very competitive men’s league and these high school kids more than hold their own against the men, but the great thing for me is that I get to interact with them as both their coach and teammate. As I’ve shared before, I don’t want to waste this opportunity and I need wisdom every day to know what I should do.
The week ahead promises to be just as busy as the last one, and with each new day there are new prospects for ministry, but what I rely on most are the prayers of God’s people- those who faithfully carry on the work of Christ from their knees, asking for His hand of blessing in my life.