Reflecting on the way back to CLT

As I sit on the plane back to Charlotte, I am trying to reflect on the trip we had this far. 

At times the trip seemed like it was a Month long and other times it seemed like we just left yesterday. I feel like we accomplished the task at hand and that God was able to move through our hands, feet and voices throught the trip. 

What's Africa like?

In many ways Africa is totally different than the US but in many ways it is the same. The food is different, the people are different and the way of life is different. But in the ways that matter, Africa is similar in many ways. 

The sense of community is very evident in the lives of the people in Mozambique. People with disabilities are cared for by the community and also the church.  We saw people that were physically handicapped, blind people that were led around with help from a friend or family member and also people with mental disabilities. In some ways they were helped by society, but there were also those who were neglected and left on the streets. It was great to see the church standing up for those less fortunate in society. 

The presence of God in Africa was also evident in the lives of the people in Mozambique. It was amazing to see the joy and dedication of those who traveled many miles to come to our DNOW conference. They traveled by walking, bicycle, motorcycle, shoppá(Mozambique  taxi), boat, and by car upwards of 60 miles to come and learn and worship. How privileged are we in the US to have a car (if not 2) to take our families to church to worship, yet rarely have to travel more than a few minutes to attend corporate worship. 

The worship of God was evident in Mozambique. Praise and worship surrounded their services and were almost always accompanied by uninhibited singing, dancing and playing of instruments of all kinds. Participation by the entire congregation was the norm, yet how often do we see people in our congregation disinterested in singing or participating in any way. The joy they had while while worshiping God was not based on what they had in this world, 

but in what they had in Jesus.  In the US we have so many things in this world that bring us joy that distract is from the true joy we should have in God and his gift to us in Jesus. 

What did you do in Africa?

In Africa we did our best to live out the Great Commission.

 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV).  

We were able to work alongside Brian and Becky Harrell, two great missionaries for the cause of Jesus Christ in Mozambique.  We taught the youth of Nacala and Liupo the gospel, challenged them to remain sexually pure, taught them how to be accountable to their brothers and sisters in Christ, and also how to grow in their spiritual walk daily. More than anything I hope we were able to show then the love of Jesus Christ through our lives and out actions. 

Our team

I thought we had a great team this year. 

I am encouraged by the age of the members of our team and what that means for our church. Our age range was 20-32. This shows that our church is building the next generation of Christians living out the gospel and the bible in their lives and dedicated to the mission of Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit we were able to reach the lives of the youth in Mozambique and live out the Great Commission.