Isaiah 61 “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”
“Plantings of the Lord” has been on my mind because we bought fruit trees today to plant on the Acres of Hope. We bought mango, avocado, and oranges, plus several others I can’t remember right now! Tomorrow (Friday) we will go to the Acres and plant them. That whole chapter of Isaiah 61 speaks to me so strongly right now about what the Lord is calling us to do here and his purposes for the restoration of His people- a people that have been broken but that our God and Savior will redeem!
After we visited the Acres on Tuesday I also had the word “Ebenezer” going through my mind in regards to the property. I knew it was referenced in the Bible & thought it meant blessing, but found out more about it tonight. It is found in 1 Samuel 7:12. The Lord had won a victory over the Philistines for the Israelites, and Samuel set up a remembrance stone, calling it Ebenezer and saying, “Thus far the Lord helped us”. That is so true for the Acres of Hope. The Lord gave us that property. We have come this far only because of the Lord’s help, and it is by His grace and help that we will go further on. Each step and each victory comes from Him- praise God! It’s not us & it’s not on our own- what a relief that should be!
We were back with the feeding of the street children today. It was a blessing to be with them, especially to share in their worship during their church service. Their only instruments are a large cowhide drum beaten with sticks, and the clapping of their hands, but they put their whole hearts into their worship & we knew our Heavenly Father was blessed by it. The littler ones go up front and dance before the Lord, which Nate got right into, and then he of course had to move on to beating on the drum. We shared in the Word with them and then served them by washing their hands and giving them their plates of food. God is good & we believe he is at work on behalf of these needy young ones.
Yesterday Mike & Jerid were able to install a water purifier into the Esther Home. When one of the young ladies who lives there (there are 14 of them) found out what it meant, she said, “No more boiling water? Yeah!!!” They also were able to work on some plumbing leaks in their bathrooms.
Tomorrow we will plant our trees in the Acres of Hope and bless it again. Praise God because we know he will provide. This is his work, his will, and we are just getting on board with what He is doing!
Everyone on the team is well, working hard, and all asleep right now except me! KaLia had her hair braided today at the Women’s Center (on the same property as the feeding program, they train women in salon and seamstress skills)- she looks very African. 🙂 And, if you’re wondering, we don’t have those last 3 pieces of luggage yet, but we appreciate your prayers on our behalf.
How magnificent is our God- who enables us to share in his work and be a part of what he is doing all over the world. And how wonderful that even though we are half way across the world from most of you, this is your ministry as well- for we pray and participate together that God’s will be done.
Praise God!
Lisa
