After a lite breakfast we were picked up at around 9:00am for our trip to Trinite church in Bel Air for our Sunday School teacher’s meeting. On the way we picked up Martin Essien at his hotel a few blocks away.
Todd taught a lesson on how to teach parables from the Bible. He gave the good reminder that we are not to get bogged down in the details, but rather focus on the big picture to see the main spiritual lesson that the parable is teaching. He also went through some specific parables to demonstrate these points. When he finished the first hour of teaching, I continued with a lesson on teaching the Old Testament. I began with a question about whether they preferred teaching the Old or the New Testament. Surprisingly, they all said the Old Testament! So we went through and considered the fact that the Old and New Testaments have the same purpose and message in spite of their differences. They both point to the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior from sin!
We weren’t sure how our lessons were being received, but after we finished several of the teachers came up to us and told us that they really appreciated the teaching and thanked us sincerely for coming. We are thankful that they have appreciated and benefitted from the lessons that we have presented over the past several days, and pray that the Lord continues to bless these teachers as they instruct Christ’s little lambs in His word!
Our driver, Fidel, taken from the sun roof in top of our van.
After a break back at our hotel, we hopped back into our van along with our Translator, Pastor and Mrs. Muzakuza, Hubert and our driver for the drive to Kenya (not the country, but a city just outside of Lubumbashi). We drove by a national football (soccer) stadium were the Congo Cup was currently underway. It was pretty full, but it didn’t seem to be as big of a deal as we thought it would be. It was not as bustling and hectic as we anticipated.
We pulled into what was obviously a very poor area. We were ushered down a hill and across a drainage culvert, and then wound around through some mud homes until we came to the church at Kenya. The church was not full by any means, but there were many children. The women set on one side and the men on the other. The children all sat in the front few row of “pews” which were made up of two blocks on either end with a metal railroad tie lying across them. What was again amazing was how well behaved the children were. They participated eagerly in the service, and you would find older children watching and caring for younger siblings. It was so neat to see that!
The members of the church in Kenya standing in front of their church building.
We were ushered to the front of the church by the usher as the people sang a hymn. A few minutes later the pastor entered with his white gown and stole to begin the service. During the service people continued to filter into the church and were led to a seat by an usher. By the end of the service the entire church was full and there were children standing outside both doors looking in. You could tell that this was a poorer area just by the clothing that the people wore and the fact that they were more emaciated than in other areas we have visited. It tears at your heart to know that they are struggling in such a way. But we were also filled with joy to see how they praised their Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier with song and dance, and how they responded to the Word of God we preached to them! What an encouragement for us to know that in the face of such physical difficulties, these children of God rejoice in their salvation and the sure hope of everlasting life!
After what we saw tonight I couldn’t help but thinking that the words of the following Psalm were a fitting and apt description of what we saw in the people and service at Kenya:
“Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.” – Psalm 149:1-4
What an example for us, who have been given so much physically, to remember that we too should eagerly rejoice in our salvation, knowing the promise of our Lord for our eternal future!
In His service,
Nathanael
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