Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa! Today is day five of our trip and in our short time here, we have already experienced so many incredible things. From a rugby game to a tribal encounter, we truly have already seen the Lord at work in so many ways.
One experience that has already impacted us all is getting to come alongside Coach Meshach for a day. We started off at Coach’s house where we first got to hear more about the ministry and the ways the Lord uses him. One thing that immediately stuck out to us is Coach Meshach’s passion and delight in reading the Word of God. Whenever Coach Meshach spoke, the Holy Spirit spoke through him in a way that reminded us of the Lord’s compassion for His children.
Next, we had the opportunity to play games and spend some time with the kids. Throughout the entire experience, one thing that was extremely evident was the joy in everyone. It was clear that walking with the Lord had impacted them in a remarkable way and given them an unremarkable sense of joy, despite a lack of physical resources that American culture deems vital. An individual on my team remarked that during our time with the kids we had experienced a taste and a glimpse of heaven.
This experience was especially impactful for me (Brennan) because the Lord had already been teaching me a lot about joy. As a fruit of the Spirit, all that is needed for joy is provided for us by the Lord. It is not a fleeting emotion but instead a constant comfort in the freedom that comes from knowing Christ. Since coming to know the Lord I have seen the Lord redeeming joy in both my life and the lives of others. As we continue to walk with Christ, we become more like him and experience more and more joy. It has been so incredible to see the Lord work in ways bigger than we can imagine, and we are expectant that the Lord will continue to do this in our time here.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Brennan Anders