Acts Me About Missions

Have you ever read Acts? Because I had not. I don't know why though, because it is an awesome book of the Bible! Reading about the missions of the apostles after Jesus returned to Heaven is so encouraging! To hear how they lived as one, reached out to those who were in need, and did not let earthly obstacles keep them from proclaiming the name of The Lord is truly inspiring. In the beginning of Acts, I was introduced to one of my new favorite people in the Bible, Stephen. If you don't know much about Stephen his story is in Acts 6 and 7. What I noticed most about Stephen was his attitude about serving The Lord. When all of the disciples were going to travel all over and share the Gosple, they received complaints about how they were neglecting some of the people they were in the same town with. No one immediately volunteered to stay behind, so Stephen was among those that were chosen. It probably would have been easy for Stephen to have a bad attitude about being left behind. It probably would have been easy for him to feel useless by God. But, no. Stephen looked at where he was and chose to serve The Lord and chose to do it to the best of his ability. He opened himself up to let the Holy Spirit work through him. I pray to have the attitude of Stephen when I return home. I pray that when I am home I will look where I am and serve God to the best of my ability. So, as Stephen is working for The Lord and performing great works, the Jews were becoming angry with him. The Jews accused him of speaking against the laws of Moses and God and turned people against Stephen. Stephen was then arrested and taken to the Council. As the began interrogating Stephen, they looked down and saw he had the face of an angel. Then, Stephen just starts quoting scripture from the first testament. From the promise made to Abraham to the words of the prophets in Isaiah and Jeremiah, Stephen said it all. After all of this, Stephen calls the Jews out in chapter 7 verse 53 saying "You who have received the Law as it was ordained and set in order and delivered by angels, and [yet] you did not obey it." The Jews were furious and covered their ears. In faith, Stephen kept going. He proclaimed that He could see the glory of God in Heaven with Jesus at his right hand. The Jews drag Stephen out and begin to stone him. Even in his dying moments Stephen was praying to God "Lord Jesus, receive and accept and welcome my spirit. Lord please fix not this sin upon them." After he prayed for the praying for the people stoning him, Stephen fell asleep in death. Isn't that just an amazing story. It is the true picture of what living a missionary lifestyle is all about. Stephen chose to be a missionary for God wherever he was placed and he worked for The Lord. Stephen knew the Bible. He didn't just generalize the first testament for the Council, but quoted it for them. And most importantly, Stephen was a prayer warrior. He knew that not everyone would accept the message he was proclaiming, but prayed for those who rebuked him for it. He prayed to God while he was being stoned and humbly asked for God to receive his soul. His last words were a prayer for those stoning him. I know that we can all draw something from the story of Stephen. I want to be a Stephen in the Kingdom of God.  Throughout my reading I was continually amazed by the faith of the early desciples after Jesus died. Peter and Paul were constantly harmed, threatened, and imprisoned. There comes a time in chapter 21 when Paul is about to go to Jerusalem. As he was preparing a prophet came and told Paul that he had received a vision from God to tell Paul he will be harshly persecuted if he goes. Others came forward telling Paul that they felt that The Holy Spirit was cautioning not to go. Despite the warning that seemed to be from God, Paul says "For I hold myself in readiness not only to be arrested and bound and imprisoned at Jerusalem, but also to die for the name of The Lord Jesus." Wow. Pail wasn't going into Jerusalem blindly. He knew what he was getting into. That verse makes me check myself. That verse says to me "Hey Clara, remember that one time you didn't share Christ with that one person because you feared they might reject you?" It is a verse that portrays shame on to my evangelism choices. Seeing the sacrifices and attitudes of Peter, Paul, and Stephen have rocked my socks off. If you have not read Acts all the way through, please go read it. We are called to be missionaries for Christ, and this is a book that will give you the ultimate role models. 

Home Sweet Home

Winneba is starting to feel like my home. I feel like I am accepted here. It is a wonderful feeling when I walk down the street and I recognize neighbors, I go into a store and see a fellow church member, I have the number of store owners who call me when orders are in, and I am a regular visitor at the school. These people make me feel so welcome. Ghana is a very hospitable country and I have definitely been a witness of this. Whenever I go to the school, I feel like that mom that checks up on her kid at school everyday. Fortunately, I am only there once a week. The girls all bring home different information about holidays, school books, fees, so I have to go and get the real information. I am that girl that has "my chair" when I walk into the office. I really enjoy living in a community where I can feel involved and I am always graciously welcomed anywhere I go. It is fun to show off my knowledge of Winneba; the junction names, the back roads to walk to town, where the less expensive coke is. The people I live with also make me feel like I belong. Yes, there are times I struggle, but I love learning from and being encouraged by these women. Every Thursday we pray for each other after the girls leave for school and these three women are people that I know that are praying for me after we leave the prayer circle. God has placed The Pearl House in a spot where it will be able to serve the community and be lifted up by the fellowship.