Death Has Lost it's Sting

In November last year I ceased being able to say, "Both sets of my grandparents are still alive and well." My grandad, Moses Pilime, went to be with the Lord leaving behind my grandma and my 4 orphaned cousins to fend for themselves. And then on Thursday the Lord called my grandma home. In a sense it was kind of releasing because she missed my grandad like none other.

My grandparents had never spent a day apart in their 57 years of marriage and they were thoroughly in love with each and with Jesus. When I think about my childhood I always remember many sunday afternoons spent with "gogo and khulu"as we affectionately called them. Sunday afternoons were a family gathering time and I enjoyed playing with my cousins but I'd often help with my grandma kill chickens and then pluck them and prepare them for a meal... irreplaceable memories! They had a huge plot of land behind their house where they grew several different crops and kept chickens. One of my favourite things to do was get eggs from the chicken coop in the morning and have them for breakfast! They had a huge mulberry tree as well and my cousins and I would often spend hours just picking mulberries off it and stuffing our faces till we felt sick! Many of my most pleasant memories happened at their home. In the evening after a long day of playing and enjoying my gogo's cooking we would all sit in the living room and have a time of singing and prayer. Khulu would also tell us stories of when he was a missionary to some unreached parts in the southern part of Zimbabwe and the amazing things that he saw the Lord do. His stories would often awake a desire in me to do that sort of thing because it sounded so adventerous and I love adventure. When him and gogo finally settled in Plumtree and started a family, he was a headteacher and preacher and gogo was a teacher at the same school. They eventually moved to Bulawayo later in life when most of their 9 children were fully grown.

They were such an example to me of what a godly man and woman do in everyday life. They would have been considered poor but in reality they were so rich; rich in Jesus. There was always an abundance of love and joy and peace in their home and as a kid you sense things like that alot. It was a safe place for me. They were humble and khulu would never take credit for anything instead he would always say, "Bantwabami, uNkulunkulu muhle." which means "my children God is good/beautiful". They were so hospitable and they had such a heart for people. I miss them both dearly but I know that to die is gain because now they are in the best place there is... the presence of the Lord.
And even though it hurts to think that they're gone, death has lost its sting because Jesus conquered the grave!
Grandparents are a blessing from the Lord and I was so blessed to grow up with both sets of my grandparents. They taught me so much and I always valued their wisdom. They left us a legacy - a legacy of love.

Please pray for my dad as he heads over to Zimbabwe tomorrow for the funeral and to sort things out. Pray for his health while he's out there as well because there is cholera oubreak there. Pray for wisdom on his part to know what to do with my orphaned cousins. And for all round provision as well. And please pray for my cousins who aren't Believers that our grandparents' lives would speak volumes to them and that they would repent and turn to Jesus.

I'm home for the next week just to help my mom around the house and with my little brother while my dad's away so please pray that the Lord would just strengthen me to serve and to do it all gladly. And may we all just know Jesus so much more through this and grow to love Him more.

2009

So I this year I had all these wonderful plans to start blogging more but alas my laptop failed me in December and I haven't been able to get another one so all my crazy blogging aspirations were shattered to say the least. But one of my lovely sisters lets me use her mac whenever and even though I don't really like macs I'm counting my blessings! So the Lord just put it on my heart to start blogging again. I just want my blog to be a source of encouragement and refreshment to all who read it in the same way that I have other blogs and come away really encouraged by what I read.

Speaking of which a couple weeks ago I was going through a storm ( we've been talking about storms in morning devos this week in conjuction with Mark 4:35-41 and I've been so blessed by it). The enemy was trying to make me think that I didn't belong here and that the Lord hadn't called me here and that I should just go home and call it quits. And so many things had happened that week that just seemed to make me think that I didn't belong here. And I would try to talk to people but I just felt as though I was trying to fit into a world that I didn't really fit into (something alot of people kept telling me when I first came to Bible College). And the problem was that I had started to look around me, to compare my situation to others' and had lost focus. And for some reason "look to Jesus" kept popping up everywhere. And I thought "Jesus I am looking to you everyday so why do I feel no peace in this storm?" It was a very frustrating time BUT God does promise peace and my peace came when I least expected it.

After a long day of work and more work I went over to a friends for dinner. It was good just to hang out and not to have to think of all the responsibility that awaited me back at the flats (escapism i know but i need it at the time) and it gave me time to just sit down and breathe. So while the couple canoodled by the fire i decided to just pour my heart out to the Lord. And all of a sudden I had the urge to just God what I should do... on google. So I typed in "Lord what should I do?" and a link came up for a women's devotional blog and it blessed my socks off! The link is: http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com/2007/07/lord-what-should-i-do.html

And there are a few verses at the bottom of the page but one really stuck out to me - Isaiah 58:11 "The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul in drought and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." And that spoke volumes to my weary soul that evening. God promises to guide, satisfy, strengthen and water me... I lack nothing because I have a Great Shepherd. And just the fact that God considers me like a garden just shows that there is much fruit that He desires me to bear and He will water me and produce fruit in me if I allow Him to be my Shepherd. It reminds me of John 15:16 "You did not chose Me but I chose you and appointed you that you should bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." So the Lord lifted my head and I knew Psalm 3:3-4 to be true "But You oh Lord are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice and He heard me from His holy hill." The Lord heard the cries of my heart and He gave me comfort and peace when I needed it. So bless the Lord because He is faithful and He cares and loves us so abundantly that sometimes it's just unfathomable! He carried me through the storm and taught me so much through it! So be encouraged... look to Jesus! remember it's all about Him not about what we can do for Him but simply about Him and about what He desires to do in and through us!

In a couple of weeks, a team of 3 of us is going on an outreach to london. I would greatly appreciate your prayers for unity, hearts of service, vision, provision and above all salvation for the lost. Our God is mighty to save and we go out knowing that He has called us to proclaim the Good News but may it not just begin and end here; may our lives continually be lived in that mind set. We are but pilgrims in this land but we are pilgrims with a voice and a message and a light to shine into this darkness! May God continue to awaken our hearts to the wonder of who He is and how great He is!

And please pray for Zimbabwe. Sometimes I can almost imagine how Nehemiah must have felt just seeing his city Jerusalem lie in waste and in desolation. Zimbabwe is the country of my birth so the situation there really tugs at the strings of my heart. I still have some extended family there and they are suffering needlessly at the hand of one selfish man. But I am always encouraged by Proverbs 21:1 "The king's heart is the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water, He turns it wherever He wishes." God is in control! Nothing is happening that He hasn't allowed and my prayer is that people would repent before it's too late. Please pray for the new government that has been formed with the opposition party. And pray for the salvation of all the leaders and the people. "The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)

So enjoy Jesus today! He has saved you, redeemed you and adopted you into His family! He is the Almighty God who is strong enough to shake heaven and earth but at the same time still meek enough to take us as we are. Delight in Him as He delights in you and actively seek Him each day! Be Blessed!

So that was kind of a random post the other day. It was a weird day. You know sometimes it just feels as if everything pours down all at once and before you get the chance to know what's going on, it's all on top of you. Some days are just overwhelming and even though i know that God is bigger than any storm or trial it doesn't make going through them any less painful.

My Father

You are my refuge and my safe place. I love to abide in the shadow of your wing. You are my hiding place. You are where I run to. When my heart is overwhelmed, Father I cry out to You. You are my shepherd, my protector, the healer of my broken heart. I would have lost heart had I not believed that I would see Your goodness in the land of the living. You are so good God. You are my supply, my never ending source of strength, joy and peace. You are my best friend that sticks to me closer than a brother. You only want the best for me. Your desire is for me. You love to hear my prayers; they're a sweet sound to your ears. I love you Lord