A Touch of Heaven

Let it rain, let it rain

Open the floodgates of heaven, heaven

 My God, my God, it’s all on You

Your throne won’t end, Your crown won’t move

Come Yahweh, reign overall, yeah

Nations will fall, Lord, let it reign

My God, my God, it’s all on You

The demons tremble, darkness moves

Come Yahweh, reign overall, yeah

Arm to the throne, Lord, let it reign

 

“Let it Reign” -KB

 

Heidelberg South Africa is a touch of heaven. I am not even talking about the countless rolling hills of farmland that lead into the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. I am not talking about the dozens of animals that I would never see in the wild in the United States. Nor am I talking about the fact that we have a freshly cut backyard which I have been missing all year long. I am talking about the glimpse of heaven I have gotten from the people here in Heidelberg. 

Things couldn’t be as polar opposite as they were in Albania. In Albania we were in the capital of the country in a concrete jungle with hundreds of thousands of people around us. Tirana, as I have said numerous times before, is extremely spiritually heavy. We are now in a small and peaceful town surrounded by farmlands. In Albania it felt like we had to force our own opportunities with others, where here we are invited into almost too many opportunities. 

This placement has been an example of where we are actually seeming to get served more than actually serving. We are working alongside many people from the private Christian grade school, the Bible college, and the church which all share the same property. Most days we are hanging out at the grade school interacting with the kids, and getting to play sports with them after the school day. 

With the Bible College we have gotten to worship alongside them as well as serve with them on Thursday’s. The first Thursday we were here I was able to go into the local prison and help minister to the inmates there. It was my first time doing prison ministry, and maybe even my first time in a prison at all. It was a sweet opportunity that I am glad I took. 

The next Thursday I got to head to a part of town that wasn’t quite as nice and do some door to door ministry with the college students. God showed up in some amazing ways during our hour and a half in this area. When we first arrived it was raining pretty good. Instead of heading back we decided we would take authority over the weather by asking God to hold the rain until we were done there. He stopped the rain throughout the rest of our time there and let a few drops come down while we were finishing up our time there in prayer, before letting it rain hard on our way back to campus. 

God’s timing was evident in our interactions that day. Placing us there to pray for a woman who had lost her baby three days earlier. Getting to pray for a man who was just returning from the doctors. To end our day I got to witness a deliverance from a demon.

We were walking back to our vehicles when we passed a few older ladies. One of the ladies was struggling along the fence trying to get back home, as we got closer she struggled more and more. When she got to her gate she sprinted ahead of the people helping her and ran straight into her garage door. She struggled to stand and even when she was placed on a bench she struggled to sit still. She couldn’t make eye contact and was shaking and falling. A college student had her try to say “Jesus is Lord” because a demon can’t say those words. At first she would find a way around it by saying “Jesus is my shepherd.” After more praying she was able to say “Jesus is Lord” and stand up with a large smile on her face.

As beautiful of a miracle this is, greater miracles took place that day when my teammates got to witness in total 3 salvations between the prison and another house in the neighborhood.

God is real. And He showed up on this day, which I will remember forever. 

What I am going to remember most from my time here is not the “ministry” however, it is the way the community has brought us into their family. They have invited us into many things including; “cell groups” (small groups), men’s group Friday mornings, church (people from my team have lead worship and shared testimonies), we have had dinner provided for us multiple times, invited over for dinner or barbeques multiple times, worship nights and a game night. We were only here for about 2 and a half weeks but this community packed in enough for us to feel like we were here twice as long. If I have a community half as beautiful as this one in the future I will be extremely blessed. This place has felt like a touch of Heaven. 

I would love continued prayer for energy and to stay present in this moment. As sweet as my time has been here in South Africa I am really disappointed I didn’t get to experience this place and these people when I was filled with more energy and feeling more sociable. 

Less than a month left on the race, and less than three weeks until our time doing ministry is up. We are leaving for the country of Lesotho tomorrow. Pray for safe travel and lots of sweet moments in Lesotho. Pray that God moves in amazing ways. I also would appreciate prayer for direction as the next season of life approaches! 

 

Thank you!

 

I love y’all a lot! Jesus loves you a heck of a lot more!!

Peace

JD