Jesus in Kenya

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Jesus wants to use YOU to wrap HIS arms around the world...  

I bought the new Christy Nockels CD in April and since I've had some trials (Jan, Feb, March, April,) I really felt like Song #2 was my theme song. (Shout out to Megan Wise, birthday girl on April 15 and theme song also is #2.) 
Preparing for Kenya in May, I checked out Christy Nockel's website and read about the writing of these songs. I can't even remember the title, but the words of #8 caused me to reflect and meditate. First off, my husband often prays for people: "God, wrap Your arms around them." and since He loves affection as his love language, of course he would pray something tangible. I feel frustrated sometimes that God is busy loving people and they don't experience it. I want people to know and feel and experience God's love and mostly GOD HIMSELF.  I know our greatest fulfillment is when we are engaged in the purpose of our creation: TO GLORIFY GOD AND BE SATISFIED WITH HIM FOREVER.
We aren't often satisfied. We often do not believe that God is enough. Those who adore Him, however, DO know that there will come a day when we will be satisfied in all the longings of our heart with the true loving presence of JESUS in our midst.
I don't long for some kind of nirvana in "heaven"--I long for JESUS. NOTHING BUT JESUS.
But in this life here? Well, I spend much of it complaining. I spend much of my time asking for MORE. I spend my prayers wanting all the people I know and love protected and prospering and blessed in Jesus.
So this song....I read that she was trying to express that God cared about women who were in sexual slavery against their will and that God cared about the babies tucked under the bed through the day and night. How so many are hurting and alone --and no one sees. No one, BUT GOD. and God sees and CARES and loves and reaches. He sings over us. That is in Zeph somewhere. A favorite scripture of mine since i learned that Hallel meant to jump and spin with delight back in my worship dance days with Anita Nenonen, Janice Horrell and Lisa Lipe and Jana Osborn and Cindy Tyler and more.

Well, I yielded to this "wrapping His arms" idea knowing that God does more than I understand and that He cares and has it under control. He has the whole world coming together to this time when Jesus returns and all is made right. In the meantime, the earth groans and we groan with it, eager for this revelation to become daily reality.

With all that, I head to Kenya and bring my CD for the drive. But the potholes make the CD jump and we take it out. The days unfold and we are so busy and prayerful and rejoicing and organizing and hoping it all gets done as todays agenda bleeds into tomorrows and some things go undone.

Then we get to Beverlyne's house. Christa has 1700 in donations and she gets something for all 35 sponsored families plus the ones that were added after 2010 who didn't get the initial set up all get mattresses, towels, lanterns, sheets, so much! and she wanted to get something for EACH of Beverlyne's siblings--all 7!

We arrive and go in and it is all happiness around. Dark in the mud hut so we take some stuff outside after the children all get their clothes on. The little 2 or 3 year old girl has mistakenly gotten boy clothes. she's not pleased. she even cries when we try to stand her up for the photo on a chair (probably just scared of the attention or the chair wobbled.) Christa is not happy with the clothing error so she remembers that she's gotten this dress for a random child whom she adored. we don't even know where she is and we don't see her again (we will figure it out though) so in the meantime, Christa decides to give this little girl that dress. Well, what do you think happened? This little girl was so pleased! I don't think it is captured in the photos but it was so wonderful. I had to walk away from this scene because I could just SEE God wrapping His arms around the family. It was seriously like a award winning movie moment with the music playing in the background and swelling and the mood rising and the joy so tangible. I began crying rather convulsively. I was in wonderment but trying to keep control of myself.

This was a serious life moment. You only have a few of these in life. A peak. Like God punches through your sensations and your whole body is overwhelmed because it is so happy. Something is happening. Something is coming to fulfillment. You are on the right wavelength and timeline and you know, all the stars really do align because God made them! and it wasn't a movie. It wasn't a soundtrack and it wasn't an imagination. This was my real life and I was really living it. What compares? It's the polar opposite of doing the dishes and cleaning the toilet. The total opposite of mundane. What is your happy place? Mine is under the trees in Western Kenya where a friend has laid down a mattress, put gifts for children upon it, and handed a little dress to a small child as the mother, like a geyser, expresses thankfulness and joy. Your eyes water, your cheeks break from the strain, you can hardly see and you laugh spontaneously. That's my happy place.

This video she made---it sort of expresses that joy.

I can't use words to describe my joy -- but this video. It blows my mind because this is the song that was in my head and now I am in that song. With the moments that make up my real life so it is kind of a reality, nonreality. But it is something real in Jesus and something real in Eternity.

Jesus loves us all. So much. He puts us together. We give to each other. We love each other. We touch each other in a moment in time that holds eternity. OH this is beautiful. It's not just pictures--not just "images" of reality like the movies. It is REAL.