Malika - Day 14 - Last Day

Beht-see-cunnum. This is the phrase in Wolof for "see you later". I said a lot of these today. Maybe I'll come back. Maybe some of the guys will eventually come see me. And perhaps the next time I see these "monkeys" will be when we are changed into a heavenly glory. Either way, I will see them later. I have faith that the ministry Dany and Herma are providing will produce much fruit for the kingdom. Their ministry is one that provides the guys with something they can see and touch. Beyond that, the love that they show them extends into the spiritual realm. Many of them have already made a profession of faith. Some of them are nervous to tell their families they want to be baptized. Others are certain they want to put their trust in Jesus and are learning to walk in the faith that Dany and Herma are exemplifying. Today it made me sad that my Wolof lessons are going to be put on hold, but the thought of being able to see my family made it all better. My thoughts have been reaffirmed that God, our Father, has shown us a perfect model of how we are to love others. In the story of the prodigal son, the father continually looks for his son to return to him; regardless of his past, and, in the case of the older brother, regardless of how close they appear to live together. Our Father does the same for us. We can do everything we can to displease Him and still be reconciled. Likewise, we can do everything we can to "please" Him but still not be reconciled to him. What the Father wants most of all is fellowship; not just with Him but with each other. It is true that He desires us to spend time with Him but that comes in many different forms. The body of Christ is made up of people. We together form the church. However, the body is not complete without the head, which is Christ himself. Therefore when two or three are gathered in Christ's name he is in the midst of them. This means that when two or more people, who love Jesus, gather together they have a friendship and a fellowship that will grow and increase. If you are looking for friendship and fellowship with a group of people that will accept you the way you are and love you unconditionally then accept Christ and get together with others that have. If you have never accepted Christ into your life let me help. Because the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, He desires us to have a relationship with Him. If you invite someone into your house, wouldn't you want the same thing? Having a relationship with the Father means that He requires two things: to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbors as yourself ... period. ( These are the only two rules in Keely's and my house as well. Ask Julie. She'll tell you. ) There has not been a single person on this planet that has ever followed these rules all their life ... save one. Because God is just he must punish sin. If there were no punishment, there would be no such thing as sin. Because of his great mercy and grace he has punished sin but did not require that we pay the penalty. Instead he sent his own son to earth to live as an example of what His two rules looked like. Because there was no sin in Jesus, when he was put on the cross, he became the perfect sacrifice for our sins. This means we are no longer held accountable for our sin thus there is no condemnation. In order to recieve this you must accept it through faith by humbling yourself before God. That's it. Once you have recieved his gift, talk to Him and ask Him what He would have you do next. If He wants you to fellowship with us, our door is always open. If He wants you to go to Malika and experience community like you never have before, let me know and I'll get you in contact with Dany who would love the help. Thanks for coming with me on this journey. Your prayers have availed much and for that I thank you. Beht-see-cunnum.