Well, I am going (Lord willing) to blog. I awoke with with two separate revelations on my heart! As I look I haven't blogged in over a year. Probably because I have just come through one of the busiest, most trying years of all times. My first cross-cultural pioneer plant, Ukukhanya has come with many blessings, many heartaches, many defeats and many victories, but all have been part of an incredible journey I am in on with the One who loves us ALL beyond anything we can begin imagine.
I tell people who join me for a short or long outreach in Africa, don't worry if you can't share things when you get back to the states, it is something many struggle with.
Why can't we share things? I think for me, it is hard to recount the amazing things you experience and see God do, words cannot come to many of the emotions and people and feelings we encounter. We don't realize the miracles and blessings until we can sit and let Him reveal the miracle of it all. We are too busy learning something or doing something we often miss the mighty answers to prayers. Second I think people don't really want to hear. Sometimes they don't have time, or the desire to hear, and sometimes they do not want to know of danger, or suffering or poor, denial or a false guilt, none of which is ever the intent of the one sharing. Whatever the reason is, people say the emotions and experiences are such that words and pictures can't easily be put to the sights and encounters we have had. It is later we are able to see and share the wonder of our journey in this visible and invisible Kingdom of God!
This morning I woke up remembering a teaching I was in before going to S. Africa this April. It was on angels, and I saw my experience with them and had a desire to blog about them. Yes you heard me right, Angels!
You don't go serve as one of the only white people in a township in South Africa and not pray for angels to encamp round about you! I guess my point is .... we DO see our prayers answered and often times don't acknowledge them or realize they have been answered. And for those of you praying for protection and safety for friends and loved ones in dangerous areas, your prayers too get answered.
In this course I was attending there was a teaching on angels and being able to see them. Well I believe in the presence of existence of angels but have never physically seen one (still remains today). To set the record straight, it seems all angels are men (hear me right, all angels are men, not ALL MEN are angels) lol! Time was given after the class to experience seeing an angel and sharing with a neighbor (still didn't see one), however, I turned to my friends husband and said, I did not see one, but I sensed one standing by me. He said, same here it was right there and he pointed to a place, the same place I had sensed it. My dear friend (his wife) who I so trust her walk and journey with God, said, "well I saw it, it was there,(pointing to the same place her husband and I had sensed) and Penny here is where I think it sounds like I am crazy, but it was by you and it was big and pinkish in color," Pink? she was serious but we both laughed. It was funny on two fronts, first of all, when working with AIDS in America, let's just say I work with men who are extremely in touch with their feminine side, so a pink angel for the AIDS lady is appropriate, secondly.... pink IS my favorite color, I wear it, I painted the first group home (a pinkish peach), and when the sunset is especially pink, I say how "especially fond of me He is, because He used MY favorite colors", lol! So pink is special to me. We laughed and later I stayed on to have some time on my face with God, I was gearing up to go back to Africa in a few days, I had gone through as "the shack" describes it a "Great Sadness" and disappointment, and I knew I was about to enter a great battle for righteousness to prevail in the work we were doing and I was frightened, feeling alone, and vulnerable. As I sought Him for the wisdom to Go!... when I finally sat up (I was on the floor behind chairs on the side of a room. A man I know (who is known to operate in the prophetic), came over and said...."what was going on over here? (my friends had gone home and I had stayed on alone). I greeted him and said I was just having some God time, why did he ask? He said, well, I looked over and saw you lying on the floor and a Big angel just standing over you, but the wierd thing is the angel was pink!pink?!!! Well I did laugh out loud!!!! What is it about a witness of two or more? I know my God has a sense of humor, is creative, but I have to say I am convinced my guardian angel must be pink in color? I shared what I was facing in S. Africa, and the man prayed with me, encouraged me and we parted.
I know in 2007 when I spent my first 3 months in S. Africa and the car I was driving broke down in the worst area of the township, a place where I was told to run red lights and NEVER stop! It broke, and I called for the Pastor who had a car and was filling in for Prince (Khaye a Pastor and Policeman and now an Ukukhanya Board Member). My car broke it was terrifying, a man pushed me and told me to pop my clutch make the turn and keep going! It didn't work, I was dead on the side of the ramp leading to the highway. Suddenly, I was surrounded by about 10 zulu men maybe more, all looking under the hood, asking me to try this and that, I remained calm, peaceful actually, yet fully aware, it was not a good scenerio. Later I realized I did everything a missionary wasn't supposed to do, wore my best jewelry, had my purse in plane view on the floor, window cracked as no a/c and boiling and basically opened it to the man helping.....it was like a most natural thing to be receiving their help. When Khaye came they exchanged some words in Zulu and eventually I was towed by him and his family to safety. It was later, over lunch that he shared the man had asked who I was, and he said a lady from America who was here helping the church with people with AIDS, the man said, well you tell her, that her God is with her, we don't help people we rob, steal and kill. It was later that night when I melted down, realizing the danger I had been in, how helpless I was and it was in that quiet little room the Lord whispered a huge reality to me. "You are NOT alone"! He promises to never leave us nor forsake us!
Then in 2008 my first year living in S. Africa,at 10:30 in the morning, while waiting for the ladies to come out from a home assessment, on a main road in Ntuzuma, a man knocked on my window, motioning with a gun to get out of the car, as I squeezed between him and the partially opened door asking him to please not shoot me, he cocked what seemed to be an extremely LARGER than life pistol, and then an amazing thing happened, his hand began to shake violently, I slipped past him and ran for cover (shaking and crying), and he got behind the wheel and sped off (we did recover the car two hours later), But as I relived the event, I realized this man had to have seen something (more frightening than this grandma with a mission).
2009, found me in danger again, a man broke into my flat (in a nice area of Durban) on the second floor. He climbed through my bedroom window at 2:30 in the morning. I was on the computer in the lounge and realized it was so late, and turned off my computer(a barking dog, had brought me to the awareness of the time). I saw movement over my right shoulder, and thinking it was my guest from America who had gone to bed at a reasonable hour, I was not alarmed. As I turned I got the fright of my life, there running from the hallway door, into the lounge directly toward where I was standing was a zulu man. Charging my way! I jumped up and screamed and backed toward the gated, locked sliding door, unable to move and nowhere to go as the door was locked, I was cornered, immobilized trapped! He let out a growl and then a scream, reached over the counter grabbed my purse and turned and ran down the hall, jumping out the window to a gate he had leaned against the wall to break his fast escape, and over the wall (which was electric). I was terrified, and when all was said and done I realized, in all my encounters of robbery and vulnerability, not a hand had put laid on me, not a finger had touched me, that man could have at least shoved me down or something, but no, in all cases (he too looked scared and ran). Fortunately, I was awake and fully dressed. I don't think my heart could have taken opening my eyes in my bedroom to someone in my room, it barely took the shock of seeing him. The amazing thing was no matter what the scenerio, I had been protected, something had kept them from harming me and two out of the three cases the person robbing me, seemed to see something that scared them and they fled, without touching a hair on my head. My angel or God Himself? I don't know but I can now marvel at it, it is becoming more natural to know THE ONE whose eye is on the Sparrow, has my back!
As I woke up this morning I was recalling something that happened in June of this year. Trevor and Welcome and I had driven to Umlazi (another large township in the Durban area), we were on our way out of the township on a main road, but feeling a sadness at the closing of a season in Ukukhanya history and with our wounded friend Prince. I had my sunglasses down as I was a bit teary eyed and we were all fighting emotion, not saying a word, in our own world processing things, I describe it (when grieving) as on automatic pilot. A car came around mine and stopped in front of us (causing us to have to stop and make a plan to pass them), the driver jumped out, the car had a lot of people in the back seat and the driver was motioning for them to get out, I casually put on my indicator and was waiting for a gap to go around this car (which I assumed was broken). Trevor began to say "go, Gogo you need to go, go now, hurry", I was calm and said, "well trevor, I have to wait for a break in traffic" eventually it came and we passed the vehicle, (where the driver was still motioning for the people and arguing as to why they were not getting out). Trevor and Welcome had exchanged some words in excited Zulu, and finally after we are on the highway again, said, "Gogo, we were almost carjacked?" I said, "when?" They were amazed and a bit shaken, and told me the car that pulled around us was intent on carjacking us, but the people wouldn't get out of their car. I said, "well maybe the driver saw me as a white lady and thought I was an easy target, then when he got out saw your black faces and were intimidated, changing their minds". They said, "NO gogo, they would have attacked us all, you really do have God's protection and angels, you move around clueless to the dangers (and He protects you)." I later thought of Psalm 91:7-10, a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand: but it shall not approach you you will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked For have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High your dwelling place. No evil will befall you Nor will any plague come near your tent"
I really didn't give much thought to it, until I heard them talking quite a bit about the encounter, then I realized we must have been in real harms way, and once again...... something caused those attackers to stay in their car and not follow through with their plans (much to the drivers frustration) I can now see him, yelling and telling them to get out of the car, and nobody moving from the back seat.
Well, I may be blond, and I may be clueless for MY King, but I have learned.....I AM never, (nor are you), ever alone! Whether it's a big pink angel, or God Himself, He IS with us! He is able, and He loves us!
Psalm 91: (Security of the One Who Trusts in the Lord, I have been for years on a long journey of learning to trust, so this scripture is so meaningful to me).
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, "my refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!"
For it is He wo delivers you from the snare of the trapper,
And from the deadly pestilence,
H will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge:
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not approach you.
You will only look on with your eyes,
And see the recompense of the wicked.
For you have made the Lord, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.
For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
to guard you in all your ways,
They will bear you up in their hands,
Lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra.
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.
Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known my name.
He will call upon Me and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him, and honor him.
With a long life I will satisfy him,
And let him behold My salvation."
