Perceptions Revised

Wednesday, July 2nd 2008
I learned late Tuesday evening, that all of the other small group leaders allowed the ladies to speak Bimba and had someone translate for them. I wish I had done that. They were impressed by the ladies' faith, Bible knowledge and transparency. I hope my group can be more open in their sharing today if I can mend my mistake of self-centeredness in language. Today I am so tense, nervous, uncomfortable. I know I need God to lead me and move me but I am not giving up control very well. Sigh.

This morning Abigail from Ndola, Zambia spoke at the conference. She shared an acrostic for the word FORGIVENESS:
Freedom from Sin
Orderly in the sight of God
Relief from pain
Gladness in God's peace
In peace with God
Vision of God's image
Energy to do God's work
Near God's heart
Exactly do what God does
Sweetness of fellowship with Jesus
Satisfaction with God's peace and love.

She taught us a saying "Lift up Jesus, Touch a heart, Tell the Word".
It was funny, she referenced a verse but got the citation wrong and all of the ladies in my group were so curious about getting the correct reference. They are hungry for the Word - very eager to read. They are so knowledgeable about the Bible, they know where things are, they have a lot memorized. They pray the Scriptures a lot. Their faith is amazing.

Our small group time went much better today. Ruthby translated for me in the morning until Ruth got there. Then the youngest one had to do the translating. (None of them were very comfortable with this) They both did a fabulous job. Since I couldn't understand what was being said I couldn't really facilitate discussion. Ruth did a great job of managing the flow of the conversation - she made sure everyone had a chance to share. I was really impressed. I was surprised that her leadership was so affirmed even though she was the youngest. There is so much respect in this group - everyone is very respectful of each other. More personal stories were shared today. One woman said that today was 'easier' since they were able to speak in Bimba. I'm so glad I had a chance to change that strategy before it was too late.

At lunch I met Chile and Maggie (19 & 20). Their mom, Alice (not in my small group), is a Theology student at Northrise University. We had great conversations. They asked me to find out about schools in the US that offer Environmental Health (for Chile) programs, Medicine (for Maggie), and Commerce (for a friend). They were interested in coming to the US to study. Maggie asked how long it would take to got a Doctor's degree, and didn't really like the idea of being away from Zambia for 8-12 years. She said a lot would change in that amount of time. I really enjoyed talking with them.