shenangopresbytery.files.wordpress.com  · Web view2015-02-25 · The blessing of this JOY did not remain with the money in the plate, nor the gifts that graced the altar, this JOY

Update Claire Zuhosky

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and sing joyful songs of praise.”

Psalm 95:2

How do we even begin to give back to a God who gives us so much?  How does this look in different contexts? What does it look like to give from our plenty and what does it look like to give of the very last we posses? How then would your heart approach the altar? Would your heart be focused on what you are leaving behind in the offering plate or on what you are gaining through your act of obedience and the advancement of God’s Kingdom? Would your heart be focused on the tangible, the many things with which the money in your hands could buy to meet your needs, or would it be focused on a grander storehouse which our Lord bestows as suitable? The following words by Richard J

Foster, came to life as I experienced a Celebration of Thanksgiving service at my local church in Niger. “If we think we will have joy only by praying and singing psalms, we will be disillusioned. But if we fill our lives with simple good things and constantly thank God for them, we will be joyful, that is, full of joy. And what about our problems? When we determine to dwell on the good and excellent things in life, we will be so full of those things that they will tend to swallow our problems.” I have found it to be so, that JOY permeates its surroundings when it is invited into our hearts, our lives, and most of all, into our worship and praise to the Lord! In experiencing worship with my new sisters and brothers, it becomes self-evident that they have learned the art of living a life full of joy and are able to swallow the problems which assail them with grace and arms full– of tithes and offerings.  My heart was both challenged and stirred as they filled the isles with praise and dance to the Lord for all that He has provided them big and small. They gave thanks for their children and families who embrace them, thanks for the water and food that sustains them, and thanks to God for His love in creating them.  With a joyful noise, some in chant and some ululating, they expressed their knowledge that they have been blessed to be a blessing! The blessing of this JOY did not remain with the money in the plate, nor the gifts that graced the altar, this JOY was parceled out among many and nestled in their hearts to sustain them in a time of need- this is JOY, this is community, this is obedience and submission to a greater fabric of being. My hope and prayer is that this celebration of JOY and thanksgiving would spread among your hearts, your homes, and your churches, as we remember always the Lord’s generous and lavish love poured out for all of us. I thank you all for your continued prayers, words of encouragement, and financial support for the ministry here in Niger. I have been very blessed by my time spent with the youth here, it has been good to see, hear, and experience what makes them excited, what they see as challenges, and where they see the chance for a brighter future unfolding. One of the biggest weights that keep lofty dreams from taking flight here, is the thought that there is a pattern already set out for them in which they cannot break free. This pattern does not allow for dreams, it sees opportunity as something which does not take the time to knock on their door, to see them for something more, to see them as uniquely set apart and gifted. But it does not take much to break a pattern, as you know it only takes one deviation, one step and the future opens up to different possibilities and to different choices. My prayer is that through my ministry here in Niger this deviation will take place, and that the youth will be overwhelmed by their choices- not shut down by a seemingly dark path ahead. I know that it is the Lord’s desire to see them prosper, to understand fully who He created them to be, to embrace their surroundings with creativity and ingenuity that Niger would be blessed tenfold by the nutrients provided through these

already planted seeds. It is God’s provision, it is God’s providence, and it is God’s invitation to you all to join in this pursuit. May His light continue to make available the path before us, emboldened by His grace and love as we journey together into a brighter horizon. As you embrace this holiday season, I pray that you would find the JOY of the Lord nestled in your hearts bursting forth in thanksgiving and praise. May we all make a joyful noise unto the Lord, no matter the season, no matter the day, no matter the circumstance!! As our hearts are lifted in prayer to our Heavenly Father, I ask that you would please remember the following requests:

Language:  that the Lord would bless me with retention and courage to practice what I have learned with every opportunity presented to me as I continue to intake more French and Hausa.

Culture: that the Lord would continue to bless me with friendships, the ability to set appropriate boundaries, and insights into how to serve and bless the people around me in a manner which is sensitive to their hearts and cultural context.

For the people of Niger, that the Lord would make His presence known to them in a profound way; for their daily needs, for merciful healing to their bodies and to their land, and that God’s blessings would rain down upon these beloved people.