South African Stars

There isn't much I can say that I like about the winter season. Between the high cost of heating oil, the endless wind, and being stuck inside for several months there are few redeeming qualities to the season. The one thing I do really enjoy about this time of the year is the clarity of the night sky.

Now that I live here on top of Gibson Hill away from the blaring street lights of town, I've come to appreciate again just how cool the sky is at night. You know those nights when it is so bitter cold that your breath seems to freeze and your body shivers to survive. The stars are at their brightest on these nights and what a show they put on for us.

Just a few short weeks ago, I stood on top of a high hill in a world thousands of miles away. I overlooked the hundreds of thousands of homes that consummed the spraling plain below below me. The city was aglow with the usual hustle and bustle of activity. People were living their lives like we do, putting their kids to bed, cleaning up supper dishes, finishing homework. Life for so many parts of South Africa are very similar to ours. People are people everywhere no matter what. I looked up to the night sky as the warm spring-time breeze swirled around me. The stars were brillant there on that hill. A million shining lights beamed down from above. My eyes were drawn to two that were not that far apart from each other and in a perfectly straight, diagonal line with that little sliver of the moon that was still shining. I could tell that these two especially bright stars were planets...I later found out it was Jupiter and Venus. I stood there in a silent awe and reverance for the beauty and majesty of God's creation. It was a time to be still and silent and enjoy the works of His hands.

For all of the things that we don't have in common with the great people of South Africa there are simple basics of life that we all share. You know before we went, we discussed trying to find things that we could discuss that would bridge the gaps in our culture. People in South Africa may not understand the value of the US dollar or they may not grasp our 55" TVs, but they know the same struggles with life and living that we do. While we were there, we found there were many things that we could discuss to bridge the cultural gaps we could so easily fall into. I've already shared with you how God opened up the way for us to talk about common things like Simon's job and Eunis love for art.

As you know, since returning home I've been reflecting on the thougths and emotions from the trip. The further the actual experiences get from me the more I fear that I will somehow forget or allow the influence of that experience to lose value in my mind's eye. It has been a VERY VERY busy weekend. Bruce, one of our church-sponspored missionaries from Ukraine, stayed at our home this weekend and we had much to do and catch up on. I found myself completely exhausted by the end of each day as I continued to get my body clock back on track. Saturday night however something caught my eye.

It was about 11pm. We had just gotten back from a dinner theatre. As I stepped out of the car, my eyes caught something familiar in the night sky. Yes there they were the two planets that were so visible in South Africa were visible for me to see! The stars you see in the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere are supposed to be different that the ones you see in the Northern Hemipshere. Perhaps that rule applies to stars and not planets? Doesn't matter because they were there indeed looking back at me.

As Sarah and Bruce are talking in the background their conversation soon fades out in my ears. My mind goes back to that night on the hill overlooking the city of Johannesburg. As the two planets dance in unison in the night sky, the song "Somewhere Out There" begins to play...

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight

Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Pictures scroll through my brain in rapid succession like a slide show stuck in high speed. I see the kids faces looking into our vehicle, shining with joy and happiness as they devour the suckers that the white people gave them. I see Pamela's face weeping as she prays and becomes a follower of Jesus. I see the women in church dancing before the Lord, not as a show but as an offering of worship to the King. I see the little girl at "Mama's Daycare" dancing with all of hear 3 year-old heart as I make up some silly song. I see the tears well up in Acts' eyes as he hears of the 3 ladies who are hungry and have nothing to eat. I remember the tears in the eyes of Wendy and the smile of Derrina's face who later hear one of those same ladies say, "I feel full now INSIDE" because she had just been fed the bread of life in Jesus. Yes I still remember the hope in people's voices that believe that they will find work, that they will see their kids sooner rather than later, and that they will be healed of their sicknesses. I see the faces of people waving and smiling to us as we drive by them. I remember too the boy named "Blessed" who came up to us after a program and asked to receive Christ. I remember the car rides to the squatter camps that wree filled with us singing praises as we used praise to go before us in the battle. I remember the deplorable conditions that people are forced to live in and yes I remember the instance that I learned that people that live in this poverty do not allow themselves to be defined by it. I remember this great harvest field of Africa. A plain of shacks and tents full of people whose hearts are readied and prepared to hear AND receive the gospel message...I can't soon forget these things.

As we make our way up to the front porch of our house the music in my head fades and the conversations going on around me come back into my ears. My hands fumble to find the keys to get into the house and out of the cold. I was all the more thankful for the simple set of stars/planets that shined so bright that reminded me yet again of the greatness of God in the lives of people everywhere. It reminds me that He isn't willing that not one of these people should ever perish, but that they all reside with Him forever in the mansion He is building there.

I appeal to you today friends and followers of this blog. The harvest field is not just ripe it is indeed rottening. Please consider "going" when you hear of an opportunity to do so. There is nothing to fear as the God of The Harvest will protect and provide for all of your needs. Rise up like Isaiah the next time you are asked to be a harvester and say, "Here am I, send me!"