The Bible says in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” What a moving scripture; it really aims at the heart of God’s ministry. I can’t begin to tell you if I truly have what God was talking about when he mentioned power from the Holy Spirit, but I would like to believe that even without that, he wants me to take opportunities of ministry. This tour has given me such a passion, for not only Africa, but the idea of changing the world. By the end I will have experienced more countries and cultures than most people dream of. I have truly been blessed, but with this adventure comes God’s will. I know I would not be sent to Europe without God wanting me to do something there. His voice and power will guide me there just as they have these last 14 months.
We were just recently blessed with the opportunity to go to Jamaica the end of June. An organization called the Yoga Family, out of Pittsburg, brought 10 chaperones, our 2 founders and the children to sing for Jamaican children, free of charge. We have never been more blessed. The Yoga Family hoped that we could encourage the children of Jamaica to succeed and change the world just like the African Children’s Choir does. I think we were successful. At least I hope we were. The performance was great, but we were also able to relax a little and spend some time in the pool and kayaking. This is not the only recent blessing.
God has taken choir 34 to Jamaica, and now he will take us to Europe. We will be performing for churches, international schools and special events all over at least six countries. France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the United Kingdom are on our list, so far, and we are hoping to be back by Christmas. This shift in countries will bring many trials, and the loss of three chaperons. I am confident, however, that the children will be so excited and happy that God’s love will still shine through. These children have never lost the love of God that is portrayed in their songs. They understand the power and strength that comes with believing. And every day we remind them of God’s blessing in choosing them to survive and walk away from poverty.
I know this section of my touring experience will not be easy, and I am trusting in God to provide for me. But, I am willing to take the chance that is required for me to continue blessing these kids and doing God’s will. I am scared, however, that something will go wrong and I won’t have the money to get home or pay my bills, but I do not worry about anything. God says in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
I was recently told a story by one of my host families about her trip to Liberia, in West Africa. She started by saying she was lucky enough to be one of the first Americans to stay in a village the organization supported, and everyone was praying for God’s security. The trip was made up of all American women, and of course these women were afraid of bugs. In Africa, if you are afraid of bugs the nights can be some of the worst. So, these women prayed Proverbs 91 as a prayer of protection from being scared and worried. Now, the chief had given the women a small room in his house to spend the night. It was one of the nicest buildings in the village. About half way through the night my host Auntie was awakened by what sounded like rocks falling from the ceilings and when she opened her eyes she saw smoke coming in from the windows, and the walls, which were first white, had turned completely black. Her first thought, of course, was that someone had gotten angry that Americans were staying in the village, and were going to torch the house. But God reassured her that the smoke was only people helping them. She heard a voice outside ask, “Do you think this will damage the building?” in a very concerned tone. After being relieved that no men were trying to kill them, she looked at the walls and saw that the black was actually gravel ants that had attacked the building. There were so many that they could not hold onto the ceiling and were falling onto her sleeping friends. The men outside saw that she was awake and through the open window, passed her a fan to help blow the smoke around in hopes it would make the ants leave. After the smoke, the men and my Auntie began wiping the walls down with gasoline to finish the job. This whole process took about 15 minutes and my Auntie went back to bed planning on never telling the story to any of the other women, and thinking it could have even been a dream. The next morning, at breakfast, she asked the chief how he slept. He proceeded to tell her that the village had a rough night, and gravel ants, which do not come out at night, had attacked the building she was staying in. They only attacked this one building out of all in the village and men had worked on clearing the sight for two hours. Gravel ants are known to kill with their bite, and for two hours these women were protected from one of the most deadly insects in all of Africa. None of the other women had woken and no one was bitten even though the ants were falling on them. I cannot believe God’s grace. This is a story we would never have to worry about in America and the African people are at constant threat.
This story is only one example of the power of prayer. I only hope that my prayers will also have this effect on lives. James 5:13 says, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” Please pray for this next step in the children’s lives and the joy they will share with the rest of the world.
May God bless you,
“Auntie Jamie”
