I hugged an elephant !

Yesterday, we walked through a forest with two elephants (I know, just another day in Africa). We got to feed them, then walk with them to go pet them and learn about how they function. They’re incredibly intelligent and compassionate animals. The guide pointed out to us that when walking, we would forget that the elephants were walking just a few feet behind us because they walk so quietly and softly. These 7-ton, 12ft tall animals can just barely be heard when walking. However, we could see trees that had been completely stripped of their bark because of the elephant knocking off the bark with their tusks. We also saw one of the elephants, named Timba, only had one tusk as the other had been knocked out at a young age. The elephants carried such a peaceful presence with them and loved to be touched and fed, but also were incredibly big, powerful, and could literally step on you and kill you with one touch. 

These beautiful animals were such beautiful representations of God’s own image, as they work in stillness and quietness, but also carry such a big and powerful presence. In this season, God has been teaching me a lot about how He works in stillness and often speaks to us in a quiet whisper. Over quarantine, I had the Christmas song “Winter Snow” by Audrey Assad and Chris Tomlin playing over and over and over in my head, running through my veins. 

“Could’ve come like a mighty storm
With all the strength of a hurricane
You could’ve come like a forest fire
With the power of Heaven in Your flame

But You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below”

This song was such a gentle reminder that God has such great power and can and has whacked off the bark of trees with His tusks, but often walks in quiet and came to us like a winter snow– quiet, soft, and slow. Sometimes He does come in like a tidal wave and sweeps us off our feet, but most of the time, we have to learn to slow down and listen to His voice in the gentle breeze. 

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

I’ve heard this verse countless times in church, in Sunday school, in my reading. But, in reading this verse today, I am reminded of the beauty of resting in God’s presence. At the time of God’s final victory, it says that we will all stand quietly before the Lord. So, how proper is it for us to be still now, reverently honoring Him and His power and majesty. Slowing our lives down to remember that God is always walking quietly behind us is so healing and life-giving. 

This week, I experienced our God of peace and gentle whisper in a little five-year-old boy whose name was actually Peace. As we were walking through the squatter camps, we stumbled upon an 11-year-old boy who had drawn a beautiful portrait of Jesus. 

His name is Lethabo, and he shared with us a couple of his beautiful drawings and a car that he had shaped out of wire. He was sitting with his grandmother and their neighbor. They told us of how his mother was at work, so his grandmother had to take care of him and his three brothers. We offered to pray over them, so we thanked God for the gifts that he had given Lethabo and asked Him to bless their family and their home. After we prayed, the grandmother mentioned that she had a disabled grandson and wanted us to pray over him. So, she brought him out and immediately, we all felt a wave of peace wash over us. How fitting then was it that his name was Peace. We prayed that the Lord would heal him and break him from the chains that he was being held down with, and as we prayed, we saw him start to stretch out his body that had been so bound. Our translator, Apelele picked him up after the prayer and began stretching out his legs and helping him to gain some movement. His grandmother explained to us that Peace’s mother had some complications when giving birth, so she blamed herself for his disabilities. It broke our hearts to hear that. As we talked, he slowly crawled over and grabbed my hands, so I lifted him up onto his feet, trying to help him stand, then when he got tired, he sat in my lap. The Lord’s love and peace was so present in this little boy, who was so cared for by his grandmother and his brothers. Later, we asked Lethabo if he would want to be an artist or an architect when he’s older and he said that he wants to be a doctor to help people like his brother. 

That’s how the Lord cares for us!! He is a healer and a protector and wants to be whatever we need Him to be. He can use His power to radically change lives, start fires, calm storms, and heal the sick. But, I’m learning that he can also use His power to peacefully light up the next steps in front of us and walk with us step by step, making sure we don’t fall behind or get off track. That’s what He did for me when He called me to this trip and every day I step out into the mission field, and that’s what I trust that He will continue to do in my life and in the lives of all of His precious children. It’s so easy to get caught up in what’s ahead and what’s in this world– family, school, work, sports, the internet, food. But, God wants to remind us that He is there walking in love with us, whether He’s quietly stepping behind us, going before us and clearing a path, or knocking down obstacles for us as we go. 

Here’s a photo of sweet Peace and his grandmother and their neighbor :))

And of course, here are the pictures of the elephants !! 

Thank you for reading along and keeping up with this incredible journey. The Lord is really working in this place, and I can’t wait to keep sharing more stories of His goodness. Keep on praying for my team and for the people here! Love you all so much!