Do I Really Thirst?

Do I Really Thirst? It is currently one of the hottest months in Zimbabwe and I am really feeling it. One of my favorite things about summer time in the States is the BIG GULP drinks that you can get at a discounted price at the gas stations. There I seem to always be carrying around a 32 oz drink for less than 75 cents whether I am thirsty or not, usually not. Today we went to a VERY rural school over an hour away, deeper into the ‘bush’ so to speak. Traveling the gravel and dirt paths in the old Toyota pickup tended to be a bit bumpy but the air conditioner in the truck is a luxury we do not take lightly. Pulling up to the school, passing the rural clinic in a place called Nyaunde, brought back memories from many years back when we shared the Gospel and saw people commit to Christ and get baptized. The school had a fresh coat of bright sky-blue paint and it was eerily quiet because the 7th graders were all taking tests, to see if they could qualify for secondary school. The rest of the kids who came to school were outside trying to find any spot of shade available under the trees. We had come to share the story of Salvation with them to pass the time while the others were testing. Over two hundred eager students sang songs with us and listened to the Gospel story. To reinforce the message we had a craft to share with them. Using colors to represent parts of the story we talked about a Golden heaven that we are kept from because of our darkened hearts, but how the red blood of Jesus can clean us and make us white as snow. Once we believe and receive Christ as our Savior we are baptized in the blue water and continue to grow in the green grace and knowledge of Jesus. The youngest students returned to a classroom with a coloring page entitled “C is for CROSS”. Sounds basic and simple, however, these students had never seen crayons before and didn’t know what to do with them. Once they caught on they were thrilled with the results and proudly displayed their pictures to us. The older students created a salvation bracelet and learned about sharing the gospel by using the colors as symbols to tell such an important story.

Doing this outside in the 100 degree heat was not nearly as miserable as cramming inside a classroom with no breeze to present the school with some simple gifts of a soccer ball, jump ropes and more crayons. At the closing prayer our eyes were stinging, not because of emotion, but because of the sweat dripping into them. The children and teachers were thrilled with the day and headed out to lunch. Our day was only half over because soon the Ladies would be gathering for the weekly WMU meeting and my friend Mickey was going to be sharing her testimony. The heat was stifling and we couldn’t seem to get enough to drink. I had brought what I thought was an abundance of frozen water bottles but even as we sipped continuously on the melting drinks, our thirst was still ravishing.