Rachel's Reflections

As the lights of Pemba came into view through the airplane window I could feel the spiritual darkness pressing in around me. Negative memories came flooding into my mind. My heart cried out to the Lord, " I can't do this. I can't do this on my own. God, I need You! " God's comfort filled me and reminded me that I never could do it on my own. I began to breathe easier and the  plane touched down in Pemba. After disembarking, I made it through customs, met my team leaders in front of the airport, and finally crashed onto my bed, exhausted and ready for sleep. At midnight, I woke up to pounding rain on the roof and crashing thunder. A little over a year ago a similar storm paralyzed me in fear. This time a  smile hovered at the corners of my mouth as I felt God's peace surround me. I listened to the storm for a while and then drifted back to sleep. Storm clouds rolling into Pemba The next day I walked into Mama R's yard. She jumped up and gave me a huge hug t

Yesterday I said goodbye to some of my relatives. Tomorrow I will say goodbye to my parents at the Chicago-O'Hare airport and I'm not sure when I'll see them again. Maybe in two years. Maybe they will come visit me next summer. Who really knows in these uncertain times.  I do know I will miss my dad's bear hugs. I will miss my mom's amazing home cooking. I will miss playing games with them or sitting between them on the couch to watch a movie. I will miss visiting my grandparents, going out to lunch with my aunt, and taking a walk with my friends. I love this picture of my parents and the time I've spent with them these past months. As I say these goodbyes, I'm thankful for the relationship I have with my family and friends. Thankful for what each of them means to me. But I also look ahead, to the people I will be ministering to. A speaker I heard this week reminded me of why I'm going. Someone shared the Gospel with this man in the early '90s and he

A great need exists among the half million people living in refugee camps in northern Mozambique. Covid is only one of many sicknesses spreading among the people. My team discussed these issues on Monday and the next steps for the team. The team leader and his family have been the only team members in northern Mozambique for over six months. Now the team is preparing to go back.  I will, Lord willing, be heading back to Mozambique on February 21!  My teammates, including the new ones I met on the Zoom call, hope to arrive in the following months. My team leader told us a door is wide open for sharing the Gospel where there was no door before. The refugees are hungry for hope and comfort. We each long to be there, helping in the ministry and sharing the Gospel. Pray that God will triumph over visa, support, and health hurdles for all my teammates. Once I am in Mozambique I, unfortunately, will not be able to post many details about the attacks or the refugees. I will try and allude to t

On Sunday God gave me a surprise trip down memory lane. After sharing about the ministry in Mozambique at a church a lady made a beeline for me. She asked if I remembered her. At first, I didn't recognize her because of her mask, but when she said 5-Day Club , my mind plunged down memory lane. In high school, I volunteered with Child Evangelism Fellowship . Every summer, I taught God's Word to kids in various neighborhoods. The lady standing before me had hosted one of those clubs. "Yes, I remember you," I replied in surprise. "Do you remember L ____? She was saved in the club you taught at my house!" the lady said, her words spilling over each other in her excitement. "You were the one who talked to her, explaining the Gospel to her, and she believed in Jesus as her Savior." My mind reeled, trying to process the flood of information. It has been almost ten years since I taught 5-Day Clubs and I haven't kept in touch with the host's/hostes