Coming Home
It is one of the greatest joys of my life to bring people to the place where I was born and raised, to meet the beautiful people and to see what God is doing here. Those who come and spend a couple of weeks away from the noise and busyness of our American lives are changed forever.
Christine with Lucia, who is a foster parent at an HOH children’s home
We discover that, while we in the US are materially rich, we are spiritually poor in comparison to the Zimbabwean Christians who have discovered the good life which comes from truly trusting Jesus. The children we are with this week are among the poorest in the world, yet the joy and the gratitude they exude is remarkable. What a privilege it is to be with them and learn from them. The Hands of Hope staff, many of whom came through the system as orphans, are extraordinary and inspiring, most of them bivocational, holding pastoral positions in their churches as well as serving children at risk throughout this country.
Alice and Lucy provide gourmet meals at camp. Lucy also has a baking business and pastors a church with her husband.
Sylvia is another faithful member of the hospitality team.
We are all deeply challenged while here. We say that we are Jesus’s followers and Jesus is indeed our rabbi. But what does that really mean if we are serious? As one of our devotionals reminded us, our job description should really be what Jesus said was his in Luke 4, quoting Isaiah—He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. (Luke 4:18). As Connie pointed out, this was listed FIRST. And it’s one thing to be able to do this here, in this VBS camp in a beautiful and peaceful setting but this should be our lives, not just for the two weeks while we are in Zimbabwe!
What does home really mean? Is it the place where we were raised as children? Is it where the heart is? Is it where we feel safe and loved? Is our true home with our Heavenly Father?
Hands of Hope began in 2001 providing physical homes for orphans and now has expanded to create Transformation Centers (TCs) in partnership with local churches. In the homes, TCs, and at camps like this, children are taught about the love of Jesus and how he can become their Lord and Savior.
This week we are praising God that a good number have decided to follow Jesus for the first time or renewed their commitment to do so. They will be followed and discipled well in their churches and by Hands of Hope. They have learned, and reminded us, that our real place of belonging and security is in Christ, a place of rest, joy and peace—our true home. Philippians 3:20 tells us that our citizenship is in heaven. Perhaps we are all then in the process of “Coming Home.”
Beautiful poinsettias that grow wild and large in Zimbabwe always make me feel at home.