Mosquito Net Outreach - Saturday, June 25th

Today was such a joy.

We had the opportunity to go into the village today and provide mosquito nets to the widows and their children. I have to say, I had all of these expectations going into it: that the widows would be so excited and grateful for what we were doing. Of course, God quickly humbled me by showing me that it’s not about me or any satisfaction I can get from seeing people react with such gratitude and excitement. He spoke to me saying that it was about HIM. HE was the one providing the nets, and I was only there because He had given me the opportunity to fulfill this part of His plan.

Any joy and excitement, therefore, should be geared towards Him: not towards me because of some little thing that I had done. I was there to glorify God and bring Him glory, and I am glad He gently reminded me of that.
Like I said before, today was such a joy. While many of the widows were grateful, many were also not home because they were working in the fields, therefore we were not able to see their reactions. We prayed with the ones who were around and left nets for those who were not. Many times, we had to be creative with how we hung the nets since their walls and the rafters were weak or not well designed.

I was so blown away by the state of their homes. None of the beds I saw today had sheets. Most of the beds didn’t even have a mattress. Many were just a sheet of cloth on the ground of a mud-made hut. It was terribly heartbreaking at times.
Another thought from the day is that there is an interesting line separating provision from dependence: essentially, how do you supply gifts for people without creating their dependence on you? It is an interesting balance that I definitely want to give more thought to over the next few weeks.

As I process all that I saw today, I am left with one thought: to pray.

So God, thank you for today. Thank you for providing these women and their children with mosquito nets. Thank you for choosing me to help you carry out this task. I pray blessings over each of their homes. I pray health and love into their lives. And I pray that through our seemingly menial act of love, they find You. In Jesus’ most holy and precious name, Amen.