God of This City

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:13-15

As we marched on for the last day of clinic in Bamacounda Saturday, the full armor of God was certainly something the team required to carry out His mission for us that day. The enemy had attacked overnight, and several team members had to stay behind, suffering with illness. Enemy attack remained relentless, as more team members became ill once reaching the clinic. Yet, the platoon marched on. New roles were assigned, the load re-distributed, and morale remained high. Pick up your cross and your burdens, as well as that of your wounded soldiers, and march on! (So not to cause anxiety for the rest of this post- everyone is ok and feeling better!) Through team perseverance and the grace of God, we were able still to accommodate a large number of patients, and were able to bless many, many more with mouth hygiene bags, vitamins, pain relievers, and smiles. God is good, ALL the time. ALL the time, God is good!

As the sun crept lower, and the day drawing near to end, evidence of God’s grace and mercy began to show even brighter through the darkness that had hovered over the hot day. Evidence of the reason behind such strong enemy tactics became crystal clear as Dr. (Pastor) Ray and Pastor Diatta (a Pastor for the Mandyak people) led a Mandyak man to the saving grace of Jesus Christ! It was the first ever Mandyak salvation in our medical clinic! Hallelujah! Enjoy Pastor Diatta’s personal reflections about the moment:

“Joseph (who had been interpreting for Dr. Ray) was very tired, and he asked me to come and help, so that he may take a break. I asked that he please give me a few minutes to finish what I was doing. When I finished, I came back to the room to relieve Joseph; three minutes later this man entered. (Joseph reports that he felt the pull of Pastor Diatta to come in and help, and did not know why, until later). The man said when he walked into the room, he felt something with strength he couldn’t explain. This truth- I am looking for this truth, he said. The team in the room is at the same time praying for God to speak to him. At the end of the plan of salvation presentation, we talk about sin and its consequences, and the hope that God has planned for the Mandyak. The plan that God has is: God so loved the Mandyak that he sent Jesus to save them, and you are the first here today! Hope is in Christ. I could see in his eyes that something was happening. At the end of the story, I asked, “Would you like to surrender your life to Jesus Christ?” He said, “Yes”, please find a Bible for me! We hope that this is not the last Mandyak to come to Christ.”

What an amazing gift on the last day of clinic, to celebrate a spiritual healing and a new member of God’s army! He was presented with a Bible in front of the clinic, and received it with great joy! During that time, Dr. Ray and Joseph had an amazing opportunity to witness to yet another Mandyak, which we have every reason to believe, is on the verge of a decision as well! Yeah God!! He is directly answering prayers by raising Mandyak believers in this region, where countless hours of vision, prayer, and intercession have been offered to him by countless persons and churches over the Americas and Africas! God has since allowed us to see connection of even more dots, with revelation of the fact that this new Mandyak believer is from Bruno, the same village that Fatou’s (the deceased infant) family resides! He is definitely weaving together the intricate details for His glory! AMEN! Last year, the team suffered greatly and shed many tears over the loss of an infant; this year, we receive great joy and have shed many tears over the witness of a spiritual birth in her village! Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city!

Winding down clinic was done on “spiritual adrenaline” following the highlight of the day, and was very efficient, calm, and emotional. The immense love that we have for the people of this small village in the African bush is hard to explain and runs deep. It is an enduring love; a reciprocal love. Following packing, we took a brief moment to spend some time with the Imam and elders of the community, a tradition of offering thanks. They offered kind and sincerely appreciative words to the team, promising that “no one in the village would forget the care they received from us until the day they die.” There was promise of “constructing” something for us at the clinic site if God would provide the ability for us to return next year, although they did not yet want to reveal what it was. They commended that our return would be an “exceptional” day! And that it will be! There is none like our God. THERE IS NONE LIKE OUR GOD!

Consider it pure joy! Although the team returned home physically exhausted and unwell, the sufferings endured were little compared to the blessings we received by accepting a new brother in Christ today! There is certainly none like our God. We believe: Greater things have yet to come. Greater things are still to be done in this city.

We sure do miss you all! Thank you for your prayers, as they are certainly felt and are, with no doubt, being answered! Please continue to lift the team up, the hearts of the African people, for our new brother in Christ, for decisions still hovering over Diauke’s surgery, and that God’s will continue to be done. We love you! Thank you for carrying our load while we are here. As you can see, your efforts are not without favor from our mighty God! See you tomorrow.

“You’re the God of this city. You’re the King of these people. You’re the Lord of this nation. You are. You’re the Light of this darkness. You’re the Hope to the hopeless. You’re the Peace to the restless. You are. There is none like our God. There is none like our God! Greater things have yet to come. Greater things are still to be done in this city. –Chris Tomlin, God of This City