“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” I told the Lord. Overwhelmed and exhausted, my husband and I and our two children evacuated to our office in the city, 20 miles away.
The orphans who stayed behind refused to follow the government’s new rules. They continued to praise and worship God until officials came and beat them.
One by one, the children began making the 20-mile trek to our office on foot. Before long we had more than 50 children with us in the city—with one bathroom and not even a pot to cook in! But once again, God’s glory broke through the suffering.
A woman from the U.S. embassy brought dinner to us: chili and rice, enough to feed our immediate family of four.
“We have a very large family!” I told her, thinking of all the orphans who were living with us.
“Oh, this is only enough for you and your two children,” the woman responded.
“We have a lot of children,” I replied.
Not feeling particularly full of faith, I asked her to pray over the food. Then I directed all the children—several dozen of them—to sit down, and we began serving the meal.
Amazingly, everyone ate until he was full! But what was perhaps more amazing was that we never ran out of the plastic bowls we were serving the chili in or the utensils we gave the kids to eat it with.
God caused faith to rise in my spirit that day. “I have so much faith right now,” I told the Lord, “you could tell me to feed 100,000 people, and I would say yes.”
Some time later, when I was praying and worshiping God, something like a video screen appeared before my eyes. Face after face after face of starving people in Malawi, the small country bordering Mozambique, began to flash before me.
As I cried about the suffering I saw, I heard God say, “You give them something to eat.”
I was momentarily speechless. Then I said, “OK, I will.”
After all, I’d seen Mack trucks full of food show up out of nowhere. I’d seen chili and rice multiplied. Why would I question God now?
That was the beginning of our outreach into neighboring countries. At some point, you don’t care how much suffering you have to go through in order to see the glory of God touch people’s lives!
Spiritual Renewal
Thankfully, our God is a loving God. He doesn’t allow us to suffer indefinitely. He is faithful to renew our spirits with His glory when we need it most.
At one point I decided to leave Mozambique to attend a conference in Toronto, Canada. Exhausted, ill and discouraged, I’d heard that many people were experiencing spiritual renewal through a move of God there called “the Toronto Blessing.”
I determined to make the 30-hour journey against the advice of two doctors. I’d just been diagnosed with pneumonia, and they said I should not travel.
I went anyway, determined to trust God. Mercifully, He opened my lungs at the start of the conference, and I was able to breathe freely for the rest of my stay.
Each day I was there, my strength increased. I spent many hours receiving prayer from the people on the Toronto ministry team.
One night during ministry I began groaning in intercession for the children of Mozambique. In my mind’s eye I could see thousands of children coming toward me.
“No, Lord, there are too many!” I cried.
“Look in My eyes,” He said to me. “There will always be enough bread and drink because I paid the price with My life. Don’t be afraid. Only believe.”
I returned to Mozambique healed and strengthened—and ready to take another step into the realm of glory God had prepared for me.
God is saying the same thing to each of us: “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” He’s waiting for us to step into a new realm of glory.
Will it involve suffering? Yes. But the suffering won’t compare to the glory we’ll experience as the children of God!
