The Praise and Worship Team was warming up when we entered the auditorium at Capital City Baptist.  But we were not in New Hampshire, we were in Lilongwe, Malawi.  The harmony and beauty of the native language in song, Chichewa, always catches me at a soul level.  There is something soul-stirring when you worship with people who often have little or nothing; well nothing but joy and thanksgiving.  I often wonder why there can be an inverse correlation between how much we have and how much we are grateful to the God who gave us what we have.  

After the worship team opened and after the offering, the team began to sing quietly. As the team sang, the elders came forward and stood across the front of the sanctuary.  One by one, people came forward for prayer.  The elders' prayers and the worship team's chorus blended into a deep, reverential moment.  As one elder took the podium and began to pray, the worship team did not cease to sing, the elders did not cease to pray, and a holy murmur of prayer filled the room.  For a moment, my soul was uplifted in a way that opened the doors of heaven.  I was hearing what God hears, but somehow, in the midst of a world full of holy murmurs, He was hearing every prayer.  Moments like these refuel a soul.

The past few days have been filled with reviewing our school implementation plan, assigning tasks, making decision after decision, hiring key staff, and creating, reviewing, paring, and whittling away at an operational budget for the school. In the midst of the mundane, it is easy to forget that God has called us to make a generational statement in Malawi, not just for Malawi but for His Kingdom.

We need your prayers.  There’s a reason why we prefer taking baby steps when it comes to faith, and I now more fully understand why Peter’s walk on water was quite short.  We’re all doing our best to keep our eyes up and to walk forward with the confidence that comes from knowing God has called us.

For Good Soil Partners and Good Soil Academy,

Dean