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| Marty Norman |
I Stand Amazed
By Marty Norman
Acts 1:8 And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” NIV
At the kind invitation of the Anglican
Bishop of Mpwapwa, Tanzania I was invited by SOMA USA (Sharing Our Ministries Abroad) www.somausa.org to lead a teaching mission
for pastors and their wives on the Holy Spirit in early June 2010. Following much prayer, confirmed by intercessors and a
powerful dream regarding Tanzania, I determined that God was indeed calling me to be team leader, and I said yes. Hesitant
and challenged, I was much concerned, since I had never been a team leader nor had I ever been on a teaching mission before.
But I am a living testimony that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things!
By early
May we had a team of five – two priests from Uganda and three American ladies, two from Texas and one from California.
We did not know each other. The plan was to meet up with the two priests in Dar Es Salaam where we would take a small
plane to Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania. Following we were scheduled to take a two hour bus ride to St. Phillips Seminary
where we would then have 36 hours to train as a team and plan the conference.
But God’s
way is not our way.
Our first challenge occurred when we were limited to 15 pounds of luggage because of the puddle
jumper to Dodoma. As Jesus told his disciples to “take nothing but a tunic” I felt very much as they must have
felt, stripped down to practically nothing. As leader, I couldn’t even take my Bible with its notes. I did slip
in extra paper and a few small outlines because they were light, but medicine, mosquito nets, international phones and gifts
took up the majority of my bag.
The Bible was too heavy also so I ended up taking one that was very tiny, the
pages so new they stuck together. I could barely fit in the post-its and highlighters. Later I discovered that the Bible was
not even the translation that I was familiar with. This pretty much threw me for a loop, but I was comforted by the thought
that the priests would probably do all the teachings.
Once again I did not know the mind of God.
As in most mission trips, we encountered a number of unexpected challenges. The first shocker was that, due to an airline
glitch in scheduling, the Ugandan priests missed their plane to Dar. As a result they also missed their connection to
Dodoma. Due to limited technology we had no idea where they were or if they would ever arrive at the seminary. After much
prayer and trepidation, we three women continued on. The possibility existed that we might be doing the conference alone.
Due to the prayers of the intercessors the Lord under girded us with a spirit of peace and we moved forward unafraid.
The priests did arrive the next day following an eight hour bus ride. Our second major hurdle involved the lost time for
training and planning. Instead of 36 hours we had six. This also was part of God’s plan.
We started
with scripture and meditation, and then spend much of our time getting to know one another and sharing our testimonies. As
we prayed and began to bond, we shared scriptures and what we thought the Lord was saying to us as a team. It was at this
point I discovered that the new translation in my Bible allowed me to view once familiar scriptures with new eyes. This was
a powerful witness to me as team leader for I was able to share many new insights as the Lord opened up new vistas of learning.
Because we had no set outline and a shortage of time, the Holy Spirit planned the conference by unfolding the
next day’s agenda the night before each conference. Since the conference was three days long, each of us had an important
role in the teachings. I have led Bible studies and taught seminars before, but never have I experienced the Lord’s
guidance like this. In a miraculous way, our testimonies, life experiences, the prayers of the saints, and scripture, laid
the groundwork. Truly it was the Holy Spirit that guided and led, bringing all wisdom and knowledge to the team as we
submitted to one another.
Amazingly this team of five plus the Bishop worked as the body of
Christ. Each person brought our gift to the table. Just like with the loaves and fish, the Lord took these offerings,
blessed, broke, multiplied and passed them out to feed the people. It was amazing. I can’t explain these things. Truly
it is the power of the Holy Spirit. But I can testify that I saw with my own eyes that the Lord took from nothing and created
an amazing tapestry. The way that it all tied together was truly the hand of God at work. Each night we decided the
agenda and assignments. We then went to our rooms and prayed. The next day, the conference flowed as one talk, each
stone building upon the next. I stood amazed.
Confirmation of the tapestry came during one of
the breaks when one of the participants asked the Bishop how we could plan such powerful things. But we know that we did not
plan them. A power greater than ourselves was responsible. We were just broken vessels waiting to be filled. We had
nowhere to turn but the Lord. He himself knitted our offerings into the picture he had created, customized for such
a time as this. He filled these broken vessels with the living water of the Holy Spirit which was poured out on all who were
hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
I stood amazed by what I saw with my own eyes and heard
with my own ears. Many reported reconciliation and forgiveness in their marriages. Others reported renewal of their faith,
healing of wounds and hurts, forgiveness of long-held transgressions. Many came to Christ. There was order. Something important
was planted. As the Bishop said, “Power has gone into the people’s hearts.” There is no doubt in my
mind that much fruit will result.
We may never know the seeds planted nor the plants that result, but the fact
that there will be a huge harvest is not in question. When the Lord builds a house, it is of his doing and his making. He
will sow and he will reap what is planted. What I am sure of is that the four soils were fed. My prayer is that each soil
was fed with the living water and bread of Christ that will water, nourish and grow their seeds.
As I’ve
returned to my world, many have asked me, why go on a mission trip? I have pondered this question a lot. One morning in prayer
the answer came. For me it’s simple. I believe that each of us lives in a spiritual house of our own making. Only when
we get out of our comfort zone into another house are we able to experience new things and let the Lord do his work. As a
result we find that the Lord is even bigger and greater than we could ever dream or imagine.
A huge field was ploughed and planted in Tanzania. I am blessed and eternally grateful that I was allowed to be a
part of spreading the good news of the gospel. I give thanks for the seeds of grace and mercy and the promise of redemption
and reconciliation that I was able to proclaim in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
I stand
amazed.
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