Easter Festivites

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April 4th, 2010 11:16pm
Reporting to you from my cabin aka The Belly of The Whale

Easter Sunday. He is risen. We are celebrating Him throughout the world today. We in Lome have been celebrating the Resurrection all day long, in grand ways and in minor ways, but a celebration none the less.

I woke up this morning and went to church in the International Lounge of the ship. Since I would be in Africa on Easter, I packed a special dress, and wore it this morning, along with my grandmothers’ silver & turquoise praying hands necklace to match. Thoughts of my grandmother fluttered in and out of my mind today. Today was the first day that homesickness was so prevalent in my day, and couldn’t do much to quench the desire to jump in bed with my grandmother this morning.

The worship service was delightful, and the choir was amazing. Louie Gohmerts message was so very incredible indeed. It may have been one of my favorite messages on this trip thus far. It was a message that was so well suited for each of us on the ship that have been volunteering day and night on this ship.

Surprise. Surprise. We were all blessed by a special brunch too. We had it all. French toast, scrambled eggs, country potatoes, sausage patties, eggs Benedict, berry sauce, lox, oj, aj, cross buns, croissants, and a fruit display that would put the four seasons to shame. What a spectacular meal which I thoroughly enjoyed with some of the greatest gals on this planet.

This soon led to a nap. The gals woke me up from my nap with a ring that it was time to head to the beach and have some fun. Off to Crystal Plage we roamed. Seven of us…ready to play in the sun, sand, and ocean. Ruth (Germany) and I went in for a dip, and whoosh I lost my sunglasses (sigh). Who cares truly! We were having fun in the sun.

We came back to our grass umbrella and had brought a guitar with us. The seven voices sang to Jesus with all our being and it was one of the most incredible worship sessions I have ever been a part of. There we were in the middle of Lome, underneath a straw umbrella singing our hearts to our Savior. We sang some songs that stirred up such miraculous moments. We sang the first worship song I have ever heard (Lord I Lift Your Name on High) and I recall being 13 and driving down the mountain from Hume Lake. We sang (Nothing Compares to the Promise I have in You) and I recalled a time in HS when a group of us gathered at midnight in Capitola and sung out towards the waves. (When The Music Fades) when Bea Gonzalez came up and hugged me in Mexicali and just cried/prayed over me. Immediately, the filth and junk of my sinful rebellion washed away in the tears we shed that night. And a song that I hear now (How Great Is Our God) that moves me to tears every time I hear it that I still can’t sing the chorus.

For a brief moment, I forgot my location and senses. I sang my heart out to Him to merely compete with the continual roar of the ocean towards its creator. I wanted to outdo the ocean and give Him my all. In thanks for repeatedly ransoming me from the snare of death and hell. For washing me clean of my sins and transgressions. For dying on a cross for me, and for filling me with his Holy Spirit.

I think we all forgot where we were for a moment. I then shared a text with the group. This verse has so carefully been laid across my mind repeatedly as I have been in ministry on this ship, and I will share it with you now.

2 Corinthians 4 (The Message)
Trial and Torture
1-2Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don't maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don't twist God's Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God.
3-4If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding back in any way. No, it's because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll ever get.
5-6Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we're proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
7-12If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!
13-15We're not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, "I believed it, so I said it," we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God's glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!
16-18So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.

Truly, truly a Lizzy sermon didn’t have to follow this text. It’s right there for us to see and hear. We ended the hours by praying for a dear friend of mine that will be heading home in a couple of weeks, and quickly jumped into the Mercy Ship car to head back to the ship and enjoy a scrumptious dinner. Fish & Chips! (MS tradition).

Tonight the former VP of the Republic of Congo was present and shared a tremendous message. He has recently come on the board for MS and shared a testimony unlike any other. It was an excellent ending to a very incredible day.

Goodnight dear friends all over the world.