I am writing to you from the shores of Lake Malawi. Can you believe it? I am already in country number five. As I am writing, there is a storm brewing outside and I cannot help but think of the time when Jesus was in the boat, fast asleep on the sea of Galilee. It is also a lake, but when the waters rise, it is quite frightening and we can easily look to the storm and not to Who is in the boat with us. And these are the times we are in. Frightening if we look at the reality of the world we live in, but not if we know Who is in control.
I have had amazing times here in Africa and I have had interesting encounters. Eish!!! Africa is not for sissies let me tell you that. It is a hard continent. It asks much of you, but it also gives you a wealth of beauty and experiences you can never get enough of. It allows you to live off the land and she gives you her everything. All the resources are available to her people. And yet….. and yet.
The poverty is extremely heartbreaking and yet, they are so poor, but yet so wealthy. Everywhere I go I see it…. (Except in the cities)…. Family and community is everything. All is centred around that. A tribe consists of a king and his chiefs with their families. Each chief has his own village and he is in charge there and also carries the responsibility. Some are small… 2/3 families and others much, much bigger. The bigger ones are called compounds on the farms. But this is amazing to see. And they live off the land by planting mielies and living close to a river. They have cattle or goats and chickens and they plant whatever else they need and then eat berries and leaves. Roots of trees gets used for many different things. Medicine comes from nature and this is just the way God made it. But…. When the Western world came and brought them the Gospel, they brought salvation but also tried to conform them to look like them. And this was an injustice, I think. They should have taught them about living out the Kingdom of God in their circumstances — and not have tried to conform Africa to look like the West. It confused Africa’s identity.
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Africa is a wonderful people!!! Wonderful!! But very confused and with a poverty mentality as well as an orphan spirit. And we, the western world, created that. Here at the lake, I see it. They are so wealthy here. They do not need anything, but yet, they are so poor. They beg for money. Never what God intended for Africa. But….. I also believe it is God’s time for Africa. We are the continent of Light!! Not darkness. Africa is a spiritual continent. Africa understands the spirit world and therefor she will be a powerful tool in the hands of God.
But let me tell you about how much He cares for the individuals of Africa. This is always the amazing thing to me. I have met people here that are soooo poor and have nothing to give the world according to the standards of this world, and yet!!! And yet!!! God chooses them to pour out His Spirit as He knows that these are the people who can change a community. I have seen how He comes and teaches them the Kingdom principles and when they grasp it, their lives change in THEIR circumstances. They do not suddenly drive Ferrari’s, but suddenly, they always have food in their homes, their kids can go to school and they have a place to call home. The Kingdom is working on their behalf because they start trusting Him. They are seeking Him and all things get added unto them.
I am actually at a place where I have so many testimonies and it is so overwhelming, that I have nothing to say. I know many of you understand this. I feel a deep compassion for Africa that can only be born of God. I truly feel God’s heart for Africa and it is just saying….. AFRICA!!! ARISE!!! THIS IS YOUR TIME!!
I know that He will be using His worshippers to clear the spiritual realms and He will use individuals to get the nations in Africa to rise and He will use His prophets to proclaim and profess.
But, back to the testimonies. God has been amazing to me. The way He connects, who He connects me with and just how He provides my every need!!
This journey is extremely stressful. Most of the roads are treacherous (part of the adventure make no mistake) but 200km on these roads can take you 6 hours!! Imagine that!! So everyday is a challenge with food, toilets (let us call them pits here), wild animals many times, sleeping different places all the times, mosquitos and lots of goggas (bugs) and water. There are no Ultra Cities next to the roads in Africa. You eat off the land like the people (stalls next to the road where they have just killed the chicken or rat they are now preparing) or you wait until a big town where there is a bakery with beautiful bread (not good for me, but it is what it is) and buy fresh stuff at the markets. There are no fancy hotels or lodges or b&b’s. Only in the bigger cities. So on your way to such a city….. you learn from the locals. They all survive the living conditions, so I will too.
I swim in the lake and rivers, I fight the mosquitos in prayer (nothing else works) and I battle the roads with their potholes and cattle and people. And in Zambia and Malawi…. the bikes!!! I am fascinated by the taxi system of Africa!!! Bikes and for faster service, motorbikes. It is amazing what they do with these bikes and how many people they “load” onto them. I love it!!! It is so colourful and very frustrating for motorists as the roads belong to the bikes; not the cars.
And the markets!!! Dirty, dirty, dirty beyond anything you want to experience, but yet, everyone buys there, survives it and loves it. It truly is a market place like in the time of the Bible. Where the men meet, the women sell their merchandise and gossip about the rest of the town, where the Gospel gets preached, where they raise their children. I love it. The entrepreneurs, the way they operate (everything is negotiable) the joy and fun, the sadness…. The poverty…. The wealth… the stench of filth…. You will get all of it here. And you will discover jewels if you just look!!
The stories I’ve heard!!! Sometimes, as most of you will know, something touches you so deeply that you just do not know how to share it with others. And this is my Africa journey so far. I have cried, laughed, listened, prayed, anointed, shared, preached, sang….. simply just ministered to the people as they have been ministring to me. I love all the Christians I meet, but I love the non- believers too. I learn from them. How they think and why they think it. It is actually amazing. I love my conversations with them and sometimes it also makes me tired when I encounter a spirit of self. And the most tiring one is the religious spirit among Christians, of course. But love conquers all and the goodness of God will lead ALL men to repentance, so I just keep sharing on His goodness.
I met a family in Zambia. sIX beautiful children. Sacrificed their life in America to do missions in Zambia. They have been doing this for 15 years. Two years ago, their only son, 16 at the time, fell from his bunk bed, broke his neck and instantly died. In his room. Supposed to be his place of safety. The father had to drive two hours to the nearest police station and hospital with the dead body of his son on the backseat. Can you imagine that? But as I was speaking to them…. Oh man….how they as a family chose to accept the sovereignty of an almighty God and still give thanks to Him for 16 years they could have. And they choose to see the good that has come from this tragedy. I felt right at home with this family — and to see the transformation they are bringing about in the lives of the people of Zambia. You will ball your eyes out.
I sat with two ladies, precious people, both non believers. They wanted to know why I am doing this trip. And so I decided to tell them the truth. I shared on God’s provision for it, how it is a daily thing of trusting and knowing that God will provide. Somehow finances always gets to non believers. I think it is the struggle and striving to make it all happen and when they hear stories like mine of how God provided the Prado, the rooftop tent, my tyres and all the other things and the ongoing money for accommodation and petrol and sowing into other lives and just all my needs….. it gets to them that it is effortless and that there is Someone watching over me. They do not understand it, but they long for it. The rest. So I plant little seeds along the way.
And then there are those God encounters. You know that you know that you know. I have had a few of them. One with a pastor and his wife… they took me to a Chinese restaurant in Lilongwe…. And we just connected. When I told him the name of my trip is Kora, he nearly collapsed. Just that afternoon, he stumbled onto the Kora [African stringed instrument] and its music and was listening to it the whole afternoon. So his passion is crusades and he does big events in Africa. Evangelist. We simply just connected.
And then there were my four American ladies. As I was praying and asking God to connect me in Lusaka, I turn around on a road and walk into a coffee shop. And this lady walks up to me asking me to join them, as they had passed me on the road from Livingstone a few times and checked me out because of the branding on my vehicle. Turns out they are from Lusaka and run a ministry/NGO there and we just connected. I visited them and was blown away by what they do. They serve 13 000 vulnerable kids in Lusaka and run 22 schools and all children go for free. The schools run on a sponsorship program and I was blown away by the quality of their schooling system, buildings, teachers, clinic and 64 homes (12 kids each) that they manage. There are people out there truly making a difference and what I have seen, opened up my mind to so many things. They work soooo hard, but it pays off when they see their kids flourish. They even assist the families of these children with food and clothing and teaching them life skills. Simply loved what I witnessed.
I also met a pastor who spent nine months in jail because he is Spirit filled, preaching the Gospel of truth and not wanted in his area. So during that none months in jail, he saw it as an opportunity to keep on preaching the Gospel and many got saved. All charges were dropped after nine months. I had a very special time with him. Also told him the significance of his nine months in jail.
And then there was the border crossing. I was told that this specific border post can take from 2-4 hours to cross. The previous border posts were hectic and I decided: No ways. I cannot do this again. I want to be in and out of there in one hour. So I prayed and I asked God for favour. Now at all these border posts, you have to pay cash. Every post so far cost between $100 and $150. But you need to pay in their currency so you exchange $ into the currency of this nation from random guys at the border posts. But they cheat on the exchange rate. So this time, I told the Lord: “No cheating. I want my fair share.”
So at this very, very busy border post I exchanged my $100 and I received 85 000 Malawian kwachas. I realised afterwards, it was R500 too much. And within an hour, I went through that post. No problems. Quick quick. Ask and you shall receive.
But I have also seen severe poverty. Eish! This is a very ugly thing. Terrible, terrible thief. But so strange how my days as the wife of a church planter brought hope. I can share practically on how to operate within the Kingdom of God to survive your everyday life and how trusting God, leads to prosperity in your circumstances. All the women are now praying over their food and household products for God to stretch it and all the men are trusting God for some sort of transport, hehehehehe.
I was very humbled when they started speaking of the “God of Julita”. And had to explain that He is not my God alone, but available to anyone who seeks Him. But I realised how my life was formed for these days also. I always ask God for enough money to sow into the lives of people I meet and in these very poor communities, I try to sow to every family. I am telling you…. The Gospel becomes so alive to them because I do not just tell them, I show them. And God has never failed me in this. Never ever. I have always had money to sow when I get to poor communities. And when I shake their hands and they feel the money (pinkster handdruk), the faces!!!
So sad that money makes the world go around. Everybody needs it. But I teach them that the best time to sow, is when you have nothing. Out of your lack comes the greatest harvest. It opens up an opportunity for God to be God. The Bible says: He who gives to the poor, lends to God — Proverbs 19:17. Go ponder on this Scripture…… But boy oh boy…. Do I learn from the poor. It is as if God is opening my eyes to something I have not seen before and teaching them the Kingdom of God in their circumstances is showing me something of God’s heart to all people. I am beginning to understand something about God and about people that I have not known before.
Who we sometimes call poor, are not poor at all. And to think that transformation needs to look like you is simply arrogant. Lots of the poverty going around was created by the very ones who thought they were helping. And in the process identity was lost. And this is the saddest thing. When someone does not know who they are anymore…even as a nation.
And then I also met with prophetess Naomi Sheneberger in Lusaka. Oh boy!! Was that an explosion in the Spirit!! When we as people recognise each other as children of God It is a very powerful thing.
Let me also just say this trip is not for sissies. Some of the toilets (or let me call them pits) I had to use…. I know for sure that some people will just not be able to do it, hehehehehe. I just close my eyes and say: “Julita, millions do this every day. You will not die and you will not get sick.” I also now understand why they call toilet paper the white gold in Africa. Newspapers and magazines cannot match 2-ply, I do not care how glossy the magazine is. Toilet paper is a gift!!!!
And now, as I sit here next to beautiful Lake Malawi, I can only testify that God is good. God is goodness Himself. And He LOVES ALL people. I have cried my eyes out about Africa and I have only been to five countries so far. But I know that it is God’s time for Africa to rise, so I am wiping my tears and looking ahead to what is coming. But I know the compassion I feel in my heart is from God. He has seen, He has allowed, and now He is saying: ” Enough is enough.” As Reinhard Bonnke said: “Africa will be saved” and we sure are the continent of Light. His Light. I am surrounded by beauty of nature, but the beauty of the people far exceeds what I see before me.
May God continue to bless you. Remember…“The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.” — Proverbs 10:22 NIV
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