An African Canticle

All you big things, bless the Lord.
Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Victoria,
The Rift Valley and the Serengeti Plain,
Fat baobabs and shady mango trees,
All eucalyptus and tamarind trees,
Bless the Lord.
Praise and extol Him for ever and ever.

All you tiny things, bless the Lord.
Busy black ants and hopping fleas,
Wriggling tadpoles and mosquito larvae,
Flying locusts and water drops,
Pollen dust and tsetse flies,
Millet seeds and dried dagaa,
Bless the Lord.
Praise and extol Him for ever and ever. 
                   - Traditional African Canticle 

As we fall asleep tonight, five women from Columbia Ridge rise to an African sun and together will walk the red and dusty roads of Mhlosheni for the first time. Pray that they would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to enter into today's song to the Lord.

Though this chorus of praise has been rising to the Lord for millennia, they as a group become part of it for the first time. In so doing, they join not only the big and tiny things of the continent, but also the young, the old, the poor, the healthy, the sick, the abandoned, the troubled, and the joyful of Mhlosheni, Swaziland in today's expression of that ancient hymn.

Today... as Tracy, Esther, Joie, Shannon, and Erin meet the faithful staff at the Mhlosheni development project, they become part of an African Canticle, "sung" with the smiles and embraces of once far apart, but now very near, brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today... as these women meet the hungry children being fed at a Hope Center (which the people of Columbia Ridge helped support), they become part of an African Canticle of thanksgiving for a simple meal.

Today... as they visit a farmer tending to dairy cows in order to give away life-sustaining milk to those most in need, they become witness to an African Canticle of praise, offered in action and motivated by faith, hope, and love.

Today as they walk the red and dusty roads of Mhlosheni for the first time together, they are part of an African Canticle of praise.

Pray that they might play their part well!  

(praise in a church service
our '07 team participated in)