I have a friend named Erica Naughton. She attended Heartland, Celebrate Recovery, and Heartland:PM for several years. She followed a call on her life to go into long term missions in Africa. I want you to read what's happening through her and the ministry she is working with. Pretty amazing.
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Hello :)
I just got back from Lingira Island with my fellow Discipleship Training School students, staff and worship team. The island is in Lake Victoria (the largest lake in Africa) and is a 2 hour boat ride from where we stay. It's so good to be back, but honestly, I really wanted to stay for more ministry on the island! It was so powerful to see God work in and around us. I have been so blessed to be used to lead His people to Him by sharing about Jesus. The boldness and wisdom I have had while talking to the villagers can only be from God. I was able to encourage in ways that even surprised myself.
Before leaving for the island, we spent a couple days going door-to-door in a local village to tell about Jesus and the transforming power He gives us through salvation. I was a little nervous as my small group approached the first home. We met a Muslim woman surrounded by at least 8 small children, although only one belonged to her. She accepted for us to pray for her and as soon as I finished praying, she instantly asked if she could receive Christ! We didn't even ask her if she wanted to! That is God's grace.... He softened her heart so quickly and His Spirit really moved within her. She even asked for more prayer when she saw us on the road later on! I was so encouraged by the success of bringing her to Christ that I grew more bold as we moved on. Later we met two young men who wanted us to pray that they would receive funding for education, although neither were saved. Both of them chose to give their lives to Christ, and one of them was Muslim.
The next day we went back to the same village, but instead of going from house to house, my group spent all our time in the bar. Haha don't get suspicious now.... I have remained sober for 2 years and 2 months because of God's grace! So at the bar, God led us to a man who fell back from his relationship with God. Through sharing about salvation and my testimony of overcoming drugs and alcohol, this man accepted Christ. He even poured out his drink and listened in as we spoke with the bar owner, too.
I truly appreciate Pela, a leader of YWAM who is from Tonga. He emphasized that we shouldn't be forceful, but we should focus on building relationships. I have known this to be true, but this belief has gone to a whole new level because of a wonderful experience that happened on the island during our outreach. On the first day of door-to-door preaching on the island, a classmate and I was led to speak with a young man named Fred. We spent time encouraging him, praying for him, and as I shared my testimony of how God lifted me out of a destructive lifestyle and has given me a new life, I could tell that something was stirring in him. I could sense that God was moving in Fred, yet he stayed very timid and admitted that he's not ready to come back to Christ. The next night, we invited him to the YWAM base just a short walk from his home and he agreed. We spent time just getting to know him and encouraging him, but it still wasn't time for him to make a decision. I invited him to attend church with us the following day, but he gave excuses on why he couldn't.... but I made sure he knew where to find us in case he changed his mind. I was so shocked when he walked into the church!!! And he had the biggest smile on his face! He was very different looking from the time I met him. He was even getting involved in the worship songs. After church, I asked if he was ready to surrender his life to Christ and he agreed without any hesitation... as if he had been waiting for me to ask!!! I was so honored to pray for him and encourage him more! That was the highlight of my whole weekend!! I give glory to God for the work He is doing in Fred and for the grace He poured on us as we built a relationship with Fred. My heart is full gratitude for this experience and for so much more God has done this past weekend. I am so thankful and in awe of how faithful He is.
While we ministered on Lingira Island, we visited a couple of schools. One day we went to a primary school, which is for kids around ages 5-13. I was so blessed to help lead worship for the kids and to participate in a skit that we performed for them. They were so excited for us to be there and we were so privileged to speak into their lives. The next day we went to a secondary school for teens, which is located in a village that is very involved in witchcraft and known for chasing Christians away. However, I was so blessed by watching them worship! They praised God with all their hearts and laughed so hard it was contagious! We performed more skits and I was given the opportunity to share my testimony, encouraging them to get right with God and to surround themselves with uplifting, positive friends who are pressing on towards the same goal of being Christ-like. It's really amazing how God is so faithful and gracious. When I first surrendered my life to Christ, after attempting to take my life, I had the desire to share with the whole world about how God rescued me and gave me hope. Now, I am seeing my dream unfold and I am so thankful that He has placed that desire in my heart. Sharing personal experiences is so powerful because no one can deny what God has done when I've been through myself.
I have enjoyed this weekend so much, it has really made me think about how much I would love to do this kind of work all the time. It's exhausting in every way, but it's so worth it! Even if only one person got saved out of all this time, it would be well worth it! Even if huge masses of people don't come to Christ, it's okay because planting seeds is what really counts. It's also my responsibility to help water these seeds by building relationships and encouraging people. I give glory, honor and praises to God for the strength that He's given me during outreach so far. None of this would have been possible without His guidance and protection. And this is only the beginning!!! I request that you add one more item to the list of prayer requests in my last email. There is an Evangelism Team here at YWAM in Jinja. They do ministry at prisons, schools and door-to-door. I would love to be involved with this team, then perhaps go for more schooling through YWAM. Please pray that God will give me clarity on His plan for me after DTS. We still have one more week of outreach, where we'll be doing more door-to-door and ministering at a local prison. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in prayer, your encouragement (which truly touches my heart) and, most of all, your love! I love you so much and may God bless you abundantly!
-Erica Naughton
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