Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of god.
Romans 12:2
The Joy of Submission
“O Heavenly Father, please help me die to self and submit to your will. Lord use me to do your work. Break my heart for what breaks yours.” A prayer like this should come with a warning label that reads something like this,
“Warning – Submitting yourself to the Lord and making yourself available will assuredly: turn your world upside down; tear your heart out; take you places you never imagined; humble you; and bless you beyond all measurable comprehension.”
I can say this because it happened to us. What began with a trip to Kenya with World Orphans in the fall of 2010 has blossomed into a dynamic, fruitful partnership with a church and orphan home in Jinja, Uganda. The Calvary Orphan Outreach Ministry (through World Orphans) joined forces with the Jinja Community Church of Faith to create a partnership that would serve vulnerable and abandoned children in the church's local community. In April 2011, a 4 member team traveled to Jinja to cast a vision for this new relationship and create a strategic plan for serving others in Jinja. God has richly blessed this partnership with on-going projects that support the orphans, strengthen the local church, and impact the Jinja community. Since its inception, God has allowed us to provide the orphans with school fees each year, scholastic materials, school uniforms, clothes, shoes, sheets, mosquito nets, toys, Vacation Bible School experiences, and vocational training in chicken farming as well as tailoring.
God has granted us with multiple opportunities to strengthen the local church by providing leadership training, identifying the means for self-sufficiency, and taking care of needed renovations to the church compound. The primary focus for the partnership has been to identify and fund one or more projects that would generate enough income for the church to support the orphans and the orphan home on its own. The first project identified and funded was the construction of a chicken farm and establishment of farm crops on a plot of land near the church. The second project conceptualized and funded was the establishment of a Christian elementary and nursery school (Greater Love Nursery and Primary School) for the orphans to attend as well as raise funds to support their living expenses. The Greater Love Nursery and Primary School was established in 2014 and has proven to be a fruitful project. There are now over 530 students who attend Greater Love Nursery and Primary School. The third project identified and funded was the purchase of sewing machines and the acquisition of tailoring training for the women and orphans at the church.
Additionally, the local Jinja community has shared in the blessings from this church partnership. The partnership has provided several multi-day medical clinics, an AIDS awareness seminar, AIDS testing and counseling, free Bibles for the locals, free clothes, shoes, school fees, and several meals for the community. As a result of these varied community outreach projects, many of the locals have been exposed to the Gospel in action. They have begun to take notice of our church partner and how the church is changing the area from the inside out.
The true joy of submission is experienced when you have released everything you can control (your will, your time, your money, yourself) to God and He uses you to bless others. I read somewhere, “To find the joy of submission, you must first find the joy of serventhood.”