“In Your Presence is the fullness of joy”

As I conclude another mission trip to Africa and reflect back on this trip, my 5^th trip to Africa. I don’t quite know how to describe this trip. Words really can’t describe all that we experienced over the past few weeks, but they say a picture is a worth a thousand words. So let me draw a picture for you.

It was our last night in Zambia. We shared our final meal together and then afterwards we sat together to reflect back on the trip. Each person shared what they gained from the trip and how they grew personally. It was amazing to see the smiles and expressions on peoples face, someone said, “I know now what joy is and how it differs from happiness”.

We had true joy. And that joy naturally led us to stand together, hold hands in a large circle and sing praises to God. It was a beautiful sight to behold, one that I wont soon forget. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful trip.

We stood in a circle united to each other and all eyes looking towards the center, where Jesus was. We said from the start of the trip that we were 22 missionaries from DC and 3 from Canada and Jesus was the 26^th member. And we truly experienced that all throughout the trip.

And the end result of having our Lord in our midst is JOY! No other option. In His presence there must be joy, there must be glory. That joy was so evident in everyones eyes and smiles.

As the group, ask them if they had fun on this trip. Everyone would say they a had a great time, no one was bored, no one felt like the trip dragged on. Why? Did we go to fun places? Did we watch TV and play video games? Did we go out and party? The answer is no. We prayed a lot, we had lots of bible studies, and we could spend hours out in the hot sun each day walking through the dirt and dust.

So where was the fun? Where did the joy come from? It came from the Lord, the Almighty Prince of Peace. Where He is joy is as well. We laughed, we joked, we had a great time and it was all in the presence of God. And the joy we have in Gods presence is one that doesn’t fade quickly. It is a lasting joy, one that doesn’t disappear quickly.

(2 Corinthians 2:14 “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place”)

All of us felt this verse. We felt the triumph of Christ and truly it is a wonderful thing. I hope and pray that all would realize that true joy will never be found anywhere outside of Christ. Outside His presence is only temporary happiness at best. In His presence is the fullness of Joy.

Filed under: Africa Summer 2006