I’m sitting in my hotel room in Orlando. Tomorrow we catch an early plane to Miami and then to Bahamas and then to çübå (I’m writing the country in these funky letters so nobody will find it in a search, just in case). I’m really excited about the trip, but I’m not excited about the lack of easy communication. Cell phone won’t work, phone calls to the states are $.50 a minute and I’m hoping to find some kind of internet access somewhere, but I don’t think it will be easy. I would like to blog about the whole trip so I’m going to do my best to hunt something down.
It’s going to be interesting walking around in a country that speaks a different language than my own. I often thought about how our message will come across when we speak to the people through the translators. Without them, my limited knowledge of Spanish will keep me to a few words and hand signals. It’s going to be a different experience. Each time allotment for our classes is 2 hours and I’m wondering how 2 hours of talking and translating is going to feel. Talk, pause, talk pause. I’ll let you know how it goes.
But I’m not worried, because whenever I go to preach anywhere I always remind myself and the Lord about this scripture:
If anyone speaks, let him [speak] as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 4:11 NKJV
I say, “Lord, I’m going to speak, so according to your word I ought to speak as the oracles of God. Lord, I’m going to minister, so according to your word I ought to do it with the ability that you supply. Today I’m going to speak as the oracles of God and I’m going to minister with the ability that You give. I’m going to do this so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Amen! I’ve learned that I have to take God at His word when it comes to effective preaching as I would have to take Him at His word for anything else. I preach in faith, and it works every time.
It’s getting late and we have to be up at 4:30am. Bed time.
I’m off to çübå. Pray for us.
Hal Chaffee Ministries 