Aslan Gave

Late last night I was having a little heart to heart convo with one of my fellow team -mates.. I don't want to go into much detail...but we both did alot of listening to each other and watching each others tears fall. Sarah and I basically discussed why we were here - to put it in the most simplistic terms - WE ARE HERE TO LOVE PEOPLE AS CHRIST LOVED US!! Now, that truth is definitely easier said then done - and trying to not let yourself be vulnerable to your emotions- knowing when to hold back and when to give in .. - This has definitely been a battle for me in knowing how to balance the relationships I have made here in UG. How much is tooo much to offer of one-self ??? And I as I prepare to leave this place knowing how to withdraw myself from the people my heart as grown so very attached too. As I with Sarah - fighting back tears....I came to the realization that her heart was like mine - I saw in her the same passion for the people of Uganda that I have. It was a moment that will be fixed in my memory for sometime. It was neat to have someone apart from the Lion actually know my heart. She too has truly connected with these precious people. Its a mutual feeling that not all can share....but I am grateful to Jesus we have that common bond. I guess it erks my spirit sometimes when I hear stories of missionaries who have been on the field for 20 plus years and yet still have yet to grasp the concept of Christ's love. Some think its best to sit indoors all day and just pray for the lost and suffering...Others (busy) themselves with excessive bible studying - ministry - or seminary classes. Then there is also the missionary tourist - who is all about his/her high techno camera and visiting all cool vaca spots because their children may never be able to see those places ever again....Don't get me wrong its not a sin to study the word or take family vacations - Trust me - I definitely don't have this missionary business all figured out...I must admit Jena Louise Tager has made mistakes with relating to people on the field. From the short two years I have been in Uganda - here's what I have learned about ministry: Life is all GIVING OF ONE SELF for another (To the suprise of many its not all about JENA :)

"Near the end of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, the children Lucy and Susan are on the Hill of the Stone Table on a moonlit night. From a distance they watch tearfully as Aslan the lion submits to torment from the White Witch and her rabble monsters - who are there because of the treachery of the girls' brother Edmund. He is bound, shorn of his golden mane, muzzled...then tied to the table and killed. After these vile creatures have gone, the two sisters creep out of their hiding place to approach the table. They spend the rest of that night weeping over Aslan's body.

When dawn comes and the girls are shivering in the early morning coolness, they turn from the table to try and warm themselves by walking. As they watch the sky turn red and gold from the sunrise, they hear behind them ' a great cracking, deafening noise.' They hurry back, and are overcome with yet more grief at what they see: The Stone Table was broken into two pieces by a great crack that ran down it from end to end: and there was no Aslan.

Suddenly their cries and questions are interrupted by 'a great voice behind their backs.' They looked around. There, shining in the sunrise, larger then they had seen before, shaking his mane...stood Aslan himself.

Susan tries to ask him if he's a ghost. Aslan stooped his golden head and licked her forehead. The warmth of his breath and a rich sort of smell that seemed to hang about his hair came all over him. 'Do I look it?' he said.

Finally, after both girls have ' flung themselves upon him and covered him with kisses, ' Susan asks....'But what does it all mean????' "
The Cross Centered Life By : C J Mahaney