Mission Moments: Zack Penney
(From the Downtown Living Newsletter Archives)
**Downtown Living is a local neighborhood newsletter serving the residents of Blossomwood, Twickenham and Old Town.
Neighbors Connecting with Neighbors.
One of the columns they feature each month is a Mission Moment piece. Katie Wilson is the resident reporter who gets to write a “Gossip Column” about the Glory of the Lord shining through everyday, ordinary heroes of faith, who are living right next door! Their stories inspire and challenge us all to step up and out boldly to build the Kingdom!
These local Mission Moments are definitely a BRIGHT SPOT in our city; therefore we will be sharing these stories of From the “Pew” to the “Do” in our BRIGHT SPOT category!
Prepare to be blessed and inspired by the Glory of God displayed through the lives of those who are simply available and say:
“SEND ME!”
Mission Moment: Zack Penney
We could hardly move because of all the precious little children standing around us. Around 30 hours before I was wiping away tears as I kissed my wife and children goodbye in the HSV airport. Now here I was worshipping in a small church in a village outside Kampala which is the capital of Uganda. The floor of the church was hard red clay and the church was made of wood and sheet metal. For almost 4 hours we stayed in that churched and just watched as people rejoiced and cried out to Jesus in a way that we rarely (if ever) saw back home. I could have stayed there all day holding those children and worshiping with them.
I don’t know why it was so hard to absorb that here we are in Africa worshiping the same God that we worship back in the states. Not only that, we were singing some of the same worship songs. At that point I was beginning to realize what an infinite awesome God we serve.
I was traveling with a ministry called Sixty Feet, who our church, River Tree, has partnered with. Our mission was to bring hope and restoration to the imprisoned children of Uganda. What I loved most about this trip was that our only goal was to wake up and be the hands and feet of Jesus to these children each day. It was incredibly hard to go into these compounds and see the conditions children lived in, and also the lack of love and attention the children receive. But thanks to Sixty Feet these children are receiving healthcare, counseling and also being assisted by social workers to free these children and reconnect them with there families. They also are helping reform the Ugandan justice system to give these children a better chance at freedom. Sixty Feet, as well as these children, will forever have a special place in my heart.
The urge to serve in some sort of manner was put in my heart in the spring of 2013. I was looking for something that would be convenient and wouldn’t interrupt my home or work schedule very much. As I later found out God had very different plans for me. This trip to Africa would take a large sacrifice on my families behalf and I would be away from work much longer than I had originally intended. I believe Bob Goff’s quote, “I used to think you had to be special for God to use you, but now I know you simply need to say yes” has changed me forever. Every day God sends us multiple invitations to go on an adventure with him. All we have to do is say YES to him.
I encourage everyone to say yes to any adventure Christ invites you to go on. It could take you to Africa, South America, or maybe just take across the room to share hope and love with a coworker or friend. I want to encourage everyone to serve in some way. All you have to do is be available and say yes. It will change you forever.
Blessings,
Zack Penney
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