An Ebenezer Stone

One of our main partners in doing AIDS work here in KwaZulu-Natal is Project Positive Ray (PPR), a ministry of a local congregation of the Evangelical Church in South Africa (ECSA) and SIM (Serving In Missions). This past week we were asked by PPR if we could help arrange and host a children’s Christmas party for one of its sister congregations in the district. As we work with several community children’s projects we were able to assist even though we had already had Christmas parties at all our projects. We knew another party would be an additional blessing for these kids that have so little at Christmas.

We arranged a local Zulu church in the community as a venue and made plans to transport approximately 20 children from the nearby crèche to the church for the party. The visitors coming from the ECSA church would bring presents for the children and KFC (yes that KFC) for the meal. On the day of the event the heat and humidity were very high. We managed to get all 19 children and 3 or 4 helpers to the church on time and I went to meet our visitors to bring them to the rather remote site. At the agreed upon meeting time I received a call from the visitors saying one of them had some medical problems and they would be an hour late. Meanwhile Robin, Onnie, the children and the women were cooking in the small church with little ventilation and almost no nearby shade outside. I offered to pick up the KFC to save some time (15 min drive each way). Fortunately Robin had planned a couple games for the kids and brought some music to dance to (they love to dance). The sweat was rolling by then!

Eventually our visitors arrived and the event was a blessing. One of them named Mike could hardly walk due to his back problem but he was committed to come and so was there and shared a message with the children. We had a time of prayer for Mike’s healing and the kids loved the food and gifts.

- Kids with their Christmas gifts

We learned that our visitors came from a church named Ebenezer Church. Obviously being Christmas time and giving a party for children brought to mind Ebenezer Scrooge from “The Christmas Carol”. An interesting name for a church we thought but Robin and I remembered it was a Biblical name and that at one time we had studied (and forgotten) its meaning.

Back home we looked up the “Ebenezer” passages in 1st Samuel and found this reference to an Ebenezer Stone in 1 Sam 7:10 & 12: “Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were routed before Israel. … Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen and named it Ebenezer saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” A footnote in my Bible says Ebenezer means “stone of help”.

“Thus far the Lord has helped us”. The truth and significance of that statement rings deep in my heart. Where would I be on this journey if the Lord had not helped me? How many Ebenezer stones should I have erected this year, this month, this week? I mentioned in an earlier post that I believe I am in a war, that we are all in a war. What battles have we come through recently? Did we recognize the Lord’s thundering in our defense? Do we realize we are only here standing because “thus far the Lord has helped us”? We probably don’t feel like the enemy has been routed but he has, time and time again. What will be my Ebenezer stone that I and others who see it may remember his help and victory?