Epic Family,
Our Worship Pastor Seth Condrey has written a 5-part devotional series based on the lyrics from his new song, "Great Hope, Great God." I'm excited for him to share the final edition with you today.

Much Love,
Pastor Ben“Turning the ashes to beauty”

“...and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:3

In 2019, my family and I were able to take an unforgettable trip to Eswatini, Africa to serve with Heart For Africa, an incredible ministry  led by Janine and Ian Maxwell (https://heartforafrica.org) There are over 200 orphaned children that now call Project Canaan their home and are receiving education and spiritual guidance. They are becoming the future leaders of their country, and the world. Being with them is life changing.

On this particular trip, some fierce wild fires broke out. From a helpless distance, we watched as the mountain where Canaan sits began to glow brighter and brighter with raging flames. All the children were evacuated, and over the course of 3 days, the fires tore through Project Canaan. It was devastating to witness!

Miraculously, the children, the buildings, and the farms were unscathed. The only structure that lay completely in ashes was the chapel - the first structure built on the property.

It’s hard to understand why these things happen, but that weekend we had a worship event planned called Litsemba (which means Hope in Siswati) where the children from Project Canaan, and orphans from all over the area were planning to gather to sing songs to God with thankfulness - in the exact location where the fire had been just a day earlier. We set up a stage in a field, surrounded by the ashes.

We gathered with children, many of whom had been rescued from being abandoned - thrown in the trash. Some burned and left for dead... But on that day, we worshipped and listened to their voices praising God.

We watched as beauty unfolded from the dust. It's hard to describe, but I know that this is what God is doing ALL the time. He is taking seemingly unbearable loss and heartache and making something unspeakably beautiful.  

Piwa, a little 9 year old Swazi girl, closed the worship event with a song. Piwa was burned in a house fire when she was a baby. The skin on her face and body were deteriorated by the flames. It left her horribly disfigured and scared for life. When I met her, I felt heartbroken, but I also immediately felt life and energy radiating from her being. God was with this little one, and the Spirit was alive in her.

Piwa was receiving treatment to repair her face leading up to Litsema. She kept asking if she could sing this Nigerian song, “Nara”. A prominent lyric from the song is “Nara ekele mo” which means, “Take my thanksgiving.” When her caretaker asked her why she wanted to sing this song, her naturally enthusiastic response was “Because God has been good to me!”

What?!?!? I couldn’t believe what I heard. … How was that possible??

“I have been burned, but God has been good to me.”
“I have lost so much, but God has been good to me.”
“People run from me when they see me, but God has been good to me.”
“I don’t know what the future will be, but God has been good to me.”

What if you and I had this kind of faith? What would our future look like if we began to live in this reality - believing that there is nothing that our Father can’t redeem? He is good and beautiful, and He is redeeming everything. He is the one who can and will make ALL THINGS new. He is a great God, and therefore, we have great hope!

- Seth Condrey