Easter Potatoes

I want to tell you a few more things about our trip into Silimo.  Easter Sunday we were able to hike over boulders, across bridges, through mud and water, up hills, and into swampy grass to get to church.  It was quite the adventure.  I took a picture of our feet when we got there-what a mess.  But you know, we fit right in like that.  I was remembering when I was a little girl, my parents always bought my sister and me a new Easter dress, and hat, and nice white shoes and tights.  We would try real hard to keep it all clean until it was time to go to church.  What a contrast from this Easter!  On the way back from church I even fell into a mud puddle…hahahahaha.  It is good for me!  Things like this loosen me up.

Sitting in church I was dirty, and stinky, and sweaty but they didn’t care.  And that stuff doesn’t matter to God either.  He looks at what is inside.  My heart.  Clean, or dirty, black, white-He loves us all the same.  When it came time for the offering, many of the villagers brought potatoes from their garden because they did not have any money.  They wanted to give the best of what they had, or all that they had, even if it was potatoes.  How cool is that?  We aren’t earning God’s love, or a “good” place in Heaven by giving more money, or looking the best, or the number of our good deeds.  We are loved completely exactly as we are.  There is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less than He does now.  I saw such a genuine love for God at that church. Those that gave potatoes were not embarrassed that they had to give potatoes.  They were excited that they had something good to give.  I want to be like that.  I want to be thrilled that I have something to offer to God, and not compare it to what other people have to give.