From April 26, 2024, to May 11, 2024, I went to Malawi, Africa, to teach at a Bible college and preach at a pastor's conference. On the mission trip, God burdened me with a sermon about being content, which I preached when I arrived home.

Table of contentsThinking About Those with Less Should Help Us Being ContentComplaining in the Book of NumbersWealth in the United StatesWealth Doesn’t Produce ContentmentBeing Content Isn't Easier in a Large, Fancy HouseDiscouraged for the People in MalawiSolomon: A Rich Man with CredibilityWe Often Think We Need MorePossessions Can Cause ProblemsBeing Content Through ChristBeing Content Because the Lord Said, "I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You"Footnotes

https://youtu.be/IQ0xjm91z5k
God burdened me with a sermon about being content during a mission trip to Malawi to speak at a Bible college and pastor's conference.

This video will give you an idea of the poverty in Africa:

https://youtu.be/cG5PgCh-yiI
The poverty driving in Malawi, Africa

Mike is our Malawian driver who works at the nursery. Andy asked him if the mouse on a stick was in season. That’s one of the common things people eat during certain times of the year.

A little background: There were two teams when we took the trip to Africa. I was on the teaching team with Andy Langdon, Andy’s Pastor, Mark Hoeffner, and Eddie Brzezinski, who had accompanied them on many trips before. Andrew shared in Sunday school about the other team traveling during the day to evangelize and visit people’s houses.

For my team, we spent the first week, Monday through Friday, teaching at the Sola Scriptura Bible College, about an hour away. I spoke two hours away the second week at a pastor's conference. Here is a video of the Bible college:

https://youtu.be/aHuBqx9YMPg
Sola Scriptura Bible College in Malawi, Africa

Thinking About Those with Less Should Help Us Being Content

The morning Johnny and I left for Africa, the kids cooked on the stove. One left a can of Pam cooking spray on a hot burner. The can exploded. The bottom shot out and destroyed the burner, and the can shot up into the microwave and destroyed it, too.

Shards of glass and metal flew out as far as the dining area, so we did two things. First, we prayed and thanked God that nobody was injured. Second, we had a physics lesson about gases expanding when they heat up.

I began a claim and left for the airport. When I got to Malawi, I started getting messages from my insurance company that they couldn’t reach me. I would email them back in the evening, but they said they needed to talk to me on the phone. I couldn’t get the claim moving, so Katie couldn’t get a new microwave or stove. I apologized to Katie because I knew this was inconvenient. I sent lots of photos to Katie, and here’s one of them:

These wonderful women volunteered to cook our lunch at the Bible college each day. When I apologized to Katie that she had to cook without a microwave and stove, she wrote back, “I won’t be complaining after seeing those women cooking over an open fire.” I hope that’s what these sermons do.

I will be transparent with you about something that has happened to me. When I first came back from Malawi, guess how I felt? I was super content. I was super grateful for our house, stores, water, Wi-Fi, electricity, and roads that don’t make me feel like I’m throwing out my back while driving on them. But then, over time, I’m no longer grateful. It is human nature to gradually forget our blessings and take things for granted gradually.

Complaining in the Book of Numbers

Think about the location of the Book of Numbers. Numbers was originally called “The Book of Murmurings,” you know why if you’ve ever read it. It is about the Israelites complaining in the wilderness. The location of this book is so shocking because it is one month after Israel was delivered from Egypt, when you think they would be super thankful for all God had done for them.