For the last 2 days of the month my squad, Y squad, stayed in a hostal in downtown La Paz. It was a good time of catching up with people we haven’t seen all month and also resting and preparing for Peru. On Sunday some of us went to the grocery store to get food for travel day. It was a good walk back to the hostel but I love walking so I decided to walk back with my teammate, Ana, while others ended up taking a taxi back.
As we were walking we were talking about how in previous Adventures in Missions (AIM) trips we felt like there was more emphasis on the Holy Spirit and letting Him be our guide. We both were talking about desiring the Lord being our guide and ending up in places where we didn’t even mean to go. We were talking about divine encounters set up by the Lord. Out loud we said, “God, how do we make this happen?! What do we need to do for this to happen??” As we were talking about this, I asked out loud if the place we were looked familiar to Ana and she said yeah this has to be the right way. We continued and ended up at a plaza which we definitely did not pass on the way to the grocery store. We looked at each other and then I said, “Well….alright let’s go to the park and the least we can do is just pray over the park and the people that are there.”
Here’s the next sequence of events on what went down:
– Went to the Center of the park
– A lady came by with fruit cups and was friendly and asked if we wanted some.
-We said no thank you and Ana asked “Do you think that water’s safe?”
– Then we looked at each other and thought it looked really good.
– Ana went to her to ask how much and paid 5 bolivianos (less than a dollar) for the cup
– Ana bought a cup and asked her name
– The lady asked her where she was from so I went over to her to talk more
– We ended up telling her we were working at a Drug and Alcohol Rehab center
– She was really interested and asked more about it and if it was Christian because she knows some people it would really help
– We said yes and asked if she was Christian
– She said yeah and in fact she was going to church soon just down the street at 4 p.m.
– She invited us and we looked at each other and couldn’t help but say sure why not?!
-She also mentioned that the she boils the water in the fruit cups and that it’s safe. Ha.
– While we were walking down the street we realized God was totally doing exactly what we had been talking about and leading our feet where He wanted us to be without us even meaning to do it!
-We realized we accidentally went one street over and not 2 (what we were supposed to do to get back to the hostel) However, we were both so sure that we were on the right street.
-We got to the church and it was small but the people were so friendly and the message was on how we want a faith of obedience and that step by step we would listen to the Lord by faith.
The lady then talked about things that kill our faith such as being angry, not faithful, judging people and not forgiving as some examples
Then talked about ways that help our faith, like pray and read the Bible, give testimony, evangelize, forgive, serve and how if we don’t do these things our faith begins to get smaller
She also talked about having a calling of working with teenage boys who are addicts (This past month in Bolivia God has been directing me of the possibility of doing this kind of work long-term so that was crazy she said that!)
Also I found out the lady who sold us the fruit at the plaza has a teenage son that needs a drug and alcohol rehab center but she wanted a Christian one and so God brought us to her to give her contact info of the rehab center we were working at all month.
To top it all off I found out the lady giving the sermon (on the right in the photo) is Colombian so we were able to talk about Colombian food, culture, and the language. It made my heart so happy! Also, there was another girl there who was our age and SO nice! We traded contact info and hopefully will keep in touch. The lady asked when we were leaving because she wanted to invite us over to make Arepas and Patacones. Unfortunately, we left the next day! But she said if I’m ever back in Bolivia to contact her!
I totally believe God led Ana and I to that church and showed us that He will do it, we just need to be willing. So far on the race we’ve been hesitant with situations like this and also haven’t had many opportunities either because we’ve been focused on our ministry we’re at.
What about you? Are you holding back?? Is God calling you to do something but you just plan on putting it off until tomorrow?? Don’t hold back and do it today! It may be talking with someone about an argument you had, maybe God’s telling you to call up an old friend and catch up and see how they’re doing, maybe he just wants you to be willing to just get up and start walking and be open to where He’s going to take you!
Don’t hesitate, get up, and GO!
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“Spirit LEAD ME where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith would be made stronger in the presence of my Savior.”
