It’s always a creative difficulty loving people without knowing their language. It’s awesome how God uses non-verbal communication just as much as he uses verbal. The power of a smile, a warm embrace or a simple “Hola!” go a long way.
It’s also amazing how open people are to prayer. The hardest hearted person, random people on the street or those in our lives that have been content often are open to prayer. While in Peru it has been awesome to see how God is opening my life to a boldness of praying for others. My mind has been blown as God hears those prayers and has been divinely answering them. God has been hearing the prayers of F SQUAD and specifically TEAM SOZO and has been penetrating the darkness. I am anticipating that in the future we will see people healed before our own very eyes. I am declaring that we will see people set free in the name of Jesus. I even have the faith to see people physically raised to life.
Earlier this week we woke up early and took a bus to a local men’s prison. Outside the prison walls waiting to see their husbands, children and loved one’s were hundreds of woman. They lined up with yellow plastic bags of goods to take into the prison for those they loved. To get into the prison these woman have to be stripped and cavity searched before they may enter. Their eyes are filled with hurt and hopelessness. As they waited to get into the prison to visit we did some dances, skits and human videos. Pastor Solomon got up and gave a heart felt call for those that needed Jesus to ask him to have a relationship with them. He then asked if anyone needed prayer to raise their hands and that our team would come to them in line and pray for them. I looked around as hundreds of hands went up. I asked God which direction I should go. Somehow I ended up in the middle of the crowd where I felt Holy Spirit was asking me to go and there was a woman whose face was hardened with life but her eyes were longing for more of God. I looked around for a translator but none was found in that moment. I asked her name in very broken Spanish and told her mine. Her name was Sophia. I put my hands on her shoulders, closed my eyes and began to pray. As I prayed I felt Gods presence fall over us. I spoke over her life that chains would be broken and that she would receive His full freedom. I prayed that she would experience God in a new way. I declared that those people she was visiting in the prison would experience Jesus and his freedom. I asked Jesus to do a new work in their lives and that the story that once was filled with pain would become a testimony of God’s glory for His kingdom. She cried. I hugged this small Peruvian lady for a long time. I gave her a flyer to go to Pastor Solomon’s church, “EL YO SOY” and went to pray for some other ladies.
As I left her side I wasn’t sure what God had done but knew that He was working. Even though we didn’t speak the same language I knew that Holy Spirit was working in her life. I prayed that I would see her again, that she would come to the service. I prayed that God would continue the work He was doing in her life.
Later in the week we went to “El YO SOY” for the event that the church was putting on for the community. The kids sang songs and did skits. Our team got up and did dances and skits. One of our squad members gave an amazing message and then Pastor Solomon got up and asked if anyone had received a flyer. He had people come up that had received from the market. People started piling to the front of the room. Then He asked if anyone had received a flyer from the prison to come up to the front of the room. There was SOPHIA! My heart skipped and joy began to fill my heart. As she passed by me I grabbed her arm and with a huge smile on my face said, “SOPHIA!” Pastor Solomon had us come and pray for the people who had answered the invite. I promptly went to pray for Sophia. I gave her a HUGE HUG and we began to pray. This time one of our squad mates that speaks Spanish accompanied me. We asked what we could pray for her about. Sophia said she needed prayer for her husband and her son. We prayed freedom for them. We asked that God would break off the working of the enemy. We asked that Sophia’s heart would be healed and that she would feel the peace of Jesus. We wept and held each other once again.
She came this past Wednesday hugged my neck and let me know that she had told her husband that was in prison about what Jesus had done in her life. She then lead her husband in praying that Jesus would come into his life. She now is going to be working with Pastor Solomon in reaching the people that are in the prison with the love of Jesus!
It is beautiful that love transpires language. Even though we did not speak the same language that God was able to move. I believe that God is going to continue to move and do amazing things in Sophia’s life. I don’t think it was happen chance that my story collided with Sophia’s story. I am excited to see the impossibilities that God moves in Sophia’s life.
1 Corinthians 13:1-10 is known for presenting a message of Love. (Go and check it out!)
Love goes beyond language. Even though Sophia and I couldn’t communicate in the beginning, I know she felt love. She felt my physical hug and love through our interaction but most of all she felt the love of God. My prayer for Sophia is that she will continue to feel God’s love and know him in a more personal way.
Who in your life needs to see God’s love through you? God is waiting to use your life to show someone His love. I encourage you today to step out and show His love. It might be a stranger, an acquaintance or maybe one of your own family members (sometimes those are the hardest to show love to.) Either way God is calling us to go beyond our own limits and show His love.
Sending love from Peru,
<3
Ash
#TeamAsh
PS If you would like to know more about the ministry we are working with called Savage ministries check it out at this website:
www.savageministries.com
