Our final month on the race is here in Spain. The first 10 days we are staying 30 minutes outside of Barcelona city in a 3 story villa that is 300 years old. We will continue on to the Camino trail walking 130 miles for another 10 days. Last but not least, wrapping up our crazy journey of the last 11 months in Mijas.
For 10 months straight ministry has been given to us by a host. We partner with projects, churches, and anything they need for that time while we are there and dive right in.
Not this month.
I like to call this month “real life”. We we arrive back in the states, in 34 different cities, doing 34 different things all over the world, chances are no one is going to tell us to go do ministry 9-4. We will adapt to doing life on mission. Life is our ministry.
And this is exactly what this month is. Coming together in unity making ministry. Prayer walks, worship nights, sports in the park, handing out sandwiches to the homeless, you name it M squad is doing it.
Ownership and Activation sums up who M squad is when it comes to doing life on mission. Ownership has been spoken over us since the begining by leadership. If we owned the gifts and talents the Lord has blessed us with we could really change the world. We’ve taken that to heart and are living by that this month. With ownership comes activation. If you want to do something, don’t just say it, but walk in it.
“Do the dang thing!” is M squad’s motto. And boy do we live by that.
Since being in Spain, the Lord has been pushing me to own something, I just hadn’t figured out what that something was.
Until day 2 here in Barcelona.
We headed into the city to explore. I had planned to prayer walk around the (insert church) while the rest went inside.
God had other plans.
The church was sold out of tickets so we decided to just walk around the city. As the day was coming to an end, Walker and I passed this homeless woman on the streets.
Dreaded hair, a lock in her ear, scratches on her face, scars on her wrist, and two dogs as company. She had a sign that read “broke and hungry, trying to go home.”
I saw her and knew I needed to turn around to talk to her. I ignored it. A few minutes later Walker and I went back the other direction and had passed her again. I kept walking. I knew this feeling. It was the Holy Spirit nudging me. This feeling was all too familiar to me. We kept walking. But then suddenly I stopped and told Walker we needed to turn around to talk to her.
As we were heading back the only thing I kept hearing was “story.” I knew she had a story and the Lord wanted me to hear it.
We walked over, introduced ourselves and began talking with her. We sat down on the sidewalk and embraced her as any other person. Normal.
Hannah’s Story pt 1:
Hannah, hard around the edges, with a soft heart left home at the beginning of the new year. When she made it to Spain, all of her things including her passport had gotten stolen. She was able to raise enough money to get a new passport but was still stuck on the streets. Now it took no genus to know she got caught up in drugs along the way because of the scratches on her face and arms.
We asked her how we could help, food, money, or water. She had said the only thing needed was contacts; the contacts she had she had been wearing for far too long and couldn’t see out of them anymore. Part of me got discouraged because I couldn’t help her, in that moment I honestly felt helpless. But I knew that there was something we could still do and that was pray. Walker and I prayed for her then we went on her way.
We met up with Amy and Allie and told them about Hannah. Allie asked if we could go back and get her eye prescription because Allies contacts might be a match. So we ran down there before getting picked up and found Hannah again to ask about her eyes.
Heres the crazy part!!
When Allie I went back and started talking to Hannah, a girl from Germany came over, sat down and started talking to me, Allie and Hannah. She had told Hannah that she was going to stop and talk to her the day before but wasn’t able to. Talk about the Holy Spirit!
Towards the end of the conversation the girl from Germany continued to talk with Hannah and we got her prescription for the contacts.
Wednesday afternoon before heading out I had the idea of making sandwiches for the homeless. God has revealed time after time again that is a passion I have. Helping the homeless. Making the sandwiches for the homeless was what I decide to own this week in Barcelona. A few of us headed out to the city and there she was. Hannah!! And guess what? Allie’s contacts matched!!!
Thank you Jesus!
We got to sit down with Hannah while she tried the contacts and gave her a couple sandwiches and got to snuggle with her dogs.
Hannah’s Story pt 2:
As we got another opportunity to see her, we listened to more of her story. Her dad didn’t want her, and her grandma would be ashamed of knowing the things Hannah had done in the time of living on the streets. Hopeless is what she seemed. But all at the same time filled with some sort of hope of wanting to see her mom again.
Andy and Allie shared some of their stories of how they met Christ and we ended our time with her once again through prayer.
The day continued on just exploring with friends and when we saw a homeless person we felt led to talk to we handed out sandwiches.
I love how the Holy Spirit can just interrupt our days and plans and we can move with him making life our ministry.
Life is a mission. Find the need and fill it, find the hurt and heal it. Make the most of every opportunity the Lord gives you. Make friends with people like Hannah. Let life be guided with the Lord because you never know what he has in store in for you.
