My team has been so blessed in the last three months with absolutely incredible contacts, and two of them were not ‘technically’ supposed to be our contacts. God works in unseen ways that just leave us speechless sometimes. I’d like to share these blessings with you.
Oscar and Jackie in El Salvador were our first experience. Oscar took us into his home that he shares with his newlywed wife of 2 months, while our ‘contact’ was out of the country. He communicated with us, joked with us, gave us opportunity after opportunity to grow in SO many different ministries, and never showed us when he was worn out, tired, or annoyed. They opened their home up to us. Jackie, who didn’t like cooking, began cooking for 7 of us, every day. She’s a year younger than me, taking care of 7 people her age. She was a God-send, for sure. Juggling school, finals, cleaning the house, and spending time with us, she never complained. Neither of them did. Oscar several times was up early to get us a car, or out late returning it, always on the phone setting up some new opportunity for us. We were later told that him and Jackie would like to continue to host missionaries in El Salvador, and that they have felt a strong calling in that area. It is an intense honor to think that our group was a part of that calling.
Tony in Honduras. A grown man who felt a calling on his life to make a difference in Honduras, and has abandoned everything else in pursuit of what he knows God has called him to. He understands that the kind of ministry that God has called us to, and especially him, is not a couple hours a week ministry, but an hourly, daily, weekly, in and out investing in lives. He followed God’s calling to reach out to Lillian’s family, and has not stopped devoting all of his time and resources into seeing that family come to know God on a personal level. It’s amazing to see someone so sold out for what God has called them to that it’s all they think about, pray about and focus on. Tony continues to follow the vision God has cast for him, and desperately wants to continue hosting World Race teams to help him achieve the goal.
Pastor Jose Moran in Guabito, Panama. He and his wife opened their home to us for the month. But not only to us, but to 3 World Race teams. That’s 21 people in and out of their home every day, not to mention that they only have one bathroom. We are completely invading their privacy and their lives for the month, but you would NEVER be able to tell that looking at them. He arranges taxi’s, serves our meals, and takes care of everything unseen around the house so that we’re not living in a pigsty (chicken coop, however, is another story). He has also followed a vision God has given him, and we have been able to see it become fruitful (also another story, soon to come). He has a contagious joy. You cannot be around him and not smile at how absolutely adorable he is. He comes to the worksite in his dress pants and collared shirt and works just as hard as everyone else. Perfectly, Pastor Moran has also decided that he would like to host more mission groups, World Race and otherwise. I can’t help but think that God is doing something crazy through our team setting up future mission opportunities.
All of these people have had such a huge impact, in how they do ministry, in how they love, in how they follow God, in how they have mastered the art of self-sacrifice.
