Lately, I have been asking, “What is the purpose?” What is mine?
11 countries, 11 months, and many times that I leave a piece of my heart to the people I meet. Yet, for almost a yearlong trip, the time in every country seem so short. Where every “hi” feels like a “goodbye.” Where every person I meet seems to vanish now in my memory.
What is the purpose that I am on this race? A few hours of ministry here and there seemed like it won’t even make a difference. Talking to one person here and there, can it actually make a difference? Prayer walks amidst the Hindu temples was too overwhelming. Meeting two people trying to represent Shiva, a Hindu “god” was scary; do I have power against them?
Where is God in these temples? In the slums, in the whorehouse? What about during the earthquake? How about now that Nepal is having a gas crisis? Even when many students in Kenya got murdered? Even recently with the Paris attacks? Where was God?
He answered with a vision of Him walking through the Hindu temples.
“My son, I am everywhere. You saw me walking in the Hindu temples, beckoning my sons and daughters back to their Heavenly Father. You know I am suffering with the people of Nepal. You know I was in Kenya and in Paris. You know I will always be here, and I will always be with you wherever you go.”
Still, I began to ask what is my purpose? Where do I fit in the grand scheme of things? Amidst the chaos and hatred of the world, what is my role? What can a broken man with a crap of a past do to help a better future?
He answered with a vision of a drop of water creating a ripple.
Our ministry for that day is going to the slums and teaching the kids. Our travel spanned a little more than 30 minutes, so I had time to think. As I began to ponder what exactly this ripple even means, creating a blog in my head that I really did not even believed in, he clarified with a boy that I met in the slums of Nepal. His name is Raju, a 13-year old boy.
When we got to the slums, it was already about 4. Raju just got home from work. Yes, work, not school, not the park playing, not even to visit relatives. He was at work. After work, he would go to the school in the slums, which is where I would see him again. We played games with them, taught them different basic things. We taught them about the continents. Raju asked for help, because English is a hard language to learn, so spelling words can be difficult. That’s when I said the letters out loud as he writes them down on his notebook.
A F R I C A…
A S I A…
E U R O P E…
And we went on with the others until he is finished writing them down. After that he asked me to draw the continents, so I did. As I drew, I can see him smile bigger and bigger. After I finished the drawing, he labeled each continent. Then showed everyone in the class after that. A smile. A ripple.
Drop by drop, ripple after ripple. Raju wants to provide for his family and to have a better life. I finally understood. As WorldRacers, it may seem like we should have it all together. We even put pressure on ourselves to do something grand, amazing and adventurous. When really, all we needed to do is go and to obey. Because no matter how big or how small a water droplet is, it creates a ripple.
God calls. Our purpose is to obey His commands for us, even though it may be hard at times. To obey, knowing that God will work through us. To obey knowing that it will create a ripple, because my God is powerful enough to work through my crap.
Where is God calling you to go?
Raju’s smile is one of many ripples I have seen in this WorldRace. Each one playing a part into the organized chaos in my head piecing together the fact that God lives. Will you help me create more ripples, to see more smiles, to bring God’s light into the world? I still need about $4,000 to be fully funded. Please consider donating, even $5 will go a long way.
