Its month 10 and a lot of the spectacular things I expected to see on the race have not happened…until now.
Entering the race I had seen miracles happen, mostly concerning healing. I had seen people in wheelchairs get up and walk. I had seen people throw away their glasses after an encounter with the healing touch of Jesus. I had even been the person praying for those people many times and had experienced healing in my shoulders as a result of prayer. Up until 2 days ago I hadn’t seen one person healed or any miracles on the race, for that matter.
The last two days my teammates and I have been stopped by locals curious to meet the new gringos on the block. Both of these conversations ended with us praying for healing for the individual and both times they have received the healing we prayed for.
These are the miracles I have been looking for! But this time it is sweeter than in times past. This time I can say that I truly care for and love these people. There is no hidden agenda to make myself look great and to be able to tell cool stories to my friends and family. It is simply seeing peoples needs and loving them enough to stop, talk and pray for them.
In the book “Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship”, Jack Frost talks about the need for an intimacy with God in our lives before we get so focused on ministry.
The Great Commandment to love God and love others is a call to intimacy; the Great Commission to go and make disciples is a call to fruitfulness. Intimacy is to precede fruitfulness. The Great Commandment must precede the Great Commission and is an inseparable part of it. When intimacy does not precede fruitfulness, we easily become subject to our own mission and become focused upon religious duty, hyper-religious activity, and aggressive striving that leaves an angry edge in our life and relationships.
I believe that a large part of this year has been myself finding an intimacy with God that impacts the way I love others. This is more valuable than any amount of miracles I could have asked for. I believe this is the kind of love the Apostle Paul talks about when he says:
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
For parts of the year I have worried about what I am going to tell supporters what I did during this year when I get back. I have worried that if I didn’t come back home with a long list of incredible stories and miracles that people would no longer support me. But I realize that God had something much bigger in mind for this year.
What if the great thing I (God) wanted to do this year was to call you closer to Me? I called you here to get YOU! And every second of this year is worth it! I love you!! You are my son. You are the one I am well pleased with.
-Excerpt from my journal on April 6, 2016
This has been the most incredible year of my life and I still have a month and a half left! Gods love is continuing to change the way I think, speak and act. His love is simply amazing and I cant wait to give that love away to every person I meet.
Thank you so much to every single one of my supporters!! You have no idea the impact this year has had on my life and those we have met so far. Every single prayer and penny has helped spread God’s love and will continue to do so in bigger ways in the future! Thank you!!
