I am sitting in the dust, a mixture of sand, manure and who knows what else, looking up into the faces of two surprised little boys. Their wide eyes soon show a spark of mischievousness as they begin to yank on the Frisbee that they had been fighting over in the first place. They are laughing at the situation, at the red-headed, adult gringa sitting in the dirt and playing tug of war with them. My arms are coated in dust, my feet and ankles a whole new shade of dirty brown and I am having a blast. This is where I get to be Jesus to people. I may not be able to tell the little boy in the baseball uniform that Jesus loves him, that it is Jesus that has given him the influence he has over the other boys, but I can be willing to step into his life, playing a game that I am terrible at and joining in the laughter at jokes that I don’t really understand because these boys are worth that and so much more. They are made uniquely in the image of God and are loved so much by their Heavenly Father that He sent his only son to die for each and every one of them.
We have spent the past several days going from village to village, standing in the backs of pickup trucks as we fly down highways and dirt roads. We have become pros at dodging vines and branches when we scoot down the backroads (It took losing a couple chunks from my fingers to learn that lesson real quick). In each village we usually spend an hour going house to house and evangelizing, praying over the families, sharing words with them, praying for healing and sharing the love of God with as many people as possible. We have been super blessed with some amazing translators for these times which has made this time more impactful for the people we are meeting. People have been receiving Jesus as their Savior and deciding to follow Him for the rest of their lives! Along with evangelizing, we usually invite all the children we see to come play Futbol with us. I wish I could say that I was acquiring mad soccer skills, but alas, that is not the case.
Please be praying for soft, open hearts in the people that we speak to. Pray that they will be seeking a relationship with Jesus over a religion and that there will be men and women willing to disciple new believers. Pray that the children we play with, hold and comfort will feel the love of Jesus and know that it is Jesus, not us that they are experiencing. Finally, pray for our squad that we will daily grow deeper in knowing the Father’s love for us and that this will spill over into one another’s lives and the lives of the people that we encounter!
Life Updates
I laughed when: I found myself sitting in the dirt with two squadmates, chewing on sugar cane from the field next door and cracking jokes. It was a much needed time of lightheartedness!
I cried when: The men on our squad washed our feet and served us cake for Valentine’s day. Jesus spoke really sweetly to me through that action. He loves us so very much.
I worshipped when: One of our trucks broke down on the way back home and we slowly crept down the highway towing the broken vehicle behind us. It was a clear night, the sky blanketed in stars and I just felt the Holy Spirit moving. It was awesome!
