At the end of my month spent in Lima, Peru my team had the opportunity to do some Unsung Heroes work. What is Unsung Heroes you ask? Basically, it’s like a treasure hunt. The goal is to find other ministries or people for The World Race to partner with. The trick is how you find these people. Yes, google comes into play quite a bit. But, most of the time your team will spend time in prayer or doing a prayer walk asking the Lord where He would like your team to investigate and pour into.
Through prayer and little bit of time spent on the interweb we found ‘The ONE: Peru ministries’, hosted by a beautiful couple name Elmo and Kathryn Compton. They are in the beginnings of a church plant in Mira Flores, Peru, originally from the States. They have a son named, Elmo 5th, who went by the nickname ‘Cinco’, he quickly became my little buddy for the day.
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I spent the evening clutching a 4- year old’s hand , he went by the name Cinco. The Compton’s were giving us a tour of the beautiful city that they lived in, Mira Flores. I spent the night trying to make sense of Cinco’s rapid-fire 4 year-old speech, playing with his Batman and Spiderman action figures. The many years of playing with my younger brother, Tristan, coming in handy. Bouncing them off every building, wall, and tree we passed, sounds effects included.
Kids just have this magical effect on you. The kind that makes you forget about all other worries and the 38 bug bites that were covering my lower legs (featured in photo below). Instead I was focused on playing eye-spy and trying to view the city through a 4-year old perspective. Everything is grander that way; the way the Lord intended us to view His creation. The world is big and beautiful, and for us to play in.
Cinco, made up this game as we were walking along, I would close my eyes and he would “hide”. Mind you, he was still holding my hand when he “hid” from me, so it was sufficiently adorable. After I had given him the allotted 5 seconds to “hide” I would open my eyes and try and “find him”. The joy and giggles that escaped this child when I “found him” was indescribable.
It reminded me of when we try to run and hide from the Lord. He knows us, through and through, the good and the ugly. He is always there holding our hand, even when we do not want it to be held. When we turn our face from the Lord, He is always there waiting to embrace us. It makes His “joy complete” when we fully embrace the love of Christ. So why do we try and hide from the Lord? When all He wants to do is be the listening ear, the shoulder to cry on, the arms to embrace, whatever you need Him to be, He will be.
“2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
-Philippians 2:1-4 NIV
There is triumphant joy when we walk hand in hand with Christ, like a giggling 4- year old. Sometimes we just need to let ourselves to be children in Christ and crawl up in our Papa’s lap and just be loved, giggle, and filled up, so that we may pour into others. We need to actively seek comfort solely from our Father who freely provides, instead of taking comfort in the things of this world.
He gave us this life and this creation to bring glory to His name. Walking around Mira Flores holding Cinco’s hand is what it took for me to be reminded of that.
Go play in the Lord’s playground. Be filled up. Pour out. Find complete joy. And bring glory to His name in doing so.
