Sometimes when we have months that we aren’t doing much, I
start to feel comfortable. I begin to think nothing will surprise me, nothing
will open my eyes. And as soon as that thinking starts, God throws something in
my path that does all of that and more. This month we have had a pretty free
and open schedule. We go house to house and invite people to church (and
English lessons for children) in a predominately Muslim neighborhood. It can be
exhausting. Our responses are one extreme or the other-people are either very
welcoming and kind, or they don’t want anything to do with us. In our free time
we started going to a park to spend time with the people there and offer
English classes for anyone who wants them.
Our first day at our park, we met a family who we began to
get to know. They have three young boys, a couple, and the grandmother living together. They
were very interested in learning English and getting to know us. Yesterday,
when we returned to the park for a picnic and team time(consisting of PB&J, honey, tuna, salad, and oreos), they were there. Allie and I sat
with the grandmother for a while and talked. She asked us to pray for her, so of course we did. She sat holding our hands for the longest time. This woman has more joy than I have ever seen
in a person. It was beautiful.
When we were all about to leave, she invited us to her
house. Our team went over and we were blown away by their hospitality and love.
We went in and sat on the floor. This family didn’t have any chairs or tables,
but we all sat on a bamboo rug on the floor together. They proceeded to find
anything they could offer us-baked goods of some sort, a small bag of peanuts,
some sort of chips, a drink that tasted like pink lemonade. They offered us
everything they had. Their kindness was overwhelming. We talked with them and
fellowshipped with them for a while.
The grandmother told us about her hip problems that she
suffered from. We gathered around her to pray for healing. After we prayed we
asked her if she felt different-if she could move better. She danced around the
living room for several minutes. It was the most joyful and beautiful thing I
have ever witnessed.
I’ll remember that night for a while. I’ll remember her joy
and love. I’ll remember the look on her face when we sang a worship song
together. When I think of joy and faith, I’ll think of her.
