Hello from Montenegro! Sorry I have not done a great job of bogging and keeping in touch but we have had a great month. We are sent out by the church everyday to find people and make friends in hopes that they will come to church. Basically I just get to make friends and what’s not to love about that.
While out and about at coffee shops, parks, bars I started to realize that there was something wrong with my heart. I basically felt like something wasn’t right that I couldn’t name. It wasn’t until me and a teammate were at a coffee shop that I finally realized what was hitting me. As me and my teammate Scott were doing coffee shop ministry as we call it (going to a coffee shop meeting the people and silently praying for those in the shop) two sweet gypsy boys came around begging for money. In actuality they were yelling at us to give them money but that’s all they had been taught. I didn’t have money to give but I did have time. I started asking basic questions: what’s you name? How old are you? You know, the common ones. All of a sudden from the other side of the shop the storeowner comes running after the kids to chase them off. And I get it that the owner wants to make his customers to feel welcome and unbothered but I was the one engaging with them. I should have been the one to be run off because I was the one that was bringing them in. I was sad that I didn’t get to have a more significant conversation with them before the disappeared. But as I look around there are stray dogs laying around waiting for scraps to fall and isn’t that the same thing those children were doing? Why is it that we let animals “bother” us and give in to those cute little faces (I’m most guilty of this) but when it comes to a human being we simply wave them off? You can ask any of my teammates, I’m the first one to go for the stray cat or dog and tell it how pretty it is and talk to it like it’s my baby. Even as a kid I would try to bring home all the animals and give them homes. My dad always said no but that never stopped me from trying. But as I reflected on this I began to realize how many times I have ignored or simply said no and didn’t even listen to a story that a homeless person or beggar was trying to tell me. Why is it so easy for me to love something furry and give it things while ignoring the human who is made in the image of the God that I serve? I have tried to make it a priority to always smile and look at the homeless person or beggar after reading the book Under the Overpass, but I rarely stop and tell them how beautiful they are and how loved they are. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever said that. A few weeks ago, we had a gypsy women come to the fence of the church and ask for clothes. At least I think that’s what she wanted. Language is always a barrier. I wish I had the ability to communicate with everyone. In this moment I said the thing that I always say. I’m really sorry, I don’t really have anything to give you. Which I’m sure she didn’t understand but I smiled and waved goodbye. As soon as I stepped back into the church I got hit with the Holy Spirit. I immediately regretted what I had just told her. I felt God looking at me like really? You don’t have anything? You have money to get something if you need to replace it but you have a backpack full of clothes. UGH! He was right and I was selfish. Some might look at me and my fellow racers and say “wow, you gave up so much this year. I can’t imagine just living out of a backpack with that little” Let me tell you people, I have way more in that backpack that most people have in this world. The lord convicted me of this fact and that I needed to work on my ability to think of others more. The next week as we were getting ready for church, another gypsy lady came to the gate asking if we had anything old that we would be willing to give. As a side note, Montenegro is COLD! The first week my team and I went on a little shopping trip to buy warmer clothes. Back to the story, I basically jumped off the floor. I was not about to get that same feeling of regret. So I ran into my camper and grabbed my jacket. It served me well this month and it would never fit in my pack so why not give it to someone who lives here and needs it. And I’m not saying this to make me sound grand in any way. I’m simply saying it because I was super convicted and want to share with you what I am learning. She accepted the gift and told us her kids will be the ones to use it. After I had given it away some of my teammates were a little confused and honestly they had that right. The coat was new, I used it often and would have probably used it next month as well but I basically shoved it at the lady. That’s what the holy spirit does sometimes. It make you do things that others will question. It’s like in Harry potter (I love Harry Potter) when he take the luck serum to figure out the memory the Professor Slughorn has. He drinks it and does things that he doesn’t know why but only knows he has a good feeling about it. The Spirit is just like that. Sometimes you end up doing things only because you had a good feeling about it and BOOM! Something awesome comes out of it.
In Matthew 25:36 it tells us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and love people. That saying is even on a worldrace shirt and here I was not living it out to the best of my ability. That first time when I had the opportunity and didn’t take it, I regretted it. And I feel like the Lord wanted to teach me this lesson, it just took me feeling regret before I realized that the little tug in me was the Holy Spirit telling me to live out Matthew 25:26. This is just one example though and there is still so much for me to learn and discover on how to help but just at a loss of how to actually help. But I want to encourage you all that a simple smile or wave goes far in communicating that they are worth it and that they are loved. Next time you see a stray puppy and your heart goes out to them think of the people that are strays that we easily overlook. It’ll make you want to do something and I think we should. I have no idea what that might actually be but let the Holy Spirit lead and you’ll be doing things that are crazy with an awesome testimony.
Also, I just wanted to inform everyone that I am FULLY FUNDED! WOOO!!! Thank you to everyone who has donated and made this incredible trip happen. I cannot express how grateful I am to you for supporting me. You are all incredibly beautiful people and I am thankful I get to call you friends and family. If you are Monthly donors you will need to go in and stop the automatic donations. They will not stop now that my account is full, they will go into the worldrace account. So be sure to stop that unless you want to donate to AIM!
