Hillary is a young 14-year-old girl from Palacagüina, Nicaragua. I first met her a few weeks ago at a youth service the Joy Bombs helped organize. I complimented her earrings and we bonded. Later that night, she took them off and gifted them to me. I was touched, I thanked her, and I told her my birthday was coming up and that it was like she was giving me an early birthday present.
I didn’t know it at the time, but me mentioning my birthday got her thinking about ways to surprise me. She got the rest of the church youth involved and organized the beautiful surprise party that was waiting for me the night of my birthday as my team and I got back from an adventure-filled day. I found out later that the mastermind behind the whole surprise was Hillary. I felt so loved.
A week ago, on our last Sunday in Palacagüina, we had an evening street service, which means we blocked out a road and basically had church on the street. Hillary and I sat down together and started talking, and after a few seconds we were suddenly talking about how she came to know Christ. It was recent –eight months ago– but she is so full of light that I thought she had been a believer her whole life. As she was mentioning a few of the things she struggled with before knowing Jesus, I felt a tug at my heart. It was one of those tugs that you cannot ignore… You know, a Holy Spirit tug.
Worship started and Hillary and I put our conversation on pause, but the tug at my heart got stronger. I started thinking how in all the time we had been in Palacagüina, and in all the public speaking and live translating I had done in front of the congregation, I had not yet shared my testimony. Our host church usually leaves a time for testimonies, and I knew that I had to go up there and speak. I was terrified and had one of those stomach-twisting moments in my seat while worship was going on, because I don’t like talking about my struggles in front of people. But God reminded me in that moment of prayer that my testimony is not about me –it’s about Him. I asked God to guide my words, and when worship was over and the pastor invited volunteers to come and share their testimony, I was up and out of my seat before he could even finish his sentence.
I went up there and shared. When I got back to my seat, Hillary was quiet. After a few minutes, she turned to me. She opened up and told me she could relate to so many of the things I had talked about, and she shared more hard stories with me. She told me how beautiful it was to hear how God has worked in my life. I reminded her that she is not alone, I encouraged her, and I told her over and over again that she has a purpose.
I find it ironic that God told me to go up and speak while Hillary was sharing her own story, and that maybe the one person who needed to hear mine was Hillary herself. God works in mysterious ways, but they are wonderful ways. Part of what I shared when I told my testimony was how God uses every experience in our life for His glory. He has a purpose for everything we go through, even if that purpose is simply to touch another life.
That Sunday night, I was obedient to His call, and I went up to the microphone I had spoken into countless times before, but this time I shared a story that the girl sitting right besides me really needed to hear.
We all are right where we’re supposed to be, and I am indescribably grateful for that.
Please pray for my funds!! I need your prayer more than anything!! If you feel called to financially support me so I can continue on the World Race through November, please click HERE for online donations, or send a check payable to “Adventures In Missions,” to Adventures In Missions, PO Box 742570, Atlanta GA 30374 (be sure to write Appealed by StewartRaquel on the memo line so it gets credited to my account!!). My third financial deadline is TWO DAYS away and I am still $2,400 short; I really need your help and prayer!!
