Our home for the month at La Quinta
Well it`s hard to believe that another month on the World Race is finished. We are soon moving onto month 5 already!! Time is going so quickly that soon we will be headed home and be thinking back on all that`s happened. This month has been an interesting month to say the least. I really had to think about how I was going to put it into words and what was I going to write a blog about. I wanted to share how our ministry this month went but also what I learned and what God has taught me once again.
I think this month I had a lot of the “me disease“. I became selfish in many ways and really had to examine myself and my motives. The orphange that we stayed at with 13 youth was good but intense. It was a hard month with many battles and I think alot of the reason was what the youth had brought into this place and maybe what we had brought into it too. These youth had grown up with rejection, abuse and alot of feelings they have to deal with every day. One of the many things that I had to battle was selfishness. This brings me to selfish love. Yes I am selfish and this month realized that I was even selifish with my love. I would receive love from others but kept it to myself. Sure I smiled at the children and gave them hugs when I could, but I kept alot of that love to myself. Hence the “me disease“ caught up with me alot. It was all about me, me and me. I had to do a reality check a few times and remind myself that I am the last person I am here for this month. These youth need my love and so does my team.
I look at these youth and smile. They taught me what it means to live for others. This group of 13 youth every Sunday would pray together in the morning. Then they would all split up and go walk to different areas of the barrios, which is one of the poorest neighbourhoods around. They would go up to the children living there and ask if they wanted to come to Sunday School with them. These children excitededly came and walked with the youth to their meeting place. After getting all the children together (about 30 little ones) they all met in a big group. The youth led them in songs, dances, games, dramas and told a Bible story to them. The young men in this group would love on these children and be that father figure these kids never had, when some of them didn`t have father figures. Not only that but at the end they fed these children and then walked them all home again. Two and a half hours later and they were all still smiling. We participated and watched at the same time. I think I was in awe of what had just happened. These youth don`t have a pastor telling them what to do, they just go and do it. They put into action Matt 25:40 “whatever you did for the least of these brothers you did for me“
A cute girl Eleal at the home
These youth also planned a youth service every Friday afternoon at their home. Their friends came and they would sing songs together, play games and do crazy dances together. They wrapped it up by having a time of Bible study together. Again no leadership telling them what to do they just did it and loved it. I even saw their love for one another in their daily interactions with each other. They laughed together and yet made sure they were all being accounted for.
Precious children at the VBS this past week
This past week we did a VBS for the little children in the area. Again we didn`t have to do much as the youth planned it all. They put together 5 different stations and had someone at each game station. They once again went to get all the children together. There was about 70 children that came for two days. They did opening games and story together. Then in groups of 10 the children went with a leader to each station and played the game. They also got a Bible application for every game. I was at one station on Tuesday morning with one of the youth. I watched him explain the game and play it with the children. I watched the leaders and how they interacted with the children. Selfless love is all I can say.
I think of the youth back home in our churches and wonder if they would be so willing to do this with no leadership telling them too. Would I be willing to do this kind of work if I wasn`t on the race. You live for Jesus when you look into the eyes of the down and out with respect and dignity. I am learning more and more what it means to share the love and be selfless. I am not here for me, but for the children and youth of this world. A simple smile can change a life:)
Even though we didn`t do alot of leadership and running of the programs this month we learned a lot by watching and interacting with the youth. We helped with Sunday school and VBS, we did some walking around the barrios to visit people, and most of all we got to love on the youth at the home. Even though it was a struggle for me at times I knew that God was working in and through us.
These photos are from my team mate Peter as my camera broke so now I have to steal photos. Thanks team!!!!
