For
this month I stayed by myself with a host family. I shared a room and
bed with Sadaira; a 17 year old girl who is very involved at church
and has a genuine desire to know the Lord and to follow wherever He
may lead. She lives with her mom and sister who are not believers.
It
was a little difficult for me because I knew where her mom stood and
I wanted to be able to share with her but she spoke no English and I
speak very little Spanish. The whole time I was there it was a
struggle. I was thinking, I can’t do this, I’m not smart enough, I’m
not strong enough, I don’t learn fast enough; instead of focusing on
what God could do through this situation I was focused on me and what
I can’t do. Sure, I prayed every day and actually I prayed every meal
for Yolanda (Sadaira’s mom) but I didn’t feel that was enough. I
wanted somuch
to be able to do something tangible. As I was dealing with this God
reminded me (actually through my own mouth as I was talking to
someone else) that not all ministry is the kind you see or do with
your hands. He reminded me that He has a purpose in everything.
The
last night before we left, the church all got together to say thank
you. Sadaira got up in front of the church and said that she use to talk to her Yolanda in the evening about God and awhile back she just lost interest. After I came her mom started asking
her questions about me and why I was doing what I was doing. She was
able to share with her about Christ and she’s started talking to her
in the evenings again. She still has a ways to go but Sadaira said
she has started praying about things and is more curious than she has
been before.
I
didn’t do much in fact I didn’t do anything. God used my presence and
that alone to plant some seeds. It was encouraging to hear her
testimony. It was also a good reminder of how He works in the small things.
