This past Saturday was a day that the Lord filled my heart with pure joy and thankfulness. God completely blew my mind in coming through in the way He did, and I never expected what happened to happen. After last Saturday, the words “God is Good” came to life in a way that I wasn’t really ready for…
A few weeks ago, it was on my heart to have a youth event/picnic for the people in our community. I talked to our ministry host and he was all for having an event for the youth in the community. So my original idea of the whole community turned into an event for just the youth… Even though that wasn’t what I originally wanted, I was all for targeting the youth in our community. So, I brought that up with the team leaders and treasurers, and they were all for it too. So then we introduced the idea to the rest of the house, and they were all in. Sweet, everybody’s on board. And since I brought up the idea, I was in charge of the whole thing. And I was totally up for that; I was cool with taking responsibility over getting things together for the community youth event thing. But here’s something you should know about being in charge of an idea in a foreign unfamiliar culture. Flexibility and expecting the unexpected is key. Also, just go ahead and do yourself a favor and don’t have expectations that you want to meet when it comes to the “success” of your ministry idea.
God was already working in me before getting ready for this youth event thing, and I had grown in a lot of those areas. And because of that, I was prepared in not being able to be 100% prepared. Any ministry anybody does isnt their ministry. Every ministry is God’s ministry. Let God move in the way He wants to, not the way you want him to. His plan is just a wee bit better than yours. And let me tell you, my thought process on what the day would look like, looked absolutely nothing like what actually happened. And thank God! I had a vision, but the vision really only consisted of having food and playing games, all the while going with the flow. So, I guess that part was accurate. And it was also a very necessary vision, because anything of a more detailed plan would’ve just fell through. Trust me.
In getting ready for this day, our contact and I had to write a letter to the mayor to have permission in getting the park in San Pedro for a few hours… So a week or two later, we found out it was good to go… The problem was, we had the green light only three days before the day we were going to have it. So that gave me two days to advertise for it and get everybody back on the same boat we were on a couple weeks ago… all the while continuing to do our ministry for those days before the Saturday. I don’t get stressed very easily, nor frustrated. And if I do, you can’t tell I’m stressed. I’ve been learning how to go about being flexible and not really being stuck on your own expectations for something, because things will come up to where your expectations will be smashed, destroyed, and pooped on. But, I think maybe that’s a good thing… And as time was flying bye and I was a lot more concerned with getting things done than some other people, the time came to head to the park to embrace the unexpected…
Now, I tell you all that pre-event information because God was growing me in many different areas. Whether it was patience, flexibility, leadership, or whatever, God was teaching me a few things. And one of the biggest things was this: Why am I even doing this? God reminded me through the slight frustration and irratation of other people and “organizing” this thing, that I’m not in charge of this ministry, nor is this my ministry. Sure, it was me who had the idea, and it was me in being persistent in making sure it was going to happen (Lord Willing). But it was as if God was saying, “Ryan, your the vessel, not the Maker of the vessel. Why do you even want to bring kids in. Whose ministry do you think this is?” And that’s where I was calmed, comforted, and humbled. God’s got this, not me.
Now to the actual event.
Me and a couple others walked to the place we were having it and started setting up. A few kids showed up as we were putting out some food and drinks, and cleaning part of the park up (it’s a wee bit messy). I left and ran back to the house (literally, I ran), to see how the other food was coming along, and where people were at on when theyd be ready to head down there. Then I ran back to the park area, and to my surprise, there were a few more kids. And not only that, but everyone was playing duck duck goose. Ok, so cool. I was expecting the few kids that were there to be gone, but instead, they were there along with a few other kids as well.. And not only that, but everyone’s having fun playing duck duck goose… So after the first 30-45 minutes, things were already not as I expected, and the unexpected just continued to roll in…
Honestly, I had no track of time after that, but in a blink of an eye, there were well over 30 kids that showed up. And eventually close to a total of 40-50 kids.
The first half of the time we had there was spent talking to and throwing the kids around, and feeding them some pretty good home made Guatemalan food. Everybody liked the food and drinks, and everybody seemed to be having a great time! Then towards the middle, we started up a soccer game with probably 30 some kids that were there. And while some of us world racers were playing soccer, others were playing and talking to the kids that werent playing soccer. Thinking back, I can just picture the smiles and laughter going on. I can sense the love and passion not only of our world racer hearts, but the hearts of the kids. It’s so cool having kids walk in, being a little timid and shy at first, and then as time goes by and you keep showing interest and love and acceptance to them, they open up and become vulnerable to how you treat them. There’s so many examples of this just througout the time being there. I mean, kids from 5-13 years old coming in to an event with white foreign people, probably isnt the most comfortable situation to be in.
Actually, in America, these kids would probably be yelling “fire” after you opened your mouth and asked how they are doing. And let me also just remind you, there were absolutely no parents of these kids that were there. It was us white missionaires, and the awesome Guatemalan kids, only. So being there in that situation, was truly an honor to be a part of. Kids rapidly talking to you in spanish and not really understanding what the heck they’re saying, but them allowing you to throw and spin them around doesnt necessarily need words when smiles and laughter are pretty universal in knowing how they’re feeling. And they loved being thrown in the air or spun around. I don’t think that they always understand that that’s extremely exhausting, but it was worth almost passing out.
And so while all this is going on, I stopped and just watched….. I just watched as everyone was sitting and eating, or running and playing. Some were laughing and smiling, others were crying (I may have hit a kid in the face with the frisby and made him cry….). I watched as the kids were wanting a turn to take pictures with my camera. I watched as missionaires were pouring out Christ’s love to these kids, and as these kids accepted the love we were pouring out. I watched and saw Christ all around that place. I watched and saw nothing but love, and joy, and laughter, and hope. I couldnt help but see God coming through in His ministry. There was a reason we had that youth event thing. And it wasnt so we could minister to these kids. It was so God could be all around these kids. It was so God could show me exactly what He has in store for His children here on earth… This was all God. I just got to be a part of it. And I have truly never felt so honored in being a part of His mission and in beng a part of what His heart beats for.
There’s something about seeing a kids face light up. There’s something about being a part of making a kid joyful. There’s something about seeing a kid be so vulnerable in allowing others to love and accept them. There’s something about being a part of loving these kids and their reaction being nothing short of wanting more… I mean, have you ever really looked at a kid before, and see how much Jesus loves them. Have you ever just looked at a little innocent child, and see God’s glory in what He created. Have you ever just looked at such a beautifully fearfully and wonderfully designed kid, and understand how much God loves that kid! It blows my freaking mind!
God poured out so much joy in that place. He poured out so much joy in our hearts. He poured out so much joy in my heart… And to think that God allowed me to be a part of that joy, humbles me beyond belief… He let me speak out, and they came. And they didn’t just come for no reason. They came because there was something there. They stayed because there was something there. They laughed and smiled and had fun the whole time because there was something there. There was a God that was saying, “You see these kids. I love them. I created them. I want them. So love them. Show them me.” And we had a huge priveledge in being a part of that.
So no, Saturday did not go exactly as I expected. Because I had no idea what to expect, but all I knew is that I desperately wanted God to show up. And guess what. God showed up… God filled me with so much joy and hope, that I couldn’t help but stand in awe. There was nothing but praise that came off my lips. There’s so much that came from Saturday, but I’m just glad God did His thing, and I went along for the ride.
Matthew 19:14 – Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Luke 18:17 – “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
