Before we began any specific preparations, we spent a great portion of our time in the small, rural town of Lajas (located near Santiago) walking up and down the streets learning the culture, meeting the friendly locals, and praying over the town. I am still amazed by how much one can learn by simply being present. We quickly observed the women are constantly working in and around the house cleaning and parenting with little time to rest. Through our prayer, we couldn’t help but realize they are not regularly seen. We walked by the home of one elderly woman as she was sweeping her porch, and she saw us approach her and she said (what we later deduced), “Thank God you stopped!” She seemed so worn out and my heart immediately broke. We did not have a translator with us at the time, but body language and hugs seemed to have made a world of difference for her.
We returned home and spoke with our ministry hosts. Here, we learned infidelity and alcoholism have a huge hold on the men of Lajas. This must further the feelings of longing to be seen in a world that is constantly saying, “you aren’t good enough” to these women. This sparked my team’s questions: Where do they find their strength? What defines their worth?
Every Tuesday the women congregate for a “town meeting” to discuss town business. The women are the backbone to this community, and it must be a difficult thing to hold every moving part of Lajas together. We were invited to host a Bible study during their Tuesday time, and my team and I were elated to have such a welcoming invitation to inject a refreshing message into their daily lives. Most of us heard the Lord say, “I just want them to know they are loved by Me,” and THAT became our mission.
Tuesday, we had 5 women show up for the meeting. This was less than I expected, but I secretly felt better having a smaller group with which to hold a discussion. We shared the story of Mary and Martha, and we discussed how we can invite God into our “to do list” kind of days. We can praise and still sit at His feet learning and living out His Word while we get tasks accomplished. He loves us, and He doesn’t just want to watch from the sidelines! It was a great reminder that ultimately, we get our Strength from Him for those days when we invite Him into those moments. (Honestly, I needed this study as much as—if not more than—they did). They responded and discussed so quickly and whole-heartedly that we had no need for our pre-planned discussion questions (Thank you, Holy Spirit!). We probably learned more from them, than they did from us. At the end, we asked for prayer requests. They said they wanted the courage to speak about their faith and open up more in the meetings and as they interact with the community. They wanted to invite God into the little moments of life. It was such a blessing and Papa knew it would be before we ever chose the story.
We spent the rest of the week preparing a lesson and walking up and down the streets inviting every woman we saw–young and old—to a special event we planned to host on that Friday. We probably invited over 50 women in total. One thing our team felt heavy on our hearts was to discuss “worth.”
On Friday, we pulled out all the stops to do something special for the women of Lajas: we decorated the table, had snacks on hand, and made it a beautiful one-hour women’s retreat. The rain stopped on that day, as if the Red Sea had parted and the sun shone through for a day to glorify the Lord by sharing the length and depth of His love to the women He so desperately wants to grow deeper with (not just the women of Lajas). I have a photo of the table, below:
We had about 7 Lajas women attend our Friday event. We also invited our other squad mates to fill the empty seats and to experience this special activity (suitable for all women). We began with an ice breaker and shared our hearts behind the event. We invited everyone to pray and ask God how He sees us and how he views our worth, as opposed to what the world limits and whittles our worth down to. After prayer, we asked everyone to draw what the Lord spoke over them.
We did this activity as a team earlier in the week, and it was so fruitful. I usually see my worth limited to what I can accomplish. Did I succeed? I am worth more. Additionally, I can see my worth fluctuate with how I look on a particular day or how many friends “like” or comment on my social media posts.
Sometimes God says things that just make you smile. I was asking Him how He saw me. He told me how beautiful I am. He sees me as a rare diamond that shines so brightly! I also pictured the diamond on a plant stem, because He loves to watch me grow! I couldn’t help but smile as I was praying and seeing all of these images flood my mind! Lastly, I pictured a crown and He told me I was His daughter and princess because He is the King of kings and a good, good Father. Oh what a sight! I am worth so much to Him! He was even willing to look death in the face for me!
After this activity, we had Bible verses written on cards (in Spanish) along with a correlating phrase on the back. These statements were designed for an individual to declare over herself: “I am His daughter” or “I am a new creation” to really speak truth over their lives as individuals and not limiting Scripture. I say, “limit Scripture,” because I know I can read a verse and think, “that is so great to tell other people about,” or “I am so happy God redeemed everyone,” and I forget I am THE ONE Papa is talking to as I read His Words for me in the Bible. It is written for all of us on an individual bases as a love letter to everyone on earth…but I digress…Here is a photo of the cards:
It seemed like they enjoyed this activity! Everyone spoke with confidence and was excited to take the cards home. I pray those prove to be useful and the Lord speaks to them through His Word so they remember who they are in Him.
Answered prayers:
The following week, we switched to door-to-door evangelism and another team worked with the women. We attended the next Tuesday meeting and two women shared their testimony. They shared some very deep struggles and life journeys and I am so amazed how God took our little activities and turned them into vulnerable moments that glorified Him! Just a week prior we prayed for their courage to open up and be vocal about their faith! We got to witness the Lord soften their hearts in just 7 days! I am excited to see where the Lord leads these women, next 🙂 He has big plans.
