Faith Walked Out…
This is my last day here in Quito, Ecuador and I don’t even know how to begin writing about what God taught me this month and the blessings he poured out on me and the ministries we were working with. God is so good and looking back on this month I know wholeheartedly that he knew exactly where he was putting me, why he put my team in the South part of Quito and he knew what he wanted to work on in each of our lives.
This month we had the privledge to work alongside a church and their compassion school serving with the teachers and encouraging them in their work, we had the opportunity to each live with a different host family and to be completely submerged in the culture building those relationships. This month we were blessed to be humbled and do a lot of small tasks like cleaning and sweeping the school, window washing, painiting a basketball court, and moving rebar up a roof for hours, we went on compassion visits to see the mothers and children who are a part of that program and to pray for them, God gave me opportunities all month long and almost everyday to bless people with haircuts who couldn’t afford to get them, and this month God reminded me continually how to live a life of faith walked out.
God humbled my heart his month. There were times when I felt like I was doing meaningless tasks cleaning windows, sweeping classrooms and moving wood. There were times I was tired from the ministry we did at the school all day and I went home to my host family and I had to pray for the strength to be a blessing to them and to continue ministry in that home even if I was tired. There were so many times this month all I could see was one piece of the puzzle; one part of the photograph and I found myself wondering what the outcome would even be. Through all this I just kept hearing God say trust, walk in faith, do everything as though you are doing it unto me, be humble, remember that everything is for my Glory, and be mindful even in the small things.
So I woke up every morning, made my bed, and made sure the space that God had given me in the home of my host family was left better than it was before I came. I prayed everyday day to spend it all and not waste a moment but to live for Christ in the mindful things I was blessed to be doing. I prayed that God would humble my heart even more and that even if no one knew I moved rebar for 3 hours up a roof God knew and that is what matters because everything in life is for his glory. This month I felt very much like I was living a normal life in a normal city. I had a family that was taking care of me and I felt like I was working at a nine to five job working in the school with the kids. But through all this God reminded me that no matter where I am, I am on mission for Christ, It is not about going halfway across the world, it is not about being in a different place or culture but because we have Christ inside of us everything we do in life and in wherever we are, we are on mission for him. This month God reminded me what faith walked out looks like. He reminded me that it is about having authentic christianinty by the signs of my life and that it is about the heart, integrity in my faith, and more than anything this month I learned how people see Jesus inside of those who love and follow him.
This month I walked in faith that God knew exactly what he was doing and that through small things he could do great things all to his credit. At the end of our ministry God poured out amazing blessings on me, my team, and the people we worked with. God was so gracious to show us the fruit of a life of faith walked out. He worked in so many ways this past month and we learned the impact a simple smile could be for someone on a hard day, an extended finger or hand to a child that is in need, or a day of cleaning a school and washing windows. Since this month I am continually asking myslef daily who am I living for and what more needs to be refined in my heart to live a reckless abandoned life of faith walked out for God.
