Allow me to write from my heart for a second…
I have been on the missions field for 8 months now, and trust me I have seen my fair share of poverty, and injustice. To be honest it can be easy to become unaffected by your surrounding, to just accept what you see around you as truth, and take it on.
But I cant settle for that…
And I wont…
Sometimes I just let myself feel. I sit in that moment and let the atmosphere change me, and I ask myself questions. Today I did that, as my team and I were approached by 3 street kids after a trip to the grocery store. I observed them, tattered clothes, extremely dirty, and I wondered to my self “How did you get here?” Who dropped the ball concerning you, who gave you up to the streets, or did you run away from a seemingly worse situation? The children were speaking swahilli to us, which we couldn’t understand, but the one word I could make out was
HUNGRY
I looked in my grocery bag which contained cheese, a box of crackers, raw noodles, and instant coffee. I reached for the crackers, opened the box and gave them to the 3 boys standing there, and a teammate of mine handed them her yoghurt. I looked through my bag, disappointed that I didn’t have water to give them, but the boys wanted more yoghurt, and they kept asking. My team leader Grayson knelt down beside them and said “Yoghurt we do not have, but what we do have is JESUS”, and he began to pray over them. I stood there, interceding, and heart breaking. After the prayer the little boys pulled bottles of glue out of their pockets, I could tell they were high, but it was then I fully understood. I stood there, watching them inhale glue through their mouths, and I grieved. I was grieved because I knew JESUS was Grieved. These are HIS children, and they are so blind, walking with dark veils over they heart and eyes.
In that moment I wished there was no language barrier, so that they could fully understand the prayers I uttered over them, and understand that the ONE who truly cares for them, loves them, and longs to see them delivered had orchestrated this very moment for prayers, and crackers. As I looked in their eyes I was reminded of scripture
Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink.
And I began to think more of JESUS, and the fact that HE is soverign, and perfect and HE cared enough about them to allow us to cross paths. I decided in that moment to come back here, to this very street corner, ever wednsday that the LORD allows me to, on my day off and be with these kids. My whole team will be back. And I know that if we could but for a few hours be a small example to them of JESUS, minister to them, love them, feed them, and prayerfully distract them from getting high then I KNOW JESUS can and will show up and do the miraculous! HE SHALL deliver them, period! I believe it with all my heart, and I am praying that GOD will raise up an army and send them to this place to start a home for street kids in the area to have refuge and recovery.
IF you are reading this that just became your prayer request from me.
I was reading my WORD this morning and I stumbled across this scripture
1 Peter 4:9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
And I thought to myself once again, how did I ever over look this verse. Why is it that I havnt taken this seriously and been obedient to it? It doesn’t sound like a request but a statement. There is no maybe at the end, but a period.
I encourage you to go out and serve JESUS by serving HIS children. I encourage you to live for JESUS in such a way that everyday someone is blessed because the HOLY SPIRIT is alive in you. Take time and stop for the hurt, the burdened. Pay attention to the neglected, feed the hungry in food and spirit. And know that if GOD asks you to give to a place of lack HE will totally provide for you. The beautiful thing about JESUS is that we don’t have to take care of ourselves, that is HIS job, and HE delights in it…
All for us….
HIS children….
