1. Joshua Ezekiel- India
Joshua Ezekiel was a little boy that I met during a house visit in the slums. He was 3 months old but only weighed about 8 pounds and was very sick. As the young mom handed me this very tiny, very sick baby, my heart broke. We held him and prayed over his tiny body and then the craziest thing happened; the mom looked at us and asked us to give him a name. So we prayed and the six of us got Joshua Ezekiel, so we named him that. Earlier that day I had had the privilege of sorting trash at a local HIV/AIDS clinic. I did not have the best attitude in that moment and didn’t understand why I was being asked to sort trash, but reluctantly my friends and I did it. And then just a few short hours later, the Lord allowed me to go into the slums, which many would see as trash and not only hold and pray for a baby, but also give him a name and prophecy goodness into his future. The lesson that sweet baby Joshua Ezekiel taught me was HUMILITY. I learned in that moment that God can use me and will use me in what ever way he sees fit. Some jobs may be not so glorious, like sorting trash, and others may make your heart skip a beat, like naming sweet babies. Whatever God asks me to do I must humble myself and obey. I wrote a bog about him if you want to read the whole story { http://gabbieueberroth.theworldrace.org/post/joshua-ezekiel }
2. Pastor Nryan- Nepal
Pastor Nryan was the leader of a beautiful ministry called The Prayer Tower, which is a home for outcasts individuals that have mental/physical disabilities. Pastor Nryan has built a beautiful facility that is a self-sufficient farm, that provides a home for these people who otherwise would not have one. Pastor Nryan is huge on prayer and the people in his small community have created a system that has someone praying 24 hours a day, 7 days a week- they have been doing this for 17 years. That is 17 years of 24/7 prayer. Pastor Nryan taught me ENDURANCE. He has never stopped praying for his community, his family, or his country, and he never will. He taught me that no matter what you go through in life, that God has you and will never leave you. He taught me that our endurance comes from the Lord and his goodness. He is a man that will for sure be able to say that he ran his race with endurance and perseverance, with his eyes fixed on Jesus. ( Hebrews 12:1-2)
3. Jum-ji- Thailand
Jum-ji is a sweet, rowdy little girl that I met at Sending Hope Orphanage in Thailand. Jum-Ji taught me CHILDLIKE FAITH. This amazing little girl has a laugh that is contagious, a heart for worship that changes the atmosphere around her, and more energy than I’ve ever had in my life. Jum-ji taught me what it means to truly love and love fiercely. Jum-ji taught me what it means to worship and not hold back. Steffany Gretzinger, one of my favorite worship leaders, recently posted a picture of her beautiful daughter, Wonder and this quote, “ What is we have children so we become like them… not so much that we raise them to be like us? What is after the fall Jesus knew the only way to get us back was to come as a child…to show that sometimes strength looks like weakness.” I think Jum-Ji taught me this- she taught me what it means to be free in who I am, to have faith in the unseen, to laugh and dance like no one is watching, and to love with no restraint.
4. Anne- Cambodia
Anne was a lady from New Zealand that I worked with at the hospital. She was in charge of the activities and arts department and also ran a card/paper making company on the side to fund the activities program. We assisted Anne by making Christmas cards as well as playing games with the patients in the wards. Anne taught me PATIENCE. Anne was patient in her life and her work. She patiently taught us how to craft cards and gave us grace when we messed up. She was patient in trusting God to send her a husband and didn’t get married until 47 years old. She was patient each and everyday and loved those around her well, through it.
5. Blu- Vietnam
This is a young girl we taught English too at the cafe. Blu was a sweetheart. She was so eager to learn more and practice what she knew. She was the first to move out of her way to make sure you had a seat, the first to order you a drink and when you finished, ask if you wanted another. She taught me HOSPITALITY. She taught me what it means to go out of your way to love people and make them feel special. She served everyone around her and had the best of manners. On my last day, her and her little sister gave me a bracelet and made me promise I wouldn’t forget them. I haven’t and never will because they impacted my heart in the way they loved me in such a short time.
6. Pastor Samuel- Ethiopia
(man on right with his wife)
Pastor as we called him, was the man we met in Ethiopia doing unsung heroes. Pastor opened up his abandoned bible college and let us stay there and gave us everything we needed. He was one of the most servant-hearted people I have met. Pastor taught me FLEXIBILITY. Pastor was the number two pastor in all of Ethiopia and therefore he was very busy. However, if someone needed him, he would drop everything and go. If a meeting got pushed back or someone was late, he gave nothing but grace. He was flexible and interruptible in all that he did. He allowed the Lord to use him each and everyday in whatever way God had planned, even if it wasn’t convenient for him.
7. Jimy Gatete- Rwanda
Man, I absolutely love this little boy. Jimy is the little boy that we found while working in a village building a road during PVT. Jimy had been in an accident and had 3rd degree burns covering his right hand and forearm. After Lindsay, my teammate found him and called Luke and I over, we decided Jimy needed to go to a hospital and off we went. Despite the severity of Jimy’s injuries he never let his beautiful smile leave his little face. Jimy taught me BRAVERY. Jimy let complete strangers (Luke and I) take him to a hospital (which he had never been to, nor ever ridden in a car) and allowed doctors, who were also strangers to look at and treat his arm. Jimy ended up having to have surgery, but he never once let the pain take away his joy. He was brave all the way to the end. A few days later, after surgery, we visited Jimy in the hospital and the first thing he did was run and jump into our arms. He may be the bravest person Ive ever met. I also wrote a blog about this, so if you would like to read the entire story check it out: { http://gabbieueberroth.theworldrace.org/post/tiny-person-big-miracle }
8. Daria- Bolivia
Daria was a German volunteer that we met at our host in Bolivia. Daria worked in Hesed, the children home, day in and day out. During the month that I was there I also worked in Hesed with Daria and Kamiren, one of my teammates and it was hard. Hesed is a children’s after school care program for children with learning disabilities and they are anything but easy. Most days they do not listen to a single world you say and run around causing havoc. Daria taught me SERVANT-HEARTEDNESS. Daria works at Hesed every day and has for the past 8 months. She serves with every ounce of her being, whether it is making snacks for the children, helping with homework, or even scrubbing the floors. She serves and she always smiles.
9. Abuelita and Abuelo- Peru
These are my adorable Peruvian grandparents. These beautiful people are leaders of a church that we had the honor of working with this past week. They opened up not only their church but also their hearts and loved us extraordinarily well. My grandparents taught me GENEROSITY. After we did evangelism with them last week they took us out for a big lunch and insisted on paying. We thanked them and said it was such a gift for them to treat us and Abuelita simply pointed towards heaven and said it was all from God. They did this again Sunday after we went to church and treated us to Chinese. These lovely people taught me that all that we have is a gift from God and therefore we should share it, no matter what form it takes. We can be generous in sharing a meal or even our home or maybe even the simplicity of sharing a smile to allow someone to know that God loves them.
These are 9 extraordinary people that have taught me amazing lessons. I have no doubt that these lessons will continue, not only in the next two countries, but also as I continue to reflect on this past year and remember all of the amazing people I have had the honor to encounter.
Thank you for reading!! Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
Love,
Gabbie 🙂
