a day made
My day started off gloomy and my heart wasn’t in the right place, what seemed like, the entire day. Then all of this happened…
The missionary family that lives here has 3 kids; two of which are girls. One of the girls finds me in my room as I watch Narnia. She loves that movie, I soon come to find out. She climbs up and soon we are watching the movie together.
My day slowly turning to being made just by the presence and character of this little girl. Thank you God for her heart and the innocence she so easily beholds. She leaves as the credits roll.
I’m alone in my thoughts. On my top bunk. Listening to podcasts, but shortly stopping them from boredom.
Sam walks through the door as I’m typing out a new thought paragraph for a blog. It’s about love; and the beauty that is hidden within its depths, sculpted in this town. Which is also included in this blog post.
I read it to him. He’s, “blown away”, and soon we are deep in the words of the aroma of love. The meaning behind it. The mystery that it lies in. The way it’s meant to be seen, used, lived…genuine love.
The conversation we are deep into is joined by Jace (one of our squad leaders). We go from the complexity yet simplicity of what love is, to how hate is just as disguised in our society as love, to learning how talking about the CREATIVEness of God can cause hands to hold the brain in place in order for it not to break out of its cage of curiosity and smiles to run across our face in every direction; not knowing what emotion to express or what to feel.
I say, ” close your eyes, I’m going to point to something in this room when we open our eyes. When we see the thing I want all of us to say the first word that comes to our mind. This will show us just how unique and different all of our brains are and how God made them each separately from his own hands. ”
We play and play. Each item and conversation was as interesting as the next. The words that withdrew from our mouths were not of our breaths or creations, in those precious, laugh-filled moments, they were words of God’s creativeness in us. They were like “precious silvers refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6) ESV
Through our window we see how the sky looks different than other nights. We funnel outside and are quickly gaping at the sunset so heavenly displayed. A paintbrush — handled by the most precious hand — mixed with pink and purple licks the animated blue canvas for a sight that makes your heart skip a beat. The colors that were brightly displayed through the arms of the mountains were rich with life. With passion. As it started to hide behind the silhouetted peaks, the color orange was becoming ever so more dominant. A, sunset orange colored, crayon was being treated heavily against the shadowed curves. Making it seem as if the sun was rising again for a final goodbye before resting its head on its mountainous pillows. The dreamy sunset that seemed immortal somehow faded into a gloomy purple that then faded into the black night that brought the endless amount of stars and the young astronomers out to play. A day made.
this town in the mountains
If I had to describe this town in the mountains, my breath would escape me.
So I write, yet even the ink my pen would run dry before I get to the first chapter.
Love. 4 letters of a word. That is what word I would use to describe. One word that could take on an army, one word that could move a mountain, one word that makes life worth living, the word that makes two people fall…collide into the beautiful bliss that is God while falling for each other at the same, perfect time. A word that holds so much warmth and mystery in its being.
Warmth. Love is warmth. A fire with coals immortal. My life. My eyes glimpse, in the slightest, immortality when they feast upon the town clothed by the mountains. Love is nonexistent without cold and warm. Warm needs the cold as the cold needs the warm. Relentlessly and successfully reaching the warm parts of our bodies. Connecting as one. Allowing us to feel true love. Just a glimpse. God allows me to catch those glimpses. *A short psalm I scribbled*: Oh how I pursuingly love my God. Words can’t breathe when expressing my love for the Lord.
Mystery. If one knows the true definition of love. I wish to never meet. The mystery that love holds is what keeps my mind awake, my breath warm, my life lived. The mystery I wish never be solved until I see Him, face to face. God is love. Both felt, but never defined. For they are boundless, limitless, expansively immeasurable. Like the cascading mystery of the snow caked mountains and the warmth of the sparkling vastness of the blanket of stars. Defining would mean life is done and nothing to yearn for, nothing to live for. God’s warmth and mystery of love are presented so magically in this town. This town in the mountains.
Monday, 10.30.17 – A journal entry
I have recently been reading this book called, The Coming Chinese Church. Throughout the book I’ve grown fond of the mission in China. The heart that they have as well as the determination to reach the world. It has sparked something inside of me that is hard to comprehend. It’s a fire for missions and God like I’ve never felt. The book has even changed how I treat outreach and sharing the gospel. The book is coming to life in my own mission field.
Yesterday was a Sunday and we got assigned to the same church as last Sunday so I was already excited. Yet the drive there was not in the slightest. We arrive with sore joints and ready hearts. We walk in to the same environment as last. Vocalizing our thanks to God and proclaiming his beauty with the few locals present with us. Not long after, the testimonies take place. Then a sermon, which Bailey killed!! After the service, Blake, our translator and I walk to the West side of the town to start outreach. This is where the book comes to life. All we do is we walk and whoever we stumble upon we share the gospel with them. Which happened 4 times!! Mind you we only have an hour until we have to be back at the van.
The first person we meet is a shepherd. We ask him how he likes his job and if anyone has ever shared the Gospel with him. He says he likes shepherding and that he used to go to church, but then when he became a shepherd, that’s when he stopped going. Then Blake shared with him how angels came to the shepherds when Jesus was born and explained that he doesn’t just have to go to church to experience God. We then asked him if anyone shared that truth with him before and his answer was no. We asked him if we could pray over him and after doing we so we thanked him and him us, and then we kept on walking.
We then came upon this old women who was doing laundry. I had a good feeling about her in my heart as we walked up. She was hunched over washing her clothes in a bin filled with water turning brown. We knelt down with her. I opened up first. Asking if anyone has shared Jesus Christ with her. Her reply, “no”. I then asked if it would be okay if I shared the love of Christ that I have experienced. Her reply, “yes”. I then proceeded to share my testimony. After I finished, Blake talked about how Christ died for our sins. After we both finished sharing, we asked if she wanted to have that love in her heart. Her reply, “YES”!! She beckons us into her house, which is built from clay and mud with a straw covering for a roof. We enter the doorway, small enough for hobbit. The smoke from the previous meal still hasn’t left its residence. The translator tells her to put her hands in front of her because we are getting ready to pray. Then Blake and I lay our hands on her and ask her to repeat after us. Us praying the prayer of salvation while the translator says our words to her and she back to us. After the amen trickles we thank her after she thanks us very much for talking with her. The happiness displayed on her face could’ve taken on a whole army, could’ve rebuked a storm. Fully convinced by the Holy Spirit that she meant every word, we leave the hobbit door in thanksgiving as she goes back to doing her daily laundry.
We walk to the next house which is occupied by this mother of two. We greet her and ask if it is alright if we share some things with her. We ask her if anyone has shared Jesus with her and she explains that she is already a believer!! With excitement through the roof we pray for her while she is holding one of her children. Halfway through the prayer the baby starts to wail so the amens trickled a little faster than last time and we kept on walking in hope to find at least one more.
We come across these two teenage girls sitting outside their hut. The translator talks to them for a while. Explaining to them why we are here and what we want to share with them. After some deliberation, we come to find out that they have given their lives to Christ in 2015!! Another blessing falling everywhere we walked. Encouraged by this news, Blake has a few verses to encourage and uplift their faith and while we share they get paper and pen out, wanting to write down the verses we shared with them. After sharing we pray for them and their lives and that they stay true to the Word of God. The thanks are issued and now it is time to walk back to the van.
After the rest of the teams slowly funnel back to the van, we take off on our long and winding way home. Along the way, about 30 minutes in to our drive, the van stops and we are informed that they want us to get out of the van — the people from our church. Stumbling out we are introduced to a shepherd boy with an instrument he made. Our driver/pastor told us that he played the same instrument when he used to be a shepherd. The boy gives us a sample while the pastor sings an old folk song. After the song is finished, our pastor wants all of us to give the instrument a try. I go first while everyone makes fun of my playing; then are quickly quiet after they make fools of themselves. All being equally embarrassed but also satisfied to the brim of what we just experienced, we take some group pictures and pile back into the van that would stumble its way all the home.
