I write this in the bed of the building I’m sleeping in. Lucky enough, I got the spot next to the window. This is good because we sleep with the window open at night with the hopes of a breeze blowing in to cool us off because we have no air conditioning. And then there’s the other not so good times I’ve experienced…when I’ve woken up to my blanket being slightly wet, from rain blown through the window. But it’s not a problem, because I shut the window, roll over, and next thing I wake up, it’s 6:30, time to get going and go figure, my bed is dry. That’s just some of the sleeping lifestyle we have here in Colombia. There’s one shower split between nine guys. So, I would say that’d be kind of hectic but the fact that the shower is freezing, and on a good day cold, means that there’s not necessarily always a long line for the shower. Anyways, my tempur-pedic memory foam mattress sleeping pad is always a comfort to jump into when I think about it. Or at least that’s what I tell myself it is, when it fact the inside of this sleeping pad is actually air. It’s all in the mindset we have, not really but at least I try to tell myself it is. My body enjoys the rest and I’m refueled to take on whatever ministry we have scheduled the next day…but going off the point of what I wrote about last Tuesday, just because there’s no scheduled ministry doesn’t mean your day isn’t ministry wherever you are. And that was the truth, yet again, for today’s free day. I write this in my bed after having taking a steamy hot shower (it’s all in the mindset of course) to just share some of what the story was for today.
Not only are your contributions going towards transforming the lives of those all around us, but also towards the transformation I’m already seeing in my own life. Just wanted to take a second here and say thank you for this opportunity. But like I said, your contributions and prayers are impacting the lives of those around us and I’m having the opportunity to see it all first-hand. It’s so much that I want to share it all but it’d be an overload and a book for you to read so I love to give little updates here and there of the impact we’re making together…Through the scheduled ministry times we have; the ministry moments that are unscheduled, yet we see continually through God’s hand; and how could I forget the days that are free days that are the least bit free of ministry? Yet again, that’s another way to describe what today was…
Today, we played soccer with some of the men going through a program that is a part of the local ministry that we’re partnered with. The program that the men are going through is a year-long program I believe in which they experience mentoring and discipleship, indulge in Christian community, and walk out their daily lives into the freedom that Christ died for us to receive. The program is for men who voluntarily decide that they want to experience freedom from their past in areas of addiction, such as drugs for example. In this program, I’ve met guys who are towards the beginning and middle of the program as well as guys who are finishing the program very soon. It’s very clear the freedom they’re experiencing and not only hearing about, but walking out every day. But what we did today was walked about a half mile through the city of Medellin, Colombia to a sandy soccer field to relax on our free day and play some soccer with these guys. As we played, both us and the guys we’re having a blast. The game was competitive, but in a loving way. You see guys living out Christian values all throughout the game. Giving others opportunities to shoot or pass or play over themselves, building each other when they make a bad play or mess up, and then wearing a smile on their faces whether winning or losing. All to say…it was a blast! A memory I will never forget…and towards the end, as we were playing and having a blast, the winds started to pick up. And next thing you know, we’re playing a soccer game in a sand storm almost. And then moments later, the rain starts to come down and the sand begins to settle but we continue playing now in a rainstorm. (not really a storm, just some heavy rain)
Shortly after, we called it a day after about an hour and a half to two hours passed of playing some intense soccer. At this point, it’s pouring rain and we’ve got a little over a half mile to walk back. We begin our trek back and next thing I know (I don’t know how it happened) but we were filed in a line like Indians singing the Atlanta Braves tomahawk chant hitting a jog back to the place we were staying. Also, the place the guys stay, but on a different floor than us. But if you could just try to imagine this picture, that might help a little. A group of about 25-30 people, half Colombians and half North Americans running around like Indians through a city, ya that was us. It was a memory I’m never going to forget. The smiles of all of us guys, including the men, as we ran around getting drenched in rain just joining in the brilliance of the joyful Christian life was an unforgettable experience. There smiles are something I’m never going to forget. More often than not, I’ve heard people say that a picture’s worth a thousand words. But in my opinion, I think that the person from whom this quote derives from was never truly impacted by a smile. Because a smile can paint a picture in your heart that’s worth a million words.
My takeaway? Yet, again, just because I’m not doing ministry doesn’t mean I’m not ministering to people. The message I might be communicating to these men might be that the Christian life was never meant to be rules and regulations but a life experiencing the fullness of the one who created joy and pleasure. That no drugs or things of this world could reach the fullness of the joy that Christ offers us in His fulfillment as we allow Him to infiltrate all areas of our lives.
Sidenote…I was thinking on this post and it came to mind how often times I’ve seen in the Western Hemisphere we have a reverse view of this. We see the things that it seems Christ calls us to turn from but we lack the full perspective. The enemy does his best to try and hide from you the fact that Christ might be calling us away from some of the things of the world, but what Christ is actually doing is calling us towards fulfillment and something better, much better than the reality we see before us. After all, the enemy might try to use that truth that Christ is calling us away, but when does he ever speak the whole truth? Two quick references…in the garden, the enemy spoke partly the truth when he said that God did not want us to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil but what part of the truth did he leave out? God’s intention for us in the reason behind that, so that we would not die. And then secondly, shortly after Jesus’ baptism as the enemy tried to tempt Jesus with a perversion of the truth found in scripture. Anyways, as I reflect on my own life and that of the Christian community, I see God calling us all towards something better in an area of life that we might be clinging to or trusting in something else in place of God for fulfillment. God is not just calling us out of these areas, He’s calling us into something better. He’s the creator of good, of joy, of happiness, of pleasure, and most of all, of the lasting fulfillment that the enemy will do his best to keep both you and I away from. So, the question that I’m taking away from all of this that you might even could join me in pondering on is this…
What areas of my life might God be calling into something more, something better than it currently is? An area of my life that I might be currently be excluding God from? And let me remind myself that I know that the moment I invite Him into that area, I can trust that it will be fruitful and lead me (and others) towards a place of complete fulfillment in Christ aside from a place of uncomplete fulfillment from this world
