I’m thankful for leaving. Because in leaving, you see the impact the Father has made on your hearts and the hearts of those you leave.
This month…this month has been so sweet. The people we have lived with have changed our lives forever. When we were leaving today, the tears came but they were out of complete and full joy of knowing we made an impact. They were out of knowing that this is a place I will return.
I have a home here…I have a family here. A family full of joy, love from the Father and so much Kingdom. The tears were out of a fullness inside my heart because the Lord used these people to show me Kingdom and joy EVERY SINGLE day.
Last night we did a prayer vigil from 23:00 to 2:30AM with the whole family. We started with praying over the littles so they could go to bed and continued worshiping the Father all together through music and prayer. We transitioned into a time of feet washing and as the 6 of us knelt on the ground, the love of the Father overtook me. We spent about 45 minutes just serving these amazing humans with one last act of service. As we finished up our time, we all shared something about this past month and how we have been impacted. Our team overwhelmingly felt like part of the family here. I told them that since the day we arrived, we felt as though we were part of their family.
[Sometimes on the race, it takes a little while to get adjusted and feel fully comfortable and it seems to make the month go by so quickly. Just when you are fully acclimated, you only have 1-2 weeks left and quickly you have to say goodbye to the people you fall in love with so deeply.]
Here, we felt like family, we were part of the family the 1st day we arrived. And because of that, it seemed as though this month went slower than others…because we got the whole month to spend with our FAMILY.
[But don’t get me wrong, every single month has been so hard to leave. I love each and every person and ministry we have been a part of but some countries are just where you’re supposed to be.]
Then they started sharing some of what was on their heart. A few shared that as we washed their feet, it was as if they were seeing Jesus sitting in front of them washing their feet himself. Viki said how impactful it was for her because it reminded her of the scripture that says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and for generations to come. Jesus washed His disciples feet over 2,000 years ago and here we are now doing the same thing as an act of service to them, just as Jesus did. She was overwhelmed with the love and the unchanging character of the Father.
Mama Vivi shared that as each of us came to wash her feet, she saw a different spirit of the Father in each of us. She was confused as to why they were different and then she realized that it was because although we were all different, those differences and different gifts were necessary in order to make up the character of the Father.
Jada : a spirit of passion
Maggie : a spirit of joy
Suze : a spirit of knowledge
Mallory : a spirit of patience
Bre : a spirit of love
Megan : a spirit of sweetness
They all said that as we sang, prayed and washed, the love of the Father radiated out of each of us. I am so thankful that the Fathers love radiates from us.
Leaving is never easy, it never has been for me and I don’t think it ever will be. Yet, leaving this month, I have a peace in my heart that I will see my Argentinian family soon. This was NOT goodbye, it was see you soon. I can’t wait to return to these precious people. So here’s to leaving. Here’s to the joy of knowing that family is forever and that no matter the distance, family will ALWAYS love you.
Thank you Argentinian family at Adulam for welcoming us, loving us, learning from us and teaching us. I will see you soon.
