Hello!! I have been getting pretty good at soccer, I even scored in a game today. It was a good day today because the other day at the fresh market, this little store by my house, they gave us a soccer ball! my whole team signed it and we got to give it to the kids at ministry!! The ball they usually play with is deflated and barley a ball. The looks on their faces were so moving. They got so excited! We played a lot of soccer today.
Early on when we started this ministry i’m not gonna lie I was a little doubtful. It seemed like complete chaos to me, it was nothing like church or youth group back in the states. I felt like it was my job to make these kids act all neat and orderly. But I found that God wasn’t asking me to teach these kids to be like me or anything close to what I had known back at home. He asked me to play with them, to be fair, to be kind, to swing the jump rope even when I got some gnarly blisters, and to play soccer until I am very sunburned and had barley even kicked the ball. When I said yes to just playing, the Lord showed me that his love is being shown there just by the way we play and encounter these kids. These kids don’t speak english, and we are the first group of white people to come into their world. At first they were very skeptical, they wouldn’t talk to us or play with us, but now… we walk down the slums and they know we are coming, they run to meet us and give us the biggest hugs and hold our hands until we get to ministry. They know us by name just like we know theirs. Every day when we leave ministry they hug us and say “te amo” and show us they don’t want us to leave. They Have shown me the Lords love in a way I never thought possible. I thought going into this I would be the one trying so hard for the Lords presence to be in that place but in reality, it naturally flows out of not just my team but the kids. We have no idea who their parents are or if they get any other meal than the ones we provide, we don’t even know if their parents are apart of the gang near by, But we do know that the Lord has laid his grace and love all over them.
When I first started going I noticed some kids had lice and I let myself distance from them. But as I have grown to know them and their love for us, I truly don’t care anymore. The Lords love is greater than lice and I know Jesus would love on any kid with lice. It is so crazy to see how the Lord moves when you give him space to. I am absolutely in love with my ministry, it isn’t just a place i volunteer at everyday, it is so so so much more than that. I didn’t know that my heart could love these kids the way it does. I am so excited for these next two months and what the Lord has in store for this ministry.
As for my life back at the base, I am amazed at the community I live in. We have meals together, we explore together, worship together, and as of today we started a fast every Wednesday. On the race it is so easy to allow food to be what we depend of through the day. We want to step out in our faith and ask God to move. We want to draw near to the Lord and practice new ways of doing that. I have personally never fasted from food and so this is a very new experience for me. i am learning what it means to press into scripture when I get hungry or winey. I am learning to be expectant of the Lord. I will most definitely keep updates about how it is going through my blog!!
Also, i am still fundraising and I am in need of some support, If you feel led to donate, feel free to donate through my blog! If you are more interested in supporting me prayerfully, please contact me through Instagram, email, blog, or just text me! The Lord wants prayer warriors and so I would love for some prayer over my base and ministry!! Thanks a ton for taking the time to read my blog!!
