The busy life of the city – the hustle and the bustle of constant horns and dogs barking. It is so opposite, but yet so similar to life in India last month. We were in a small village in India, and if you know me at all, you know that I’m definitely a city girl … so you can imagine my excitement when I found out that we were going to be in Kathmandu for the whole month. We spent the first five days that we were here in Thamel, for debrief, which is the tourist area of Kathmandu – full of restaurants, adventurous activities, and lots of shopping. For debrief, our squad coaches, Momma Lisa and Poppa Tim, and our squad mentor, Beka, flew into town to be with us for the week to love, support, and encourage us.
It’s absolutely crazy to experience for myself the amount of work that God can do in a heart in a matter of a few days, or even a few hours. During debrief, through the stories and testimonies of Tim, Lisa, and Beka, the Lord showed me for the first time a tangible and living example of the glory of the Gospel and the power of the Redemption that is offered to us through Christ. Throughout my Christian walk, I have always heard story after story of “I was a drug addict, and God saved me,” or “I had no self-worth until I found Christ,” but something about the vulnerability and realness of the stories that our leaders shared touched my heart in a place that had not yet been washed by the blood of Christ. The crazy thing is that no matter how many sins we commit or how many times we turn our backs on God, He is always there with open arms forgiving, redeeming, and loving us. And finally, during those few days of debrief, I began to grasp the reality of this truth.
In the story of John 8:2-11, Jesus stands up to the Pharisees for a woman who was completely guilty of the sin of adultery. In the same way, He stands up for us in the midst of our brokenness and says to those who condemn us, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.” The ironic thing about this story is that Jesus is the only one who could have cast a stone. Yet, He does the complete opposite. He lifts us up from our place of desperation and loves us. This is the power of the cross. This is the power of the resurrection.
Thank you, Jesus, for revealing to me the power of the Gospel. Thank you, Lord, for setting me free.
Daughters Ablaze with our fearless squad leaders, squad mentor, and coaches at debrief!
