Written September 6
Part 2 of Fruit and Fish
Today we walked some of the same streets as yesterday. Emily, Taylor, and myself, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us.
As we made our way through the streets, grief washed over me. I saw two beggars – people who were supposed to be grown men but looked like children. They were dirty and shriveled up.
And I felt like there was nothing I could do.
Seeing the beggars, I felt like I was living in a place where Jesus lived when he was on earth. I’ve never seen this culture or people like them.
What do I do?
How do I connect to them? I was trying to think about how Jesus connected to people. Problem is… I am not Jesus… Who is God… Who knows everything about everyone.
BUT… I do have Jesus in me. And this Jesus in me does know the beggars.
But I still don’t know what to do with that.
I asked Emily and Taylor if we could just sit for a minute to process the emotions I was feeling. They were so gracious in letting me do that.
Then, right before we started walking again, Emily said she felt like there was going to be a woman sitting down that needed to hear Jesus loves her.
Taylor led the way, and I felt like the lady was going to be sitting on the left but that we would take a right on the street to get to her.
We make our way through the streets and take a right. There’s a woman with a hat on the left. Okay there she is.
Nope. Emily says it’s not her. We keep walking and get a glimpse of another woman wearing a hat. We had to take a right and she was also on the left.
This was the one.
(Awesome how God used all of us to find this woman and how He aligned our thoughts)
She didn’t speak English, but there were some people around who translated for us. She invited us to her house in the mountains to eat and sleep.
We couldn’t go today because we already had plans with our neighbors, but we do plan to go see her again. See if we went to the mountains here.
The night with our neighbors was great. They took us to visit the mosque. We took our shoes off, covered our heads, but were all too soon kicked out because it was during the time of prayer. As we were standing there, I put my hand on the youngest daughter and prayed that the Holy Spirit would be over her. I asked that she would see visions of crosses. I could feel that there was power behind that prayer. Something transformative was happening. But what happened next, I didn’t believe.
She looked at me with a different kind of look in her eyes. They were bright and full of joy. She took her two index figers and formed a cross. She asked me what it was.
A cross.
Then she found a cross hanging on Austin’s backpack. Then she pointed out the cross on Emily’s necklace. Then she pointed out the cross on top of the church.
“Cross,” she said.
A little prayer with so much power. We had a good conversation with our neighbors, and I’m confident that it changed them.
They leave town tomorrow.
Currently the team is investing in a handful of people. These are people who they communicate with most every day and hangout with. They are all so different in their walks with God.
Questions go through my mind of why am I here? I feel so inadequate. I compare myself to my teammates who are able to so easily connect with people and carry on conversations, who are so Spirit led, and who can raddle off scripture so easily. What do I have to offer? I feel like God isn’t giving me clear answers, but just small directions every now and then.
I asked God to test my faith, and that prayer is definitely being answered. I still don’t know what the heck it means to let endurance have it’s full effect.
Fundraising update: I am about $800 away from being fully funded for the next deadline, and I have $5,700 to go after that.
Housefires – Come to the River
God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. Psalm 63:1-3
