Olá!…. I hope and pray each and every reader, whether a sponsor, follower, or someone who stumbled on my blog is experiencing the overwhelming joy of Jesus Christ! Please know… your support, prayers, or even interest brings so much encouragement to my spirit. God has been showing me many things so far here in Mozambique, Africa. To bring you up to speed… We have been here at our primary ministry site called “Beacon of Hope” for a little over a week. Beacon of Hope is an incredible non-profit ministry here just outside the capital city, which takes care of orphaned boys. If you read my initial post from several months ago… you will know that this ministry is right up my alley for what I am most passionate about. I have a great passion for international fostercare, as well as a desire to one day open my own boys home! God has been saying this phrase on repeat over the past week, “single steps are ok, and they are necessary”.
I have been seeking him about what this means in regards to what I am doing here at Beacon of Hope. I recall the words from Bob Mudd at Prelaunch in Atlanta. He would constantly emphasize the importance of cultivating relationships right away when we arrive at our ministry sites. I have had this pull that I wasn’t anticipating… this pull to spend intentional time with each child here. The way The World Race operates is doing ministry in team units. While doing work with my team is AMAZING!, and to be honest easier for me… he has been drawing me into these simple moments with each child over the last week. So far, I am discovering that what Bob said, was very important. I don’t want to say too much, as I am in a crash course learning process here about connecting with children where you speak different languages and have different cultural normality’s. I will say though, that there is a lot to be said about quality 1 on 1 time vs corporate time. In addition, there is so much value in each interaction. As a mission minded individual, I easily get caught up in expecting too much too soon! This mentality can straight up ROB YOU from the power of every seemingly irrelevant interaction.
Since being here in only a week, I am already seeing the fruit of the seeds. In reference to what my title has to do with any of this… I am finding it doesn’t have as much to do with the big things for a child as it does with EACH seemingly little thing. It can look like getting them a coke(as coke is very popular here :)), or asking them about there favorite bible verse, or asking them about their story, or connecting with them about a dream for their life that they haven’t shared with anyone else. I am finding… that what can’t always be understood through words can almost always be understood in deed. The little things add up. The individual steps are good… and they are necessary in the process of building something lasting. I sit here today and think about the kind of life I had at 12, 15, or even 18 years old… I will admit, I went through some challenging things… but nothing remotely close to some of the realities for these kids. A common theme on any missions trip is that you almost always leave feeling so much more thankful for the life you have than you did before, in essence… you get a radical shift in perspective. I would say as an extension of that is asking ourselves the question of, “what can I do with the influence, the time, the resources, and the abilities that God has blessed me with?”. Let us examine ourselves and ask, “what steps am I taking to make a difference with what I have been given?”, “who am I pouring into?”…. “What steps am I taking?”.
In essence, what I am realizing is that every single interaction, every minute spent with intentionality, every encouraging word…. matters! In kingdom work, nothing is wasted. Every SINGLE step matters, and many individual steps add up! Oh, and just to be certain you’re aware… sometimes your SINGLE step towards someone can be the difference between death and life.
Light it up.
With Love,
Cj
