Over the last couple of days, we have
done some some ATL (ask the Lord) ministry in Loutz. Monday we prayer
walked around the city center of Loutz and a local university. We
also spent some more time during the afternoon with our friend,
Masha. I truly believe that our ministry this year is not just
reaching the lost but also encouraging other believers around the
world, and that has certainly been a privilege and blessing to do so
here already, particularly with Masha. After having taken us to a
local sweets shop the night before where we shared some delicious
treats and some quality time in the Word, discussing I Corinthians 13
and how it describes the ideal form of love to which we cannot attain
as humans and may only be achieved through Christ, she took us to a
local bazaar Monday afternoon, which was quite an experience! I don’t
think I’ve ever been to a bazaar before, though I think it is similar
to what we call a farmer’s market in the United States. There was
everything from fruits to meats to cheeses to various types of
apparel �” shoes, swimsuits, jeans, shirts…just about any and
everything you could imagine, including a few homeless puppies and
kittens that were there for adoption! (It was really hard for us to
resist the temptation to take one home.) I believe that one lesson I
personally learned today was to be more aware of what is going on
around me in a spiritual sense on a daily basis, during everyday
routine.
Tuesday was
absolutely amazing. The day began with an exercise in which we
listened for words from the Lord to encourage one another as
teammates. While at the sweets shop, Masha had helped us translate
“You are beautiful and God loves you� into Ukrainian, and we
wrote it on many sheets of memo paper Monday afternoon when we got
home from the bazaar. After our time of worship and encouragement
Tuesday morning, we returned to the center, prayed over our ministry
time, bought flowers, and started handing out the flowers and cards.
It brought joy to my heart to see the ladies’ faces light up as they
were given flowers and told they were beautiful and loved! Though it
was another cloudy, cold day, we truly were able to bring life and
light to a place of darkness.
You are the light of the world. A
city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp
and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to
all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
�” Matthew 5:14-16
