What to do when You Fall in Love with Your Ministry Host

It happened. I cannot pretend it didn’t. I know we are supposed to guard our hearts and be cautious on the race. But when it’s love, it’s love, right? I mean, God put us here for a reason. So it must be ordained by Him. So I’m going to come out and boldly proclaim. I have fallen in love with my host in El Salvador…. All 12 of them.

No, no… It’s still not okay to date on the race…and none of the above-mentioned excuses make it okay. But that’s not the kind of love I’m talking about here. Sometimes on the race you get a host that says, “Here is the work you are going to do… Now go do it.” But every once in a while, God blesses you with a host that says, “Here is the work we are doing, come do it with us.” This is the blessing Homeward Bound has received this month.

Two days before coming to El Salvador we did not have a placement, but in His way, God brought up YWAM in El Salvador. I was honestly terrified. I had this fear that we would spend all of our days locked on the base and twiddling our thumbs. As we arrived very late on a Monday night, I was on the verge of a full blown anxiety attack. I woke up Tuesday morning to find out that I could not have been more wrong.

This group of 20-to-30 somethings nestled in the city of San Salvador is a beautiful family. And this family has welcomed us with arms wide open. Each one of the multiple ministries we do is incredibly Spirit-led and prosperous for the Kingdom. I am learning so much from them. I have new brothers and sisters who pour into me spiritually and yearn to see me grow. I have been prayed for, spoken over, encouraged, and pushed to expand my comfort zone and explore new gifts. I have an 8 year old soccer coach. We dance, we play in the rain, we take pictures, we swim, we sing, we laugh… Oh, how much we laugh! We worship in two languages – the most amazing worship I’ve ever been apart of. We have been invited back to visit, and I am whole-heartedly considering it. It is going to be so hard to leave this family. From day one they have had my heart.

Fran, Judy, Leanna, Mato, Chava, James, Stiven, Lorena, Molly, Paul, Leymi, and Juan David… If you read this (or someone translates it for you)… Know that you are loved, prayed for, and will be truly missed! Thank you for pouring into me. Thank you for investing in me. Thank you for encouraging me to grow. I have loved El Salvador because I have loved you. Hopefully, I will see you again soon.

I’m praying this for every month for the rest of the year… To fall in love, to grow, to embrace the ministry, and to cry at the thought of leaving. What a race it would be! But for now, I’m going to confess it for the world to hear:

“I’m in love, I’m in love! And I don’t care who knows it! I’m in love with my ministry hosts!”