First of all, I’d like to start out with a life update of what I’m learning because it’s been a few weeks! I am learning to enjoy the present, to be thankful for where God has me. It’s good to go out of my comfort zone and maybe do things I necessarily wouldn’t do. It is here that God will use me and it is in these moments of pure faith in him that I will find purpose for my life. I have learned that hearing the Lords voice is easy when you press into the Love he wants to share with us. He wants to use our love to lift up others. It takes obedience, and obedience is a choice, but the reward is far greater than any other. It is being in the center of his joy and sharing that with him! This will give me the life I desire to live.
I’ve realized it can become hard to have faith when the days are hard. But I’ve continuously learned throughout my life that He is such a faithful God!!! When I am weak he is truly strong and he uses his mighty ways to inspire me to not give up on His perfect ways. He brings amazing people into my life that inspire me with their constant joy and hunger. He brings the weak to me and somehow uses my flawed self to share his truths, even when I at times don’t believe them myself.
He has been teaching me recently the true power of testimony once again, it seems to be something he wants me to truly be reminded of- how powerful our stories are. Here are some testimonies from my normal life on the field!
At ministry today I was sitting in this bible study for students my age but it was all spoken in Spanish. To the best of my ability I used google translate from the sheet they were referencing to try to understand the topic of discussion. I saw the story they were reading about a man that lost his wife but chose to live for the Lord even in his sorrows. I sat patiently waiting to try to understand their conversation, but the Lord was stirring up my spirit, telling me to speak on the power of this mans testimony. How he loved the Lord even through the difficulties. How he was still eager to share that love he had for the Lord with others. This shows us that we must do the same! That when we struggle we must first turn to Christ because he will give us the healing we need. But also, the power of speaking about how we have overcome challenges in our lives can also impact others. It’s important to share! I was so afraid because I didn’t want to interrupt whatever it was they were talking about. But when I finally decided to speak simply because I couldn’t take the racing of my heart any longer, Jose, our ministry host did the best he could to translate. I was in amazement of the boldness I had and of the reactions on the faces of the people in the room as I spoke. They were in awe that I chimed in and had something to say even when the Bible study was in Spanish. They seemed inspired by what I was saying. It was powerful.
Also, I sat there for the last hour completely lost, I observed the people in the room and the way they spoke. I specifically recognized the joy this individual named Dwaine had. He spoke with confidence and joy and his smile was bright. The Lord gave me these words to say to him “I can tell by the way you speak that you are on fire for Jesus! He sees your hunger to learn more about him. I encourage you to keep seeking him out and discovering more of his love! He wants to do big things in your life.” I then google translated it and showed it to him after the study. His face lit up when he read this. He thanked me and then walked away trying to process I presumed. He then grabbed me a few minutes later and asked to take a picture of what I showed him. He started speaking to me and I grabbed JC (our now good friend but once our translator from our old ministry) and he began to tell me how he had previously walked through a season where he turned away from the Lord. He said he had just recently started going to church once again and what I said really impacted him. He felt seen and knew he made the right decision to come back to Christ. He asked why I was here and if I go to a church here and I said no, I am a missionary. He said wow, I want to do that someday as well. He then continued to ask if I’d be at his youth group next week and I said yes, for 3 more weeks. Let the relationship continue! I prayed for him and we went on our way. What a powerful experience. (Thank you JC for your translation expertise!)
Yesterday we did Home visits! We went around our neighborhood and visited some homes of the children that go to our program. We came across a woman who has 2 children and her husband works all the time to provide for the family. Not long ago, this mother needed a test done to see what was going on with her stomach. Her son then got sick and she had to borrow in total about $700 from some guys in her neighborhood that are not good. That was the only resource she knew though, and she needed money for these medical needs. She is slowly paying this man back now but he is charging $100 interest each month and so most of their income is simply going to paying off the interest. She is terrified because they simply don’t have the money to pay the $700 as well and the guy is threatening to kill their family if they don’t get him the money soon. But, as we walked into her house yesterday, I felt so much peace. I was so welcomed by her joyful presence. She sat us down and brought us juice and a packet of crackers. Even with this big thing she was struggling with, she was still showing so much love and generosity. It was an honor to spend this time with her family and pray over this situation she is walking through.
Thanks for reading y’all. I love sharing my stories with you. God is good (:
