After being in now 10 countries where English is not the first language, I have learned to work around language barriers. I have learned that smiles, hugs, and simple games can bring so much joy to people, even more than words sometimes. I have seen this, observed this, and taken part in this, but tonight is the night it truly hit me.
Tonight in Honduras, we helped with a girl’s camp for teenagers. There were homemade pizzas, lots of fun and games, more giggles and screams than can be counted and awesome truths spoken by the ministry leaders as well as some of the World Race girls. There were also tears, shame, sadness, unforgiveness, stories that make you cringe and want to find the person responsible.
Most of the night, I couldn’t understand anything going on, so I played a part when I could whether that was making pizzas, playing games, or just being silly. Other times, I just sat and prayed silently for the girls, for the Holy Spirit to show up in huge, impossible ways. Our host asked us to pray that this would be the “before/after moment” in their lives, that this weekend would be the time where they could see it all change for the good and for God. We prayed this prayer boldly out loud, together, alone and in every shape or form.
Previously leading D-Nows and youth events, I expected some of the tears, but what happened tonight was different. We talked about identity, we talked about what people have called us or told us on this earth, and then we talked about the way God sees us, the way God views us, the way God loves us.
Even though I could only guess what was being said and could only pick up a few words, I could tell the room was full of brokenness, full of chains to shame, more unforgiveness, bitterness, distress, frustration, and a whole lot of sadness. These girls were feeling deeply and even though I don’t know their stories, you could feel it in the room, but then something shifted. Something changed.
Our host, Melissa, prayed a powerful prayer over the room, praying freedom over these girls, praying forgiveness over these girls, praying confidence in their identity as daughters of the King. The room shifted from a sad heaviness to a place of freedom, to a place where forgiveness was taking place of the shame, despair, frustration, and hurt. At one point, the girls were encouraged to find someone and talk to them like they were somebody they needed to forgive. We as world racers, paired up with someone who spoke Spanish.
As I was standing at the front, a girl ran towards me and just hugged me without letting go. My translator was busy, so we just hugged. She wept on my shoulder, and in that moment, I didn’t need Spanish to feel what she was feeling. I didn’t need Spanish to show God’s love either. The Spirit was in the room. The Spirit was in both of us. My heart has felt brokenness many times before, so I felt it with her in that moment, but my heart has more often felt God’s love, and I know she felt that tonight as well.
I didn’t need Spanish. I didn’t need to speak her language. All she needed was to feel loved, to feel seen, to feel understood, and to have someone there to comfort her. God blessed me tonight in allowing me to show her just a little bit of all He has for her. I was able to pray over her, and although she didn’t understand a word I was saying, I know God was speaking to her. God was pouring truths into her heart, and all I can pray is that they stay longer than just tonight. God doesn’t need us to speak all the languages because He does that. God doesn’t need us to say the right words because He does that. We do have the privilege of being chosen to show that love though, and so tonight even though I speak very little Spanish, and she speaks very little English, we spoke to each other through God. God spoke to me using this young, beautiful girl, and I can hope and pray God spoke to her tonight and in some way I was used as well.
