After spending 10 months on the World Race, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve given away my heart to a fair amount of people.
In Swaziland, there was a sweet 9-year-old named Siphesihle.
In the Philippines, there was a free-spirited 11-year-old named Hannalyn.
In Malaysia, there was a disabled, homeless man named Rajan.
In Thailand, there was a beautiful prostitute who I spent my nights ministering to at the bar.
I’ve found that after being on the field for 10 months, it’s easy to let my flesh get in the way. Because of certain circumstances, I was fully prepared to keep my heart and Jesus’ love all to myself during the time I was in Haiti. From the day we arrived I was counting down the days until it was time to go. I wasn’t willing to let my walls down until I caught a small glimpse of why God wanted me there.
It’s not easy to continually pour out, over and over again.
It’s not easy to love so hard, just to pack up and leave at the end of the month.
But it is worth it to see the beautiful, bright smiles on the faces that you love.
It’s worth it when you get endless amounts of hugs, notes in broken English, and quality time with the ones you’re pouring out your love to.
It’s worth it because of Jesus.
I got to spend time with Jacky in church and when he and some of his brothers would hang around at the school we lived in. My team was able to meet his whole family when we prayer walked a mountain and stumbled upon their house. We asked Jacky’s mom what their family needed prayer for, and the only thing she said was that they wanted spiritual growth as a family. She didn’t ask for money, she didn’t ask for food, she didn’t tell us how poor they were.
Here I was, complaining about a limited water supply, not having electricity, and not having the best food.
All the while, Jacky and his family were praising the Lord simply because they knew Him.
Jacky was able to help me come out of this rut I was in by reminding me of the simple things.
He reminded me that I need to continue giving glory to God even in the hard times.
He reminded me to never let a day go by without letting Jesus shine through me.
He reminded me to let my selfish walls down, because God is always ready to move in me.
He reminded me that it was okay to keep pouring out my love because God’s love would fill me up again.
God brought my team to Haiti so we could love this family and so they could give us a fresh view of what genuine faith and trust look like. He led us to bless them, to reward their unwavering faith and obedience in Him.
{All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.}
Acts 2:44-47
My team studied the book of Acts while we were in Haiti, and we chose to challenge ourselves by each doing one Crazy Act of Love. God called the believers in Acts to sell their possessions to help others in need. When you think about that, it does sound kind of CRAZY.
Think about selling your MacBook so you can give money to someone else who is need.
Think about selling your house because someone else has a greater need.
It’s all crazy, but it’s crazy for Jesus and that’s okay!
My idea for a Crazy Act of Love was hiking up a mountain with a 25 lb. sack of rice, beans, oil and Coke for Jacky and his family. The gratitude they showed when we handed them their food was absolutely unforgettable. It makes my heart jump for joy to see God bless His children and it makes me even happier to see God’s children give him ALL the glory!
God calls us to crazy acts of love all the time, and I am so thankful I got to have a hand in this one.
This whole story ties into the love and the power we have in Christ to love and love hard.
God gave the ultimate sacrifice of love when He sent His Son to die on the cross for you and for me.
Because Jesus died, I am able to love.
