Hello to everyone from Mexico City! At a population of 28 million, this rockin´ huge place wins the title of largest city in the world. It´s way intense, to say the least. I will post again in a few days to tell you more of my amazing adventures, but I felt compelled to send a little update in this moment.
For those of you that may or may not know, I´ve been in Mexico for the past week visiting a close friend of mine. (To give those of you scratching your heads a little background info, Adrienne and I were friends in college, and then she met the man of her dreams in Mexico. They got hitched, and the rest is history!) It might seem kind of strange to up and leave the country only three weeks before my BIG leave of absence, but I believe that God had some things to show me this week. (Please forgive me if this sounds at all rambled, but I´m still processing through my time here!)
I´m about to leave my home for a year to live in the most undesirable of places imaginable. I don´t think this reality has fully set into my mind or my heart yet, and although I am so excited about being on a plane to the Philippines in only three weeks, I am not completely sure how I feel about it. I am confident that this is where God is leading me, and yet I´m unsure of how I´m going to respond when faced with the challenges of living in filth. I still have moments of thinking I am crazy. However, I am confident that his grace is sufficient for anything I will encounter, and I go knowing that it is HIM I am chasing after.
Today was a powerful day. Being that it´s Sunday, we went to church with Adrienne´s husband´s family. Although we ended up arriving about two and a half hours late due to a little mix-up, the Lord yet had words to speak to me. A woman with a strong anointing was speaking to this wonderful Mexican church family about the forgiveness and grace of Jesus, and how his mercy allows us to move even when he´s calling us to do things of which we feel incapable. Hmm. And then… the Lord touched me through a means that typically always gets to me. I was able to partake in one INCREDIBLY beautiful worship song with lyrics that could not have been more touching. I wish that I had written them down, but believe me…the song was incredible. It brought tears to my eyes. All I can remember is that the chorus translated into, “Oh, how he loves me!” So powerful.
I knew his presence was ALIVE and HEAVY in this place from the moment I stepped in the door. The Holy Spirit came upon me and touched my heart, and he assured me that there are no boundaries he can´t cross. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM! He crosses language barriers, culture barriers, insecurity barriers, and whatever else we allow to get in the way of experiencing him. PRAISE GOD that I was able to encourage a woman today who knows English well enough to speak with me! PRAISE GOD that I was able to love children this week just by playing with them! PRAISE GOD that I was able to intercede for the broken people I saw on the streets as well as an 18 year old young man I met today with four types of stage 4 cancer! PRAISE GOD that he is bigger than all of this!!
God is opening my heart and pouring himself into it! He is allowing me to see his people with a heart of compassion and rest in knowing that all I have to “do” is let his love flow out of me!
As a side note, please pray for this young man named Hecktor. He is Adrienne´s husband´s cousin, and he is believing for a miracle. He has been given three weeks to live. But as we know AND as his father (who is a brand-new believer!) stated today, ¨”Only God decides how long Hecktor will live!”
Yes, Lord!
