“All I am is all I have
And all, all I have to give, and I give it all to You”
– From “Alabaster Box”, Julie Meyer
Over a month and what seems to be an eternity ago, I met with three of our instructors here at G42. That week was probably the most difficult, painful, and intense week I’ve had in life; the one thing that I clearly remember, though, was Andrew looking at me and saying, “If you choose to pour yourself out here during these six months and give of yourself to others, you will gain everything you came here for.”
It’s an ironic concept, isn’t it? And yet beginning to cultivate pouring myself out to others has been an amazing experiment! A few weeks ago, both Summer and I felt like God was asking us to give the few hours we had together for the week to Him. Hard? Yeah. Yet that day was probably one of the best times we had together, and I don’t think I could have planned an evening so amazing. We were able to pray for people on the beach, climb up into a tree and enjoy sharing what God did the past week, share Jesus with people throughout Torremolinos, and everything culminated with a completely unplanned dinner on the roof underneath the moonlight overlooking the city lights from our hilltop villa. Our time was amazing because He was flowing through us as we chose to give the best of what we had to Him… to others.
Jesus says in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I think when we give of everything we have, when we give freely of the love that God has given us to others – especially when it’s the best we’ve got, we receive the best of His love flowing through us. But if we just hold that love inside, we become dead. But giving allows the only love we’ve got – His love – to flow, and in turn we are made whole by giving.
The Costa del Sol, “Coast of the Sun”, is a stretch of beach visible 1500 feet below the mountain Mijas sits on just six miles away. It’s a popular tourist destination in Europe, and the streets and beaches are often filled with people from Germany and Great Britain. But underneath lies a world full of hurt, a world full of desperation. Prostitution is legal in Spain, and it’s believed that this region of Spain has over 18,000 prostitutes, both trafficked, illegal, and legal. People come to this area from all over the world to run away in hopes that life will be different. Alcohol is cheap, hasish is easily available, and a blind eye is often turned to the illegal. I’ve met homeless from Chile, Denmark, Belgium, Estonia, and Italy that have no vision for the future; they only have pain from the past. Many have been on the streets for over twenty years! These guys are tough, and the thing they long for the most – friendship – is the one thing few people offer. I’ve given money a few times, but most the time they just want someone to stand with them in the rain, listen to their stories, hear their hurt.
I chose to sit down over a month ago next to one of these guys and just listen. And it’s changed the course of everything. Yeah, it’s draining. It’s hard. I’m sometimes afraid that more will be required of me than what I have. But almost every time since then that I’ve given of myself to love these guys, God has blessed me with random opportunities to be encouraged by other Christians and moments of joy that could never have come without choosing to pour myself out to Him by giving of myself to others. This place feels like an ocean of need, far to big for me to handle. Yet every step I take towards facing that need I become more whole, more filled, more full of His love! I get to walk downtown now and call the homeless by name. I get to walk downtown through these streets and pray and invite His presence into this place. I get to share the truth of Jesus with people wanting to sell me hashish. Is there any better life? This is amazing!
The real life on the Mediterranean that most people don’t see in tourist magazines.
First Image: Life in Mijas without tourists as the fog and rain quiet our small Pueblo.
