First off… We’re in Colombia!
It’s only our second full day here and Medellin has been lovely. It’s such a colorful and unique city. We are staying in a private hostel just across the street from a local park that includes a soccer field, track, outdoor weight station, etc- so many people from the local community gather here each day. We will be training here for two weeks until ministry starts and after TC ends, our teams (usually consisting of 4-5 people) will spread out to wherever the Lord calls us to go until the end of January. After that, we will be heading to do ministry in Ecuador.
Today, we all had our first taste of what everyday ministry will be like.
We had an hour and a half to break out into five small teams and “treasure hunt.” If you aren’t familiar with the term, it’s pretty much praying and asking the Lord to show you someone specific to minister to. I wrote about this in a blog last year about listening prayer in Costa Rica. It’s essentially the same thing. I really struggled with it a year ago, so it was great seeing the growth that the Lord has done and the confidence that He’s built in less than a years time. Our entire ministry this year will be based on listening to the Lord’s voice, so this was great practice!
We asked the Lord to show us a place, a person, a thing, a color, and an ailment that that person may have. After spending time in prayer, our team felt led to go to the park. We felt like the Lord was showing us a little boy, someone or something old, a bike, a bowl, green, yellow, blue, and an arm. We went to a smaller park a few blocks away and we saw a little boy riding bikes with his parents. He was wearing a green shirt and they had blue and yellow bikes. This description matched what the Lord said! We were talking with one another about if we felt like these were the people the Lord was leading to us and we started to feel a “no” in our hearts. The family drove away on their bikes, so we walked a bit further down the sidewalk.
As we were walking, I looked up and saw an armed security guard outside, pouring something out of a bowl. He was in his 70’s. After he finishes pouring something out of the bowl, he goes to the top of a set of stairs and sits. My team and I decided to go and talk with him. Luckily, one of our teammates lives in El Salvador and was able to translate for us so that communication could run smoothly. We found out that the security guard was a Catholic man named Javier. We told him that we had been praying and God led us to him. When we asked if we could pray for him, we could tell that something was wrong and he was wanting to talk with us about it, but didn’t. He let us pray for him and we went our separate ways. The Lord has laid it on our hearts to go back and see him, so we are very excited to see what He has in store!
Sometimes God will give us clues about one thing just to lead us to another. He is a God that shouldn’t be limited and I am so thankful for that. We thought that we’d encounter a young boy with a bike, but God was actually leading us to something else. He knew that that was how we would end up to where we were, in order to speak into Javier’s life. So often, we think we have it all figured out- but God knows what He’s doing and what to do to get us to where He needs us to be.
Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
Wait.. That’s It?
I know what you’re thinking.. Right?! But no! God is SO GOOD. He has given my squad testimonies of His faithfulness. Whether that’s our last encounter with Javier or our first of many, he got to hear that God led a small group of crazy Americans to him because He loves him THAT much. How cool is that?! It’s totally worth it all. It’s a sweet story that involves trusting the process and that, if not us, God will use other people to pour into Javier. We know that there was some reason that God led us to him and that He wants him to know His love for him.
Here’s a challenge.
Wherever you are today, sit with the Lord and ask Him who He is wanting to lay on your heart, whether it’s a close friend or someone you haven’t spoken to in years. You would be absolutely amazed at the outcomes when people pray that simple prayer. Let someone know that they are loved!
Here are some things you can pray for.
- Pray for Javier! Pray that we can develop a good friendship with him and pour into Him in whatever ways that God is calling us to.
- Pray for safety
- Good health
- Healing in my eye
- That my squad will grow in Christ and with one another over these next two weeks at TC
- That all financial needs are met for our final fundraising deadline.
- That God’s will is done and we are following Him in everything we do.
- No mas comfort zones! God’s comfort zones only.
Thank you!
I want to thank each of you for supporting me and playing part in this journey. I wouldn’t be here without any of you and I can’t wait to continue to share this experience with you all!
Until next time.
-J
Hebrews 4:7 “Today, if you hear His voice, do not Harden your hearts.”
