This month was all squad month, which meant that all 57 of us were doing ministry together. How exciting right?!!? Well if you like eating, breathing, and working with 56 other people all the time then it’s great. Let me be clear about something- community is HARD. It is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I am an extrovert by nature but even this month wore me out. I couldn’t even go to the bathroom without someone being in the same room with me. Even though it was an adjustment for all of us, all squad month was a huge blessing. We weren’t afraid to be vulnerable with each other. We worshipped together like there was no tomorrow. We served each other in so many ways. We all fought the good sick fight together. We prayed earnestly for one another. We soaked up the sun on the beach as we watched our brothers and sister be baptized in the ocean. We learned to love in a whole new way and for that I am thankful.
Matthew Wright (one of our squad coaches) told us in Banos that “ministry is often times the person right in front of you.” It could be your teammate, your ministry host, or the child in your English class. From that moment on I realized that every opportunity is an opportunity to serve, it doesn’t just have to be during “ministry hours.” With this new mindset I served whoever was in front of me and this month it looked a lot like my teammates and squad mates.
I feel like I was able to pour in to old relationships and new relationships this month. Like I mentioned previously, our squad wasn’t afraid to get real this month. We discussed tough issues and brought so many things to light. One upside to living in constant community is being able to share in those beautiful moments of utter surrender to the Lord. Dustin Mick shared his testimony with us one night and it was such a beautiful story of grace and redemption. That particular night I felt the Lord asking me to pray with three specific women afterwards. SO much of their stories were wrapped up in what Dustin had just shared. I knew they needed to hear they were loved, they needed to be reminded that nothing they had done or could do would separate them from the love of Jesus Christ, and that I their friend was walking with them through this hard season. All three of them had been experiencing fear from the enemy.
As soon as the service was over I sought each one out. One was already in her hammock trying to hide from any potential conversation. I told her too bad, I was there to pray for her and remind her that no matter the struggle I was there for her. I wasn’t going to leave her side. She needed to know she wasn’t alone. Number two was in her hammock as well, both were trying to avoid conversation. I’m glad the Lord knew I would be persistent and wouldn’t let them hide. She needed to know that forgiveness was possible for her situation. We prayed specifically for the person she needed to forgive and it was such a beautiful moment. The third one I couldn’t find for a solid 30 minutes. I searched high and low…. literally. I finally found her and she laughed when I told her I wanted to pray for her. I asked why she was laughing and she said “ because I felt like God wanted me to come talk to you too!” That night she shared with me the depths of her heart. The good, the bad, the really ugly, and she trusted me with it all. We prayed and thanked the Holy Spirit for being so present in that tiny dark room.
That night I felt so used by the Holy Spirit. I am so glad that I pursued all three of these people throughout the month. That particular night the trust, love, and respect we had built in our relationships culminated in to what the Lord wanted them to hear and He used me to do that! Ministry was serving those three women right in front of me and it was such a beautiful experience for me.
Are there people you are missing out on because they’re right in front of you? Are you pursing relationships like the Lord wants you to? Ask the Holy Spirit to use you to minister to those people and be obedient when prompted. I promise it’s worth it!
