((I started writing this blog post in South Africa during Month 1 but didn’t have wifi to post it and I never finished it. Now we are in Month 11 and I am taking a look back, I thought I would finish and post this one!))
Sometimes ministry looks nothing like what’s assigned to you by your ministry contact or your team. The Lord has a funny way of putting things together.
Today was a little tough for a few reasons, mainly just because we had a day off and I’m just ready to get started. I’m trying not to get restless in the space God’s provided for rest.
Tonight, I decided to go on a prayer walk around the compound (we aren’t allowed to leave without being driven by a ministry host). I had my earphones in and was listening to the song “Open Up the Heavens” and I prayed the words of the song, telling God I wanted to see Him. Just about that time, I took my headphones out and noticed how prettily the birds were singing. I noticed that directly in front of me on the path was an older woman looking up at the birds in the sky.
Her name is Sharon and she lives alone. She hasn’t retired but she only works two days now- with mentally disabled people at a home close by. She said her job left her drained and she loved to just watch the birds fly after work to clear her head. I wanted to know more about Sharon, did she have any family, how were things going for her? So I asked several questions and found out she also likes to paint and that it relaxes her. I told her my dad paints too, and asked if I could see her paintings. She said she had only been painting for 6 months and that she wasn’t any good and hadn’t shown her paintings to anyone, but that yes, I could see them. She took me to her small house on the property, and the inside was filled from wall to wall with some of the most wonderful paintings I’d ever seen. She had easels all around the room and her paintings all around the walls as well. I was blown away. She has an incredible knack to evoke emotion through the use of color, and I was completely stunned at her talent, and the fact that she hasn’t shared her talent with anyone.
Then I noticed the pictures. There were two framed pictures amidst her paintings- a woman and a man. I asked her about them and she shared that they were her son and daughter, both of who had died. She said her daughter died last year of a throat cancer and her son died almost three years ago of a sickness that he suffered three years with. She said she took care of him in the house but after he died she hadn’t kept the house up. Sharon told me painting was the only thing that could keep her from thinking about her son.
I could literally feel Sharon’s pain in the heaviness of her house.
I decided that any time we had downtime, Sharon would be my ministry. I started visiting her on our off days, and learning more about her life and asking how things were going for her.
I learned a lot from Sharon during my time in South Africa. Once, she said to me: “God is stripping every other person out of my life and forcing me to rely on Him.” Sharon’s faith is so strong! I think of Sharon sometimes and hope her pain has lessened, hope that God has given her joy in it’s place. I pray for her and hope she is well… If you have a moment, please remember Sharon in your prayers as well!
