This is hard.
It’s hard saying goodbye to a ministry that you poured you heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into for a month, packing up, traveling 30 hours with a fever, and then having to dive straight into a new ministry with equal enthusiasm. Not to mention you are far from home, you’re still trying to learn the language, you’re traveling with a group of people that would not have been your first pick at first glance (but you’re learning to love them by month three), and right now you’d kill for a Reese’s and a Dr. Pepper. You’ve got a bazillion bug bites, your showers are cold, your checking teammates hair for lice, and the discotec next door plays until 4:00am the night before church, and countless other inconveniences occur daily….
But then there’s that face.
The one who comes in the room serious and uninterested. Sits down and crosses his arms. In broken Spanish you ask his name and he ignores you. You shake it off and ask God to soften his heart.
The program starts and slowly his arms uncross during the silly games and dances. And then it happens. You see him smiling ear to ear, thumbs up, elbows tucked, chest out, feet apart, knees together, head back, and tongue out singing about the song in his heart for the king of kings.
Suddenly all those little inconveniences are gone.
This child is important to Jesus and he’s important to me. He matters. His pain, his joy, his sadness, and his celebrations all matter to the king of kings that created him.
This boy is why Jesus gave His life on the cross and this boy is why I keep restarting my life every month. Unrooting from what is becoming familiar to a place unknown. It may seems crazy and radical, but that one boy is worth every little hardship I faced to get on the race. All the fundraising, all the packing, and the exhausting explanations of why I’m going on the world race and what the world race is.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I’ve loved the race so far and every inconvenience has been a chance to learn and grow. I’m just trying give you a glimpse of what I’ve gone through and show how important children are to the kingdom of God. Mark 10:13-16 says
“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”
The children I am working with this month are more important than all the restarts I have to endure on this trip. And just like these kids are important to God’s kingdom so are you and so am I.
Yo soy importante a Jesus Cristo.
Funding Update
I need to raise $720 by the end of April.
